Children's Home run by Ravensbourne Project in Lewisham

Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 1 Registered provider: Ravensbourne Project Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This short-break residential home and day service was registered with Ofsted in July 2017. It provides care for children with learning or physical disabilities and/or sensory impairments.

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Information about this children’s home

The home offers overnight short breaks for up to five children aged between eight and 18, provided that two of the five children are siblings of the same gender. The home operates at weekends, during term time and throughout all holiday periods. Children using the overnight short-break service stay on either a Friday or Saturday night.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024 and has managed the home since the last 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 requires improvement to be 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: 18 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Serious and widespread concerns were identified at an assurance inspection on 23 April 2025. As a result, a notice restricting accommodation was issued on 24 April 2025. On 27 May 2025, a monitoring visit took place. Due to concerns, a second notice restricting Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 2 accommodation was issued. On 8 July 2025, following a positive monitoring visit, the notice restricting accommodation was lifted. Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2025 Full Good 10/08/2023 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Good 21/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last monitoring visit, the restriction of accommodation has been lifted and children have returned to the short-break home. A reopening meeting took place with parents and the short-breaks local authority team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home currently provides short breaks to 34 children. A maximum of five children can access overnight short breaks at any one time. Children access the service for day visits and overnight stays, or a mixture of the two. At the time of the inspection, 13 children were accessing the service over two days, for day visits only.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a diverse range of physical and learning needs. Care plans are comprehensive and support staff to ensure that children receive tailored care to meet their needs. Children are cared for by staff they have positive relationships with. Children are celebrated, and their photographs, achievements and artwork are displayed around the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered a wide range of activities. Children’s sensory needs are supported using specialist equipment such as the ‘sensory pod’, which is a self-contained bed-like space that supports children’s sensory needs, alongside staff’s knowledge and understanding of children’s individual needs. Activities support children’s development and sensory motor skills using play materials such as foam, cornflour, water and jelly. Staff celebrate cultural events including Diwali by creating paper fireworks through art and craft sessions with children. Additionally, cultural days are planned with parents, who contribute food and items from their own culture.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents compliment the service. They say that their children are well cared for and that staff know their children, their needs and their risks well. One parent said, ‘Yes, my son loves going and seeing his friends. He is always so excited and happy when l collect him. He keeps talking about having more stays at the home.’ Parents also said that they would struggle without the service and most hoped for more days at the short-break home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager and staff carefully consider children’s needs when planning for children’s short breaks. They match children to friendship groups and other children with similar needs, abilities and interests. For example, two children were matched to attend together so that they could participate in a trip to a museum, supporting their personal independence skills. The children were actively involved in planning the trip, which further promoted their confidence and social skills.

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

Children’s vulnerabilities are known by staff. Staff know how to take effective action when children need medical assistance. Following a recent call to emergency services, Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 5 staff were commended by the paramedics, who said they went ‘above and beyond’ for the child, constantly reassuring the child. The paramedics also acknowledged that the care plan was clear and that the child’s medication was documented in their plan.

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

Medication management is carefully organised and well documented, using individual care plans for children. To ensure that staff can meet children’s complex health needs, staff receive effective training from a trained nurse. Staff are trained in medication administration, supported by robust systems that monitor the use of medication and peg feeding. Staff have the abilities and confidence to address children’s intricate health needs.

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

Staffing ratios are high to support children’s needs and provide sufficient supervision. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed, and staff are aware of children’s risks. Positive behaviour support plans are in place for each child. Children are encouraged to take appropriate risks to support their independence, such as participating in cooking activities. These activities are carefully adapted and supervised to reduce the risks, enabling children to learn new skills and build confidence and independence.

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

Incidents are managed well. Staff ensure that they respond calmly when children are distressed. Staff offer support and reassurance to minimise harm. Staff understand children’s needs, strengths and vulnerabilities and use de-escalation strategies to manage difficult situations. However, not all staff are trained in physical intervention if it should become necessary, which limits their ability to respond in rare but potentially high-risk situations if needed.

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

Since the last inspection, recruitment practice has improved. All staff have safer recruitment checks in place. All staff, including trustees and staff who do not provide direct care to children, have completed safeguarding training. Staff spoken with were confident in safeguarding practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Since the last monitoring visit, investigations relating to the responsible individual have concluded, and they are no longer part of the service. Despite this, leaders and managers have not submitted the correct information to Ofsted and the responsible individual remains legally attached to the service. As a result, there is no active responsible individual for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The chair of the board of trustees continues to lead and manage the home with the registered manager. Changes in roles and lines of accountability have created some confusion among the registered manager and staff, particularly regarding who holds responsibilities for key decision-making. For example, the role and responsibility of a newly appointed person in a position of contracts compliance/operational manager is unclear. This contributes to ongoing challenges in establishing clear and effective leadership arrangements. The provider is taking steps to resolve this as part of the rebuilding of the short-breaks service. Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 6 Supervision was raised as a requirement at the last inspection. Staff have received supervision since the last inspection; however, records show that supervision has not been consistent. In addition, the registered manager has not had regular supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

This means that staff and managers have not been adequately supervised and supported through a period of significant change and challenge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that health and safety checks are completed within the timescales. This oversight weakens assurance that the environment remains consistently safe for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Staff morale is positive. Staff report feeling more supported and more confident in sharing concerns, ideas and suggestions to improve practice. A recent professional development day supported the team to share and develop new ideas, and this has led to positive tools to monitor and measure outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Leaders, managers and staff have started working with the wider community to provide children and their families with additional support. This strengthens links with external community services and has helped to further support the home and provide resources for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 7

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(a)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff are provided with physical intervention training to meet the needs of children.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that there is oversight and monitoring of health and safety checks. 12 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 8 Leaders and managers must ensure that roles, responsibilities and decision-making are clearly defined.

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit to carry on the home; and

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Requirement Due date

the individual is financially fit to carry on the home.

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Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1) (5)(a)(b)(c)(d) (7)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure that they employ a responsible individual who meets the requirements of regulation. 12 December 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 9

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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: 1257289 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Ravensbourne Project

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Inspector

Jo Tarbie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1257289 11 to 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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