Children's home run by Royal Borough of Greenwich

Inspection report for children’s home: 2728035 1 Registered provider: Royal Borough of Greenwich

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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 local authority-run home provides emergency and planned short-term residential care for up to six children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in October 2023. The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with all three children during 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: 2728035 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2025 Full Good 07/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2728035 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at the home receive a good level of care. Staff have high aspirations for the children. They are aware of the complexities of every child’s needs and can reflect on how best to support each child in a safe and stable environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children understand their plans. Children understand the expectations of the staff and the support that they can expect to receive to reach their targets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A skilled therapeutic practitioner is available to meet with children to assess their emotional, social and practical needs. They work closely with both children and staff to develop tailored plans that support children and their families in navigating complex feelings and developmental challenges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are highly valued, and their voices are actively heard through personalised discussion sessions. Staff are well-equipped with relevant subject knowledge to engage meaningfully in these sessions, enabling them to apply theoretical understanding directly to their practice and enhance the support they provide to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are actively promoted by staff, who demonstrate persistence and commitment in helping children access a wide range of support services. Their tenacity ensures that children receive the care and interventions they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at the home have been out of education for a considerable amount of time. Staff have worked with the virtual school team and education providers to support children to be able to access suitable education placements, supporting children to engage in education again. However, staff do not promote morning routines consistently to help children begin to prepare for school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves out of the home are generally well planned. On occasions when these moves have been more challenging, staff have demonstrated a good understanding of the circumstances and contributing factors.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are at home during the weekdays, there is a practice of restricting their access to the living space. Staff do not always ensure that all areas of the home are well maintained, which can impact the overall quality of the environment.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the risks faced by children and are able to identify concerns promptly. Risk assessments are clearly documented and take a holistic approach, incorporating contextual safeguarding considerations. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728035 4 Staff respond immediately to any identified risks to ensure children’s safety. These assessments are regularly reviewed and shared with relevant professionals to support coordinated safeguarding efforts.

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

Comprehensive plans are in place for children who are at risk of going missing from home. Staff ensure that daily logs are completed accurately and consistently follow each child’s individual plan for managing missing-from-home episodes. The team works closely with the missing-from-home coordinator, who has reported that observed practice has been positive and proactive.

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

When incidents occur in the home, staff respond proportionately to ensure children’s safety. Children are supported to reflect on their behaviours and understand the impact their behaviour may have on others, promoting emotional growth and accountability.

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

Staff actively participate in multi-agency risk management meetings to identify and assess risks. Following these meetings, they implement targeted plans to reduce risks and safeguard children effectively. Staff also work closely with family members to gain a deeper understanding of each child’s vulnerabilities and to manage risks within the wider community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates good oversight of the needs of the children living in the home, effectively supporting staff to develop individualised and impactful care plans for every child. These plans are thoughtfully constructed and regularly reviewed to ensure alignment with the local authority’s care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have made significant progress in recruiting a permanent staff team. Their focus is on nurturing and developing the team to build a strong foundation of professional knowledge that can be confidently applied in practice to meet the diverse needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers actively support staff in developing their therapeutic practice, enhancing their ability to provide effective support to children. However, not enough attention has been given to ensuring that staff complete the required residential childcare qualifications within the set timeframe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported through regular supervision, team meetings and clinical group sessions. Following serious incidents, debriefs are carried out to help staff manage stress and reflect on their experiences, contributing to a resilient and reflective workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager carries out regular monitoring of the home, which includes reviewing children’s weekly progress and the missing-from-home reports, as well as completing monthly operational monitoring. This approach ensures that the manager maintains a strong understanding of both the children’s needs and the overall functioning of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728035 5 When new children move into the home, these moves are well managed. Each new referral is carefully reviewed by the manager, who works closely with other agencies to gain a holistic understanding of the child’s needs before the child moves into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have established effective working relationships across agencies. This enables a joined-up approach to be applied so that the needs of the children living in the home are met effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professional feedback about the home has been consistently positive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2728035 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

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, children should have access to the living room during the daytime. 30 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should identify any gaps in staff’s qualifications and ensure that relevant units or qualifications are completed on time and at an appropriate level. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 68, paragraph 1.4)  The registered person must ensure the necessary support is given to children to enable them to access their education or training. Support may include, for example, ensuing that they have a stable routine that will support them to access education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.13) Inspection report for children’s home: 2728035 7  The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home are maintained to a satisfactory standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, paragraph 3.9, page 15)

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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: 2728035 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Royal Borough of Greenwich

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Royal Borough Of Greenwich, The Woolwich Centre, 35 Wellington Street, London SE18 6HQ

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Inspector

Helen Daniel, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2728035 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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