Children's Home run by London Borough of Barnet in Barnet

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 1 SC033805 Registered provider: London Borough of Barnet Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides short, long-term, and emergency care for up to six children with emotional and social difficulties and/or mild learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 30 September 2025. A new manager is in place but has not submitted a full application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. Two children were spoken to and one child was not present at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/05/2024 Full Good 13/06/2023 Full Good 21/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 25 children have lived at the home. This includes children placed on an emergency basis, as well as children needing short-term care before returning to live with their family, or to semi-independent accommodation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children settle well in the home and make good progress from their starting points. They make and sustain meaningful relationships with a consistent staff team. These relationships are warm and nurturing. As a result, children feel increasingly safe and well cared for. Staff support children to live together, and incidents of bullying are managed well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff respond well to children’s religious and cultural needs and work well with their families to maintain family relationships. They sensitively support children to spend time with their family and others who are important to them. Some children have successfully returned to live with their families. Children are supported to manage difficult life experiences and this help them to develop coping strategies and build resilience, which enhances their growth and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take effective action when children are not in school. They work well with education professionals and provide children with educational activities at home. Some children who had not been in school prior to moving into the home now attend and have developed good routines. This has significantly improved their attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their independence skills. Staff help children to learn how to manage their personal care and lead a healthy lifestyle. Some children attend the gym regularly to help improve their health and wellbeing. However, staff have not been successful at supporting all children to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. One children’s bedroom was not clean at this inspection and it was evident that the child had been smoking in their bedroom.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Incidents of physical intervention have significantly reduced. However, two incident reports did not have management oversight and there are discrepancies in the information provided in the restraint records had not been challenged, including attempts to talk to children after the incidents. Leaders and managers took appropriate actions to follow up the discrepancies at this inspection.

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

Children spoken to on this inspection said that they feel safe. They can identify a trusted person to talk to if they have concerns. The stable and consistent home environment, together with the warmth and confidence of the staff, helps children to feel safe and secure. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 4 There is a well-coordinated response when children are missing from the home and incidents of children going missing have reduced. Individual plans identify risks and actions to be taken when children go missing from the home. However, individualised plans need to be updated promptly following new information from the placing authority to ensure all staff follow the correct and updated plans.

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

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans are consistently updated when there are significant events or incidents affecting children. These reflect children’s changing circumstances and identify appropriate actions, including necessary further work to help keep children safe and to understand the reasons for any inappropriate behaviour.

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

Staff complete meaningful key-work sessions with children that are focused on their needs, previous experiences and worries. Recent key-work sessions have positively focused on children’s individual risks, their understanding of risk and how to keep safe in the community. Conversations explore children’s lived experiences and the impact this has on their current circumstances. Staff work well with external professionals and families to ensure that any concerns are shared promptly to keep children safe.

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

Staff use individual positive behaviour plans to support children. They set consistent boundaries and routines for children which some respond well to. There is a reward system that promotes and encourages positive behaviour. Leaders and managers have embedded a culture of using restorative approaches in place of consequences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager was previously the deputy manager for five years and knows the home well. The new manager is supported by a deputy manager and senior leaders. Feedback from children, professionals and parents about leaders, managers and staff is overwhelmingly positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are aspirational and want the best for children and know them very well. They are enthusiastic about helping children to overcome negative life experiences and trauma to help them learn life skills for adulthood. Staff have a clear and shared vision for each child to support them to make good progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The admissions process for new children moving into the home has improved. Leaders and managers said that senior local authority leaders listen to them and provide additional resources when needed. Staff complete initial assessments of risk from the information provided in the referral. Their assessment considers the needs and behaviours of new children, as well as those already living in the home. Due to the type of service the home provides, many referrals are unplanned, and children are admitted in an emergency. Management oversight of the referral process is not consistent, and they do not regularly review children’s assessments to consider whether staff have carried out a full assessment of a child’s suitability to live in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 5 Staff said that they feel well supported by leaders and managers. They are suitably qualified and receive regular training and development opportunities. Team meetings

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

give staff the opportunity to reflect on practice and the needs of children. Staff benefit from regular and effective supervision which is reflective and supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff undertake a range of online and in person training. They undertake more targeted training to meet the specific needs of children. Staff said that they find training beneficial and that it helps them to provide good quality care to children. The staff team is stable, committed and highly resilient.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the home’s strengths and areas for development. The requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection have been met. Leaders and managers work proactively with other professionals and build positive relationships with parents. Professionals and parents receive regular updates on the progress and experiences of children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 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 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 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the manager submits a complete application to register with Ofsted. 14 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint enables the use of physical intervention to identify any issues, trends or concerns that emerge. The registered person and staff should use these reviews for future learning and staff development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should have effective oversight of the referral and assessment process that is completed by staff to ensure that the home will be able to meet the needs of new children and children already in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)  The registered person should ensure that individual plans when children are missing from care are updated to ensure that staff follow each child’s protocol when reporting children as missing from the home to the police and the placing authority. (‘Guide to

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 7 the Children’s Homes Regulations, 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: SC033805 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Borough of Barnet

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Bristol Avenue, London NW9 4EW

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Inspector

Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 9 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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