Children's home run by Strides Childcare Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2772134 1 Registered provider: Strides Childcare Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned home that provides care for up to five children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted on 8 August 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home was inspected on 30 September, 1 and 9 October 2025. Serious and widespread concerns were identified, and the home was judged inadequate due to significant shortfalls in leadership and management and the protection of children. As a result, compliance notices were issued under Regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and Regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. This monitoring visit was to assess the progress made against the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have responded to the outcome of the last inspection and taken actions to address the concerns raised. They are creating a safe environment with staff who have the skills and experience needed to provide good care to children.

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This monitoring visit

The issue around conflicts of interest has been appropriately identified and addressed effectively. Leaders and managers have introduced a new conflict of interest policy, supported by a comprehensive declaration form, to ensure that any identified conflicts can be appropriately mitigated. As part of the recruitment process, staff are now required to declare any potential conflicts, reinforcing a culture of transparency. This enables leaders and managers to implement effective safeguards when there may be issues around conflict of interest. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2772134 2 Staff’s ability to de-escalate and manage challenging behaviours has improved. Staff are supported to reflect on challenging situations and manage children’s behaviours effectively. Consequently, the number of incidents involving children has reduced. This ensures that staff can respond effectively in difficult situations and potentially

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have taken proactive and effective measures to prevent children from smoking cannabis. Staff consistently reinforce house rules and maintain clear boundaries, creating a structured and safe environment for children. Furthermore, children have participated in substance misuse sessions aimed at addressing and reducing this harmful behaviour.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, staff have benefited from attending a wide range of training courses, online and face to face, to meet the children’s specific needs. The training provided covers important aspects of staff practice and gives staff the knowledge and skills to provide tailored support and care to children. Leaders and managers have provided staff with resources to aid their discussions with the children about their safety. Leaders and managers have also held team meetings to discuss children’s needs and vulnerabilities.

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This monitoring visit

There is a new leadership team forming, which has begun to drive significant improvements. There are now enhanced monitoring and audit tools. This system enables consistent evaluation and ongoing enhancement of the quality of care within the home and helps to identify any shortfalls. It includes a monthly reporting process that provides oversight of both children’s progress and the home’s overall compliance with required standards. However, it is too early to determine the full effectiveness of the system as it has not yet been fully embedded in practice to demonstrate its impact.

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This monitoring visit

Despite making positive progress, the home environment still requires improvement. Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to provide children with a clean and nurturing home, which includes the conditions of their bedrooms. There are plans in place to address these concerns, and some repair work has started to begin to make the home safe, but there is a lack of urgency in ensuring that damage to the home is repaired.

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This monitoring visit

Both compliance notices are deemed to have been met. Regulations 12 and 13 have been reinstated to ensure that improvements are fully embedded and will be reviewed at the next full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements made at the previous inspection in relation to Regulations 14, 34 and 40 were not reviewed during this visit and are reinstated. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2772134 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/09/2025 Full Inadequate 29/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2772134 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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 the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. ( Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that significant or safeguarding incidents and allegations are accurately recorded and appropriate documentation is maintained in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that safeguarding incidents and allegations are reported to the relevant safeguarding agencies. 23 December 2025

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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;

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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

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, leaders and managers must ensure there are effective monitoring systems to gain an oversight of the care 23 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2772134 5 provided to children. Where shortfalls are identified, leaders and managers must take effective action to address these.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 23 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must fully consider the needs of children moving into the home, as well as those of the children already living there, and the impact these will have on other children living in the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 23 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2772134 6 The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which— is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

and sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that there are records of complaints and allegations and the actions taken in response to concerns raised.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 23 December 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they inform the relevant professionals and the regulator of any serious incidents and allegations.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 23 December 2025

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2772134 7 This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2772134 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Strides Childcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 39 Woodgrange Avenue, Enfield EN1 1EW

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patrick Nnebedum

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Inspector

Sadia Akhtar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2772134 9 and inspects 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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