Children's home run by Branas Isaf (Holdings) Ltd in Hertsmere

Inspection report for children’s home: SC068032 1 SC068032 Registered provider: Branas Isaf (Holdings) Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company and provides care for up to seven children of a single sex who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, six children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025 and is suitably qualified.

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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

Date of last inspection: 16 October 2024

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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: SC068032 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/10/2024 Full Good 23/01/2024 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Outstanding 10/08/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC068032 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children spoke to the inspector during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop trusting and positive relationships, creating an inclusive and nurturing living environment. They encourage children to express their views, wishes and feelings. For example, when the children’s adopted pet died, they were encouraged to express their emotions in a safe and caring way. Children speak positively about their experiences, with one child describing their time in their home as ‘nine and a half out of 10’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are strong advocates for children’s education. All the children are attending college or bespoke vocational training programmes and are making good progress in line with their respective needs. Education professionals speak positively about the support provided to children by staff. When there are barriers to education, the manager takes appropriate action to challenge them and ensure that children continue to have access to learning opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to explore their diversity, inclusion and equality. Children take part in a range of activities, and they recently helped raise money for a charity by organising a darts competition. Staff are supporting one child in exploring different faiths, and they helped another child to obtain part-time employment. This personalised and inclusive approach supports children’s independence and understanding of their community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves out of the home are thoughtfully planned. Since the last inspection, five children have moved out of the home. The manager and staff ensure that children are involved in planning these moves, which enables family members and professionals to understand their views, wishes and feelings. When external professionals do not fulfil their responsibilities in supporting these moves, the manager appropriately challenges this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides spacious communal areas and gardens where children enjoy relaxing and spending time with each other. There is a large dining table where children and staff enjoy shared mealtimes. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to reflect their individual diversity. Managers acknowledge that maintaining consistent routines regarding the physical environment of the home is an area for ongoing development.

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

Children’s needs are well understood by the manager and staff. They are supported by a clinical team that provides bespoke therapeutic input to help children explore their lived experiences. Children have detailed support plans that are regularly reviewed in Inspection report for children’s home: SC068032 4 consultation with the clinical team. This ensures that the manager and staff receive clear and effective guidance to support children’s emotional and psychological well-being.

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

Online safety is prioritised to help children understand the risks. Staff work together with the clinical team to provide age-appropriate support and supervision. Staff help children understand how to use mobile phones and the internet safely as part of developing their independence. Staff are being supported to learn about emerging technologies and the safeguarding risks associated with them.

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

Staff actively support children to talk openly with each other about any difficulties they may be experiencing in their peer relationships. This creates an inclusive, safe and respectful living environment, which helps children develop their communication skills and resolve any conflicts. Staff support children in exploring their family relationships when they experience challenges. The inspector received feedback from a parent about the quality of their child’s support.

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

When children go missing, staff respond promptly and effectively by liaising with families and external professionals to ensure their safe return. Staff encourage children to express their views, wishes and feelings to help them understand the risks of going missing. They also help children learn about risks in their community as part of developing their independence. The community police team speaks positively about the quality of support provided to children.

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

Staff understand how to use physical interventions safely when required to protect children. Staff help children understand the reasons for this type of support and encourage them to express their views, wishes and feelings. Managers recognise that one area for development is to ensure that staff consistently demonstrate in reports how they are using the guidance provided by the clinical team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, a new manager has been appointed and has registered with Ofsted. There is a strong and cohesive management team that is committed to creating a safe, nurturing living environment and providing children with new opportunities. External professionals speak positively about the quality of communication and partnership working.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is resilient and diverse. Staff speak positively about the structure and support introduced by the new manager and deputy manager. Effective clinical support, alongside regular supervision and team meetings, ensures that staff have a strong understanding of children’s needs. This helps staff feel valued and promotes ongoing learning and development in their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have clear safer recruitment processes to ensure that children are cared for by suitable and safe adults. A comprehensive training plan supports the development of a skilled and child-focused team of staff. All staff have either achieved Inspection report for children’s home: SC068032 5 the required qualifications or are being supported in doing so through regular reviews of their learning and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that there are detailed monitoring and review systems in place. These systems support the continuous improvement of children’s experiences and progress, as well as the development of staff practice. For example, the manager carries out monthly audits to identify strengths and areas for development. Managers recognise that improving the organisation of children’s files is an area for development. Inspection report for children’s home: SC068032 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff and leaders working at the home understand their roles and responsibilities when the manager is away. This specifically relates to the routines for consistently maintaining the physical environment of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. This specifically relates to improving the recording of incident reports to reflect guidance from the clinical team and ensuring that children’s files are appropriately organised. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC068032 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Branas Isaf (Holdings) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Siân Heffey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC068032 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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