Children's Home run by NET PEX LTD in Croydon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2674518 1 Registered provider: Net Pex Ltd

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home; one moved in during the inspection. The inspector met with all the children. A new responsible individual started in June 2025 and was present and engaged throughout the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2674518 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Good 20/12/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2674518 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, they are welcomed into a warm and nurturing environment. The welcome includes the option to pick their own bedroom and redecorate and personalise it with a gift basket of essential personal toiletries. The home is regularly maintained and redecorated, although some fixtures and fittings are dated and reflect the age of the property and its previous function. Similarly, some of the decor reflects previous, younger residents’ tastes rather than the current children’s interests. The garden and living room are well equipped and the provider has invested in an array of modern gym equipment, which children enjoy and make use of.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is consistently prioritised. Staff support children to re-engage with school and apply for further education provision. When children’s exam results are disappointing or children’s goals change, staff respond with empathy and help children explore alternative educational pathways, ensuring they remain engaged with educational opportunities even when facing setbacks. Children are supported to develop independence skills, including cooking and managing daily routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Childre are offered a variety of activities, tailored to individual interests. The home recognises that their older children may prefer fewer, but more meaningful activities. Staff adapt activity planning to reflect these preferences, offering more bespoke or interest-led experiences, including making arrangements for trips abroad. Although children do not always take up the opportunities, staff continue to seek ways to encourage them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. Staff show persistence in supporting children to attend essential appointments, contributing to improved health outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans are well structured, individualised and regularly updated. Children’s views are actively sought and incorporated into their care planning. Key-work sessions are purposeful and responsive to children’s emerging needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home actively promotes and supports family relationships. Flexible arrangements are made to accommodate and support children at significant life events, such as weddings and funerals. Families report feeling supported and valued. Families also say that their children are very well supported, even when children are resistant to the help or experiencing complex challenges. Professionals are consistently complimentary about the home’s care for children, their communication and collaborative working.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff in the home speak about children with pride and warmth. Staff help children move on from the home and, where appropriate, relationships continue after they have left, with former residents visiting and maintaining contact and celebrating adulthood milestones with the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2674518 4

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Safeguarding practice is effective and risks to children are responded to appropriately. Children’s risk assessments are detailed, specific and regularly updated. They are tailored to individual children and avoid generic language, demonstrating reflective practice, flexibility and a responsive approach to the changing nature of risk.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The management of missing-from-care episodes has improved, with a reduction in the frequency of children going missing. Staff make determined efforts to remain in contact with children when they are missing and encourage them to return. Staff maintain detailed chronologies of events regarding any episodes of going missing and undertake respectful conversations with children when they return to help understand the reasons why children went missing.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The quality of risk and impact assessments used for matching children, and planning around children’s admission to the home, has improved. However, there is still some variability in the strength of this work. Some assessments and plans are highly detailed and nuanced; others contain a less detailed analysis of some of the risks identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers demonstrate strong oversight and a clear understanding of the home’s priorities. Issues picked up and considered during the inspection were already areas of ongoing focus for leaders, with staff meetings and supervision records demonstrating alignment between practice and priorities for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported, and they value the reflective supervision that they receive. One staff member described the reflective practice in the home as helping him develop better professional and personal parenting skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that leaders are responsive and emotionally intelligent, contributing to a positive team culture and an enthusiastic staff group. Leaders and managers recognise and value staff’s contributions. Leaders have been able to maintain ongoing staff stability. Safer recruitment practices are thorough.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers value children’s views and seek their opinions to influence the running of the home through house meetings, key-work sessions and simply through regular access to the registered manager, the deputy manager and the responsible individual, who are ambitious for continued improvement and ensuring that children receive a high standard of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2674518 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff consistently follow missing- from-home protocols in respect of recording and reporting incidents appropriately. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that suitability assessments are consistently carried out to

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Recommendations

a high standard in order to ensure compatibility of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: 2674518 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Offices Rear Of 93c, Upper Clapton Road, London E5 9BU

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Inspector

Claire Beckingham, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2674518 7 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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