Children's home run by Family First Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2836622 1 Registered provider: Family First Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run children’s home provides care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the first inspection following registration. There were two children living at the home at the time of this inspection and both of them spoke to the inspector.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2836622 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first inspection since registration, and it is clear that leaders and managers have created a culture of warmth and high expectations for children’s care from the outset.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed into a warm and nurturing home, where staff help them to settle and feel safe. Children benefit from consistent care routines and positive interactions with staff, helping them to develop a sense of stability and belonging in the home. Both children are happy living in the home, with one child saying that being in the home has been the greatest time of their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional health and well-being are well supported by staff, who understand their individual needs and experiences. Staff respond sensitively to children’s emotional cues and behaviours, offering support quickly when needed. Children are encouraged to talk about their feelings, and this helps them to feel listened to and supported when they are upset.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support children to re-engage with education when they have been out of school for a while. They work with relevant professionals to find appropriate colleges where children could have positive learning experiences. If children are not yet accessing full-time education, staff provide structure learning opportunities and routines that support children’s readiness to value education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Life at the home is vibrant and full of opportunity, with children actively supported to access a wide range of activities that they genuinely enjoy. Children and staff had nicely decorated the home for Christmas and they were looking forward to spending this period together. However, one child was disappointed that they would have to move on before Christmas, and the day after their birthday party, because their placing authority had found another home nearer to their family. Staff supported the child effectively when they became upset after being told the news. Leaders and managers advocated for the child as they felt that the timing was not in the child’s best interest, with little time to support the child to visit their new home and get to know new staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to have close and meaningful relationships with their families. They support family time sensitively and provide emotional support to children, both before and after each event. One parent said that they appreciate the regular communication with staff and the weekly updates about their child’s progress. They said that their child has been the most settled in this home and they are happy with how it is going. Inspection report for children’s home: 2836622 3

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

Children feel safe in this home. They say that staff are available, approachable and respond quickly when they are worried or upset. Staff know the children well and provide consistent supervision and support, which helps the children to feel protected.

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

Children are kept safe through strong safeguarding practices. Staff receive appropriate training and understand their responsibilities in keeping children safe. Managers ensure that any concerns are recorded promptly and shared appropriately with relevant agencies. This robust approach helps to protect children from harm and ensures that risks are managed effectively.

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

Both children have a history of going missing in previous placements. They have not gone missing since living in the home, demonstrating the positive impact of staff vigilance, strong relationships and effective risk management.

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

Children benefit from incidents being managed calmly and effectively. Staff respond confidently to challenging situations, prioritising children’s safety and emotional well- being. Clear records demonstrate that incidents are reviewed and reflected upon, enabling staff to learn and to adapt their practice. This helps to reduce the likelihood of incidents recurring and supports children to develop safer ways of expressing their feelings.

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

Managers ensure that thorough recruitment checks are completed so that only staff who are suitable to work with children are employed. However, some staff have started their induction before all checks are complete, although managers ensure that they have no contact with children during that time and there is a risk assessment in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from strong and effective leadership and management. Leaders have a clear vision for the home and are committed to providing high quality and child centred care. They know the children well and ensure that staff practice is informed by children’s individual needs and experiences. Leaders and managers have created a positive and stable culture where children are supported to make progress. However, initial assessments for children referred to the home do not consider the skills of staff or any training required to support the children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children receive care from staff who are well supported and guided by managers. Staff receive regular training, supervision and opportunities to reflect on their practice. This helps staff to feel confident and supported in their roles and promotes consistency in children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work constructively with external professionals to promote children’s welfare. Managers advocate strongly for children and ensure that their needs Inspection report for children’s home: 2836622 4 are understood and addressed through multi-agency working. This supports timely decision-making and ensures that children receive coordinated and effective care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor’s reports do not consistently include feedback from children or their parents, and they do not always review progress against previous recommendations. Without this information, it is difficult to demonstrate how children’s and parents’ views continue to inform the quality of care, or to show that children and parents are satisfied with the support provided. In addition, without reviewing previous recommendations, it is not possible to regularly assess the effectiveness of leadership and management in demonstrating progress or in using independent scrutiny to improve services outside of inspection activity. Inspection report for children’s home: 2836622 5

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that all employment checks are complete before staff start their induction training. 25 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (2)(a) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the independent person seeks feedback from children’s parents. The 25 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2836622 6 reports of the visits should also show that recommendations are reviewed, and the process made.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the initial assessment of a child’s needs fully considers the needs of all children living in the home, as well as staff skills and training they may require to meet all children’s needs effectively. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: 2836622 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Family First Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Apartment 79, Fitzroy House, 6 Palmer Road, London SW11 4GH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dionne Lee-Chang

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Inspector

Thobekile Bandama, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2836622 8 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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