Children's home run by Heartwood Residential Services Ltd in Barnet

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC423959 1 SC423959 Registered provider: Heartwood Residential Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 1 March 2011. The manager registered in December 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living at the home at the time of this visit.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 23 and 24 July 2025. Compliance notices were issued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard), regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard), and regulation 35 (behaviour management policies and records). These related to shortfalls in safeguarding, managers’ failure to adequately assess children’s needs before they move into the home, staff skills and ability to support children’s needs and risks, and staff failing to complete records when restraint is used.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to monitor progress in relation to these compliance notices. The compliance notices issued under regulation 12 and regulation 13 were not met. Following the ongoing and significant shortfalls in safeguarding, care, and leadership and management found at this visit, Ofsted issued a notice restricting the accommodation at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have continued to not fully assess the needs of children who are moving into the home. Following the full inspection, the responsible individual gave assurances to Ofsted that no children would move into the home until this shortfall was addressed. A child moved into the home nine days after the inspection. The assessment of this child’s needs did not comprehensively take known risks into account. There continues to be no effective oversight of the admissions process for Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC423959 2 children coming into the home. Crucial information for children is overlooked, which has led to a failure to safeguard the child and provide them with suitable care.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers do not approve children’s care plans and risk assessments until several weeks after they have moved into the home. This has resulted in staff having a limited understanding of children’s individual needs, risks, behaviours and vulnerabilities. Significant risks, such as those connected to gangs, knives or exploitation are not explored by staff, and strategies to manage these risks are lacking. This is a contributing factor to children having unsuccessful outcomes and having to leave the home prematurely, causing disruption and instability. Leaders and managers have not prioritised the needs of children and have failed to acknowledge or accept the impact that their decision-making has had on the children’s overall experiences and progress.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff manage incidents effectively. Staff fail to use appropriate de-escalation techniques or implement creative alternatives that are specific to the needs of children. Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are poor and do not give staff helpful practice guidance. As a result, staff inadvertently condone negative behaviour, leading to an increase in incidents. Leaders and managers are not readily available or accessible during these times. The lack of guidance and planning compromises children’s safety and contributes to a pattern of poor behaviour management. This has also led to premature notice being given on the child’s placement as their needs could not be met.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and the manager demonstrate a lack of professional curiosity when reviewing incidents, failing to analyse what could have been done differently or learned. This lack of oversight leads to repeated poor interventions and missed chances for reflection and improvement.

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This monitoring visit

Staff fail to record all incidents. This prevents leaders and the manager from identifying themes and where practice needs to be challenged. This also impacts on how the staff can work effectively together to manage behaviours positively and safely when the child is upset or frustrated.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and the manager’s oversight and monitoring of the home are not effective. Potential risks, as well as weaknesses in practice, are not identified and addressed. External monitoring systems, including by the responsible individual, do not support managers to identify and address shortfalls in practice. This has led to children’s records and documents being poor quality and not fully completed. In addition, the guidance staff receive from risk assessments, care plans and behaviour strategies is poor and not updated as needed.

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This monitoring visit

The home environment is poorly cared for. Leaders and managers have not taken action to provide children with a clean and nurturing home, including their bedrooms, and there is a lack of urgency to repair damage to the home. There are Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC423959 3 plans in place to address these concerns and some repair work has been undertaken to begin to make the home safe.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders have emphasised to staff that they should not restrict children’s access to communal areas. Children can now access all parts of the home that are appropriate for them. In addition, leaders have ensured that when restraint is used, staff complete records. As a result, the compliance notice issued under regulation 35 is met.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements that were previously issued under regulations 14, 32, 36, 39 and 40 were not reviewed during this visit and are restated.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted will carry out further visits to the home to monitor the restriction notice and the provider’s response to addressing the serious shortfalls identified at this monitoring visit. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC423959 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2025 Full Inadequate 01/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC423959 5

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)) 3 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

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 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 3 November 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC423959 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;.

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a thorough assessment takes place before children move into the home, to consider if their needs can be met and how any known risks will be managed. This should include due consideration of other children already in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all relevant plans are adhered to by staff and taken into account by leaders and the manager. 3 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or 3 November 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC423959 7 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the matter; the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they inform the regulator of serious incidents, allegations and the actions taken.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that agency staff have adequate qualifications, skills and experience to care for children with complex needs. 3 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 3 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

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

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) (3)) 3 November 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC423959 8

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC423959 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Heartwood Residential Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 416 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex IG3 9TH

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Inspector

Sadia Akhtar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC423959 10 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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