Children's home run by EQUIPPED 4 LIFE- 16 + LTD

Inspection report children's home: 2834973 1 Registered provider: EQUIPPED 4 LIFE- 16 + LTD

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

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Information about this children's home

The home has two registered managers. They registered with Ofsted in July 2025.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home. The inspector spoke to two of the children.

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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 outstanding

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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 children's home: 2834973 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home first opened, one child lived there for two months and then moved on, and three children have recently moved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met well. Staff are prompt in arranging appointments when children experience health issues and they support them to attend. When one child struggled to attend, staff advocated for the nurse to visit the home instead. Bespoke training is provided for staff when children experience specific health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders are proactive in advocating for children when there are shortfalls in services. For example, they ensured that a child’s placing authority reinstated their personal education plan (PEP) meetings, and that the tuition provided took the child’s views into consideration. On another occasion, they arranged for a child’s assessment to transfer to a different hospital, due to concerns that the original hospital was not taking account of new information. This dynamic approach contributes to improved outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children’s relationships with their families. They support arrangements for family time, including with those families that are a distance from the home, and they encourage the involvement of children’s brothers and sisters when appropriate. One social worker praised staff for having, ‘A strong focus on promoting [child’s name] therapeutic and educational needs, while maintaining contact with family members to reduce social isolation, promote self-esteem and a positive sense of identity.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with opportunities for individualised activities based on their interests. For example, arrangements were made for one child to have guitar lessons. Thoughtful planning is put into children’s celebrations, and one child said they had had ‘the best birthday ever’ in the home. Photos of activities and celebrations are taken and put into books that complement children’s life story work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and views are actively sought and respected. House meetings are regular and well attended and children are encouraged to share their thoughts on the home. In addition to this, the registered managers offer monthly ‘golden time’ to each child, so that children have regular opportunities to provide feedback directly to the home’s leaders. When one child was distressed by the police response to an incident, the registered managers ensured that they had the opportunity to raise their concern in their own words. This approach helps children to understand that their views are important and encourages them to feel able to express them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a well-maintained home that is warm, clean, and tidy. It has a large, comfortable cabin in the garden which provides additional space for children to enjoy. Inspection report children's home: 2834973 3

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

Staff are effective at helping children to transition into the home. This is supported by managers providing bespoke training on children’s identity needs before they move into the home. The team has created a warm, cheerful, and caring atmosphere, and consequently children quickly settle and their risks reduce.

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

Trauma-informed practice is embedded in the home. Staff understand the importance of children being with familiar, trusted adults at times of distress; they ensured that they provided round the clock support for a child who was admitted to hospital. A senior leader of the child’s placing authority commended their patience, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to the child.

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

Staff manage incidents well. They take appropriate action to safeguard children and inform the relevant agencies. Leaders have good oversight and conduct comprehensive debriefs with children and staff. This contributes to ongoing learning about safeguarding children.

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

Staff provide children with regular, purposeful key work sessions. These are personalised to children’s current needs and support their development by providing practical help and emotional support. Incidents are followed up during key work sessions, which helps children to reflect upon the impact of their actions.

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

There has been one incident in which a child went missing. Staff followed the missing- from-care protocol and maintained a detailed chronology of events. They made efforts to find the child and demonstrated professional curiosity about the incident when they returned.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home’s leadership is outstanding. Both registered managers have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the children and are ambitious for them. They have high expectations of their staff and are consistent in providing support to ensure that the children have a high standard of care. They are supported by an experienced responsible individual who is actively involved with the home and works collaboratively with the registered managers to maintain robust oversight and quality assure practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff develop excellent working relationships with partner agencies. Communication is highly effective, and the home’s collaborative approach helps to improve children’s progress. This was reflected by one professional who said, ‘I've spoken with staff and been very impressed with all of them. They are quick to respond, attended every meeting we've requested, often with more than one staff member, and contributed very well. It's early days in terms of the placement, but my impression has been overwhelmingly positive.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has a stable team of permanent staff who enjoy their roles. They feel very well supported by leaders, whom they describe as being hands on with the work, Inspection report children's home: 2834973 4 accessible, and open to feedback. The team works effectively together and staff describe a family-like atmosphere at the home. Agency staff have been used on just one occasion. This means that the children have opportunities to develop relationships with staff who are consistently in the home and know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders have cultivated a robust culture of learning and development within the home. There is a strong emphasis on training and staff are provided with a range of opportunities to develop their practice. This includes a large range of mandatory training, quizzes and scenarios on current themes which are discussed in team meetings, and bespoke training sessions based upon individual children’s needs. Reflective discussions about ‘lessons learned’ take place in staff supervision sessions and team meetings, and a case study was completed regarding one child’s placement, which identified clear steps for improving practice. This supports staff to develop their understanding of the children’s needs and promotes professionalism and accountability within the team. Inspection report children's home: 2834973 5

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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: 2834973 6

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Children's home details

Registered provider: EQUIPPED 4 LIFE- 16 + LTD

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU

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Children's home details

Registered managers: Mesha Ellis & Shannel Ajidahun

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Inspector

Jo Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2834973 7 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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