Children's Home run by Anna House Limited in Havering

Inspection report children's home: SC058603 1 SC058603 Registered provider: Anna House Limited

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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 long-term care for up to six children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in March 2005, and the manager registered in May 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were four children and two young people aged 18 living at the home.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC058603 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/06/2024 Full Outstanding 12/07/2023 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Good 07/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC058603 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are settled at the home, having lived there for a significant period of time. They have developed strong, trusting relationships with a consistent staff team. Staff know the children well and provide nurturing, individualised care that helps them to feel safe, understood and valued. There is a calm, predictable atmosphere, where routines are familiar and children experience a sense of belonging. The children have made progress in all areas of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two young people are currently preparing to move on; plans were made for them to remain living in the home post-18, to ensure that the move is at their pace. Staff are working closely with the new carers and professionals to ensure that both moves are carefully planned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people have complex health needs. Staff are trained and competent in meeting these, including supporting children who are fed via a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) and use a nebuliser. The registered manager ensures that staff remain with children and young people if they have overnight stays in hospital, offering them comfort and reassurance from a familiar face.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children and young people attend school or college regularly, and staff work in partnership with teachers to support learning. All the children and young people are non- verbal, and while staff know them well and interpret their cues effectively, the communication aids used in school are not always used consistently within the home. This inconsistency results in lost opportunities for the children to improve their communication skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to maintaining and strengthening family relationships. They ensure that parents and relatives feel welcome. Families visit frequently and remain closely involved in the children’s lives. One independent reviewing officer described the team as going ‘above and beyond’ to promote meaningful family time. A parent described feeling like they were part of a ‘big family’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people enjoyed a carefully planned holiday to Blackpool. They also enjoy going out in the community. They are supported to go shopping, use public transport and visit places of interest, such as a recent trip to the Tower of London.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, welcoming and well maintained. Staff take pride in creating a homely environment where everyone feels valued. Children, young people and staff eat freshly cooked food together at mealtimes. The garden is well kept, with flower beds, a swing and trampoline that are well used by the children and young people. Inspection report children's home: SC058603 4

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

Children and young people are closely supervised. There have been no concerns about children going missing or being at risk of exploitation. Behaviours that may cause harm to themselves or others are managed calmly and consistently through clear routines, low-arousal approaches and strong relationships. Staff are trained in the use of self-hold techniques, although physical interventions are rare. When incidents occur, they are recorded, and management oversight ensures that practice remains safe and proportionate.

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

Staff work collaboratively with the wider professional network, including health, education and social care. Professionals including nurses, physiotherapists and psychologists visit the home, and staff receive support and training to ensure that they can meet children’s individual needs.

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

Staff are safely recruited, trained in safeguarding and medication administration, and understand whistleblowing procedures. Fire safety processes are robust, with individual evacuation plans and regular drills in place.

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

Children and young people have not made any complaints. A small number of complaints have been raised by others and have been addressed; however, the recording and analysis of these are not clearly set out with actions and review, making it difficult for leaders to maintain effective oversight of emerging concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and qualified and has worked at the home for a number of years. Recent changes to the wider leadership structure have included a new director and responsible individual, alongside the internal promotion of a deputy manager and two new senior staff. This has strengthened the leadership capacity within the home in recent months. Together, they ensure the smooth running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has not used any agency staff, and the same core team remains in place as at the time of the last inspection. This continuity contributes to stability for the children and consistency in care. While there had been some slippage in staff supervision and appraisals, this has been identified and addressed, with staff now receiving regular supervision. Staff report high levels of satisfaction, and they clearly enjoy working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work well with the professional networks. Feedback from external professionals and parents is positive regarding the care provided and the communication from staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some children’s and young people’s plans and risk assessments are not up to date. Leaders and managers do not have effective systems in place to ensure that information is current and consistently reviewed. The quality of care review since the last inspection is brief and does not include the views of children. Although this has not had an adverse Inspection report children's home: SC058603 5 impact on children, who are very well known to the staff team, it was identified as an area that needed to strengthen at the last inspection and remains an area for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite many staff having worked in the home for several years, not all staff have completed the required level 3 qualification. This is a missed opportunity to strengthen staff knowledge. Inspection report children's home: SC058603 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that risk assessments and care plans are regularly reviewed and updated and that the quality of care review includes the feedback and opinions of children and actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. 15 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)) 20 January 2026 Inspection report children's home: SC058603 7 The registered person should ensure that care workers achieve the relevant qualification by the required 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) (2) (3)) 15 December 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should work in partnership with relevant people as appropriate to ensure that each child is provided with support (appropriate to their age and understanding) to communicate their views, wishes and feelings and participate as fully as possible in all aspects of their care planning and daily care. This may include the use of and support to use communication aids, equipment and/or any necessary language support (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.6)

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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 children's home: SC058603 8

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Inspector

Matilda Clode, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC058603 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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