Setting run by Branch Out Residential Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2828155 1 Registered provider: Branch Out Residential Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered with Ofsted in July 2025 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in September 2025. In October 2025, the responsible individual left the home.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, the director had delegated oversight to the provider’s placement officer. The placement officer, a deputy manager and the consultant service manager were the leadership team present during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, no children were living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

On 30 September 2025, an assurance inspection was carried out in response to specific concerns received by Ofsted. Serious and widespread concerns were identified. As a result, two compliance notices were issued. These were under Regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and Regulation 32, fitness of workers. A notice restricting accommodation was issued on 3 October 2025.

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to monitor the notice restricting accommodation at the home and to monitor the progress made against the compliance notices. The inspector found that the restriction of accommodation notice has been complied with, and no new children have moved into the home since it was issued. The provider has failed to meet the compliance notices issued under Regulation 13 and Regulation 32.

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This monitoring visit

Since the assurance inspection, both the newly appointed manager and the responsible individual have left their roles. There is a continued decline in the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2828155 2 stability of leadership and management arrangements. There is no registered person accountable for the day-to-day running of the home or person deemed suitable appointed to supervise the management of the home. While recruitment is in process for these posts, this newly registered home is without the management oversight required to meet regulatory expectations.

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This monitoring visit

This failure to maintain effective and stable management arrangements has meant that the required demonstrable improvements have not been made. The leadership team has not implemented an effective action plan in response. Tasks identified remain ongoing, without a timescale for completion. A lack of regulatory knowledge and experience in residential childcare in the leadership team leaves the home vulnerable.

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This monitoring visit

The sufficiency and stability of the staffing arrangements at this home are unclear. The absence of contracts and job descriptions for support workers creates continued uncertainty about who is available to work in the home and which posts are full-time or part-time. New support workers include the two directors. This is not accurately reflected in the home’s statement of purpose. How the directors fulfil their accountability for both roles is not considered.

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This monitoring visit

Recruitment and vetting arrangements for staff are weak. The leadership team does not have effective oversight of safer recruitment processes. Monitoring systems are incomplete. A lack of scrutiny of records means that there are gaps in safer recruitment checks for some workers.

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This monitoring visit

The leadership team has not completed a lessons-learned review following the end of the previous child’s placement. A review of key policies and procedures referred to in the action plan to safeguard children was not evidenced. A review of staff training and an assessment of their competency to implement their learning have not been carried out. As a result, the leadership team cannot be assured that staff are suitably skilled and have sufficient guidance to provide safe and effective care to a child.

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This monitoring visit

Monthly visits by the independent person do not take place. The leadership team has not ensured that an independent person undertakes external scrutiny of the home’s safeguarding practice and operation. This also hinders Ofsted’s regulatory oversight of the home.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted are informed when changes to the manager and responsible individual occur. At the time of this inspection, the leadership team has not provided sufficient information about the role of one director. A formal notification of one director now being actively involved in the running and operation of the children’s home has not yet been received.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this monitoring visit, a further restriction of accommodation notice has been issued. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2828155 3

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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 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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care;

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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; 2 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2828155 4 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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 2 January 2026

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if 2 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2828155 5 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that relevant support strategies and guidance around missing-from-home procedures are recorded and are understood by staff.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. (Regulation 44 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 2 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Requirement Due date

a person ceases to carry on or manage the home;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is an organisation—

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Requirement Due date

any change of director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the organisation. (Regulation 49 (b)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 2 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2828155 6

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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.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2828155 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Branch Out Residential Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 205 Parkside Avenue, Bexleyheath DA7 6NR

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Inspector

Matilda Clode, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2828155 8 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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