Children's Home run by Westmont College Limited in Redbridge

Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 1 Registered provider: Westmount College Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in August 2023. There has been no registered manager since 17 June 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2024 Full Good 30/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have left the home. One child successfully returned to live with their family, while another moved out due to staff being unable to meet their complex needs. On several occasions, staff have had to call the police to help manage incidents of concern.

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improvement to be good

The child currently living in the home has settled in well. They have formed positive relationships with staff and express that they enjoy living in the home.

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improvement to be good

When children move into the home, staff arrange for a home tutor to provide educational support until a school placement is secured. However, the current child has not been supported to establish a consistent daily routine. As a result, they stay up late and sleep during the day, which leads to them missing out on educational opportunities.

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improvement to be good

When complaints are raised, these are not managed in line with the home’s complaints procedure. This failure risks eroding children’s trust that adults will listen to their concerns.

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improvement to be good

The child has been registered with health professionals and supported to attend appointments. The home has recently commissioned the services of a counsellor. This arrangement is still in its early stages, and no child has yet engaged in the support.

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improvement to be good

Family members are welcomed into the home. However, staff did not tell the child’s social worker about a family home visit until after it had taken place. Although the child’s safety was not compromised, staff overlooked the importance of planning with the social worker.

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improvement to be good

Staff work hard to meet children’s cultural needs. They supported one child, who previously lived in the home and who rarely left their bedroom, to attend mosque each week. Leaders also recruited additional staff to meet one child’s specific cultural needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to take part in activities. The current child has enjoyed trips to the cinema, going ice skating and go-karting. The child is also caring for their two cats with staff support.

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improvement to be good

Improvements have been made to the home environment, including the refurbishment of the bathroom and the clearing of the spare room. Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 4

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improvement to be good

Inconsistent management has weakened oversight of safeguarding practice. One allegation raised by a child was not fully investigated and recorded in line with the home’s policy.

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improvement to be good

Staff provided a child with an unconsidered assurance that safeguarding information that they disclosed would not be shared, due to concerns that the child might lose trust in them. However, the information was subsequently passed on without informing the child. This breached the home’s safeguarding policy, caused confusion, and undermined the child’s trust in staff.

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improvement to be good

Since the child moved into the home, there has been a noticeable reduction in the number of times they have gone missing from home. However, on one occasion when the child did go missing, staff did not follow the agreed protocol and delayed notifying the police.

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improvement to be good

Staff training is largely generic and delivered online. Staff have recently received training in de-escalation and the use of physical restraint. However, the overall training programme does not equip staff with the necessary skills to meet children’s complex needs. For example, not all staff have received awareness training on supporting children at risk of self-harm including ligature risks, and children at risk of sexual or criminal exploitation.

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improvement to be good

Staff know how to use the home’s whistle-blowing policy and are confident to raise concerns. Leaders seek advice from an experienced consultant on safeguarding matters, which has guided their decision-making.

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good

The home has been without a registered manager since July 2024. The absence of consistent and permanent leadership has weakened oversight and reduced the effectiveness of monitoring. In the interim, the deputy manager, supported by the responsible individual, has overseen daily operations. The deputy manager is responsible for staff supervision and chairing team meetings. They attend the home four days a week and carry out these leadership duties alongside their role as a direct care team member working with the child.

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good

Several staff members have worked at the home since it opened, and the provider does not use agency staff. This has supported continuity of care for children. However, leaders have not ensured that new staff complete a full induction. Additionally, staff who have been in post for over a year have not received an annual appraisal. Supervision sessions do not consistently provide space to reflect on the individual needs of the children in the home’s care. These shortfalls limit leaders’ ability to Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 5 evaluate staff performance, identify training needs, and set meaningful professional objectives.

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good

Leaders employ staff on non-permanent contracts. They follow recruitment processes, but some members of staff have not signed and dated their contracts. This omission leaves staff and leaders vulnerable in terms of accountability. Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

 social workers are notified in advance of any new arrangements for the child to see family or friends, so that safeguarding risks can be fully assessed and plans agreed;  all staff understand and follow the home’s child protection policy and child’s risk assessments, with reference to the management of allegations and safeguarding concerns. 22 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 7 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must lead and manage the home in a way that—

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Requirement Due date

is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensures that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understands the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child, and uses this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrates that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met, and feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

uses monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(c)(f)(g)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

 all staff receive training in self-harm awareness, ligature risks, and in supporting children who have experienced sexual or criminal exploitation;  staff are supported to help children manage their behaviour safely, so that incidents do not escalate;  action is taken to address any shortfalls in staff practice to promote learning from safeguarding practice. 22 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 8 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation;

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Requirement Due date

and provide each employee with a job description outlining the employee’s responsibilities.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

Undertake continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

Receive practice related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(b)(c) (4)(a)(b)(c)) 22 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b)) 22 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 9 Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the procedure must provide that no person who is the subject of a complaint takes any part in its consideration or investigation, except at the informal resolution stage if the registered person considers it appropriate.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1)(2)(3))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when complaints are raised these must be managed in line with the home’s complaints procedure. 22 October 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when children are placed in a home and are not participating in education, because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, they work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. This should include helping the child to establish a routine that will help them prepare for the school day. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that staff follow the procedures when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission, and staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,

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Recommendations

including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Westmount College Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Westmont College, 28-42 Clements Road, Ilford, Essex IG1 1BA

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Inspector

Matilda Clode, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2722575 11 inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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