Children's Home run by Young Futures Social Care Ltd in Lambeth

Inspection report for children’s home: 2822998 1 Registered provider: Young Futures Social Care 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 privately owned children’s home provides care for up to six girls who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were five children living in the home at the time of inspection. Two children spoke with the inspector during the visit.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the first inspection of the home since the home and manager registered with Ofsted on 14 May 2025.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2822998 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points, particularly in building positive relationships with staff and in their education. Staff ensure that the home is a warm and welcoming environment where children and staff can build positive and trusting relationships, enabling children to thrive physically, emotionally, and socially.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to supporting children’s learning. Some children attend school regularly and receive encouragement to stay engaged with their education. Staff also assist children who are not in school to explore and apply for educational opportunities. They also involve these children in activities to help them to re-engage with education or employment. This is done in collaboration with an in-house tutor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to participate in various activities tailored to their interests. This includes holidays, days out, trying new foods and individualised experiences. One child is part of two dance groups, one of which is a K-pop group which supports their interest in Korean culture.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with their friends and family. Leaders and managers have ensured that arrangements for children to see the people that matter to them are carefully thought through to minimise the impact on the other children in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children gather on a weekly basis with staff to discuss what is important to them. This provides them with an opportunity to influence their care, plans and developing interests. For example, children make agreed choices about what is cooked in the home, items they would like to have in the home and the home’s decoration, and activities they would like to take part in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop their independence. This is personalised so that while it is developmental, it also helps children to better understand how to protect themselves from harmful situations and inappropriate people in the community. Staff support children to plan, buy and cook meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive behaviour is reinforced by rewards to help children to reach their personal goals. Staff also use financial consequences such as deducting monies from rewards or allowances, which are then added to savings for children’s futures. Approaches to rewards and sanctions are not always individualised and are not always effective in promoting a change in behaviour. The manager does not consistently challenge staff’s practice in this area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

External professionals praise the work that the staff do and can clearly identify the progress children make. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822998 3

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

Children have personalised care plans that aim to meet their needs, including in relation to their religion, ethnicity, and identity. However, not all plans from placing authorities are available to enhance the home’s plans further. Despite this, staff understand children’s risks and needs well. Children’s care plans and risk assessments are clear and include personalised, positive behaviour strategies. These include children’s individual communication styles, which helps staff understand how to support each child most effectively.

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

Leaders and managers consider risks to children before they move into the home. This includes considering them in the context of the needs of the other children already in the home. However, the risk assessments that are created as a result are not always clear and not all known risks are included. It is also not always clear why leaders and the manager believe that they can meet the children’s needs well.

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

Staff complete comprehensive reports after incidents. Children are spoken with to gain their views and key work sessions are linked to any developing risks and children’s needs. Staff reflect the home’s values and ethos by ensuring that children’s needs come first when planning and completing their work with children. This helps children to be aware of risks and the concerns that adults have for them.

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

Staff make sure that they make the right referrals when children go missing from their care and they make clear records of these incidents. Staff also maintain communication with children when they are away from the home. Where children and key professionals have agreed, staff monitor children’s locations as a method for supporting children to be safe. This also helps staff and managers in their efforts to collect children and ensure their safe return home. As a result of these measures, and the positive engagement staff have with children, the number of episodes where children are missing from the home is reducing.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that they escalate any concerns about children being at risk of criminal and sexual exploitation to children’s placing authorities and statutory partners. Leaders, managers and staff effectively challenge partners to best support children as needed, but strive to maintain good working relationships with professional networks as they know this is in children’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are passionate about the care children receive and are aspirational for their futures. Leaders and managers know the children well and demonstrate insight, empathy and understanding towards them. This attitude and approach is reflected in staff’s positive care of children. Most staff have worked together prior to the registration of the home and know each other well. They bring extensive and varied experience of working with children which means the children receive good, supportive care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822998 4 Staff are provided with ongoing training and a comprehensive induction, including shadowing other staff to support their professional development and see how care is provided in the home from the outset. Leaders and managers ensure that staff continue to be suitably skilled to support children by ensuring that training is directly related to children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are happy in their roles and feel valued and supported by leaders and managers. Staff and the registered manager receive regular supervision sessions in which children are a strong focus. Where needed, leaders and managers address practice that is not in line with the ethos of the approach in the home. They reiterate expectations, refresh staff on the model of care and monitor practice to ensure improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and manager understand the principles of safe recruitment. However, they do not ensure that all checks are completed in line with regulation to support their decisions regarding employment of staff. This leaves a vulnerability in the recruitment process and their decision making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good systems in place to audit and monitor children’s progress and staff practice. For example, managers have used their monitoring processes to note where medication administration is not in line with their policy and best practice. In response, they have ensured that staff have completed their required training, and managers have strengthened their oversight further. This is an example of the approach managers have to developing staff practice, where needed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822998 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 care planning standard is that children—

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they have up to date care plans from children’s placing local authorities to support their day-to-day care planning. In addition, staff should have access to these plans. 7 November 2025

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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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that recruitment checks of staff are completed for all staff to support their decision making regarding offers of employment. 7 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that pre-admission risk assessments clearly identify the risk levels for children. In addition, leaders and managers should clearly indicate the decision they have made regarding the decision for children to move into the home and why that decision was made. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2822998 6  The registered person should ensure that, sanctions are individualised and where possible be restorative for the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: 2822998 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Young Futures Social Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 127 Lambeth Walk, London SE11 2EE

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Lauren Brown-Acquaye

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Inspector

Salean Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2822998 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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