Children's home run by London Borough of Hillingdon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2784402 1 Registered provider: London Borough of Hillingdon

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a local authority and provides care for one child with social and emotional difficulties. Two children have moved into the home since the last inspection. There was one child in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke with this child.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in May 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in December 2025. A new manager was appointed before they left. They have not yet applied to be registered.

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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: 28 January 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2784402 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2784402 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised well-planned care. Staff and leaders do not give up on children, even when it is challenging to support them due to their complex emotional needs. This helps children to have stability and make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and leaders have developed positive relationships with other professionals, parents and, most importantly, with children. These relationships underpin the home’s child-centred approach. Training in trauma-informed approaches, and a therapeutic model, helps staff understand why relationships matter and how they can best support children to develop emotionally.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress from their starting points in a way that is meaningful for them. For one child, this meant a reduction in their self-harm and increased emotional stability. For another child, who is new to the home, this includes being able to accept adult guidance and engaging with tutoring.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given high levels of adult support. Children’s day-to-day experiences are well planned and structured. For one child who struggled to be safe in the community before coming to the home, staff have planned activities in public to help them to safely continue to experience the world in manageable ways for them and reduce their isolation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Well-organised handovers and planned visits mean transitions are successful. Staff visit children before they move into the home so they have a familiar face when they arrive. They also share the children’s guide so that children have some knowledge of the home before they move in. Similarly, when children leave the home, staff work closely with the places that they move to, to help them settle into their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to provide a warm, welcoming environment for children. The child’s bedroom has been personalised to the colour scheme they prefer. When damage happens, there are efforts to address this promptly, so that the environment remains pleasant for children to live in. Despite these efforts, there are some areas where maintenance is not to a high standard and some environmental issues are not addressed quickly.

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

Staff and leaders understand children’s risks well. Leaders complete good risk analyses when considering whether they can support children in the home. These assessments consider what behaviours might mean, as well as how they can mitigate the associated risks. The staff work with social workers openly and honestly before children arrive so that they are well prepared and can safeguard and support children effectively. When children develop worrying behaviours, staff and leaders update risk Inspection report for children’s home: 2784402 4 assessments so that staff continue to have good guidance to rely on. Staff take the time to explain to children why restrictions need to happen. For example, staff limited a child’s access to money as there were concerns that they might be financially exploited. This was explained in detail and was accepted by the child.

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

Staff and leaders respond well when there are concerns that children may harm themselves. Leaders put in place clear plans of support, and staff act in children’s best interests and are clear on what action to take and when.

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

Where children show their emotional distress through physical acts, staff and leaders use the support of a psychology service to help them understand this behaviour. This regular psychological support means that leaders and staff often look beyond behaviour to understand meaning, and they develop a deeper understanding of children’s experiences.

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

When serious incidents occur, staff physically intervene with children as needed. This is proportionate and not taken lightly. Managers have oversight of incidents, but there are too many occasions where managers do not challenge practice or identify learning following incidents. In addition, some records include inappropriate phrases and are not always clearly written. The new manager has started to address this with staff, but good recording is not yet embedded.

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

Staff work together to be consistent in their approach with children. One child’s social worker noted that they can see how staff are looking to hold caring boundaries, and the child is beginning to respond well to these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The newly appointed manager is committed to developing staff and practice and has begun this work. Staff understand her vision and are happy to follow her lead.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and the manager have systems in place to monitor work in the home and children’s progress. This includes regular reviews completed by the responsible individual. The new manager has introduced systems so that staff are able to better see the tasks to be done. Staff have welcomed this approach, the structure it brings and the increasingly visible accountability. The manager quickly realised when she arrived that the quality of recording was an area that needed to be developed, and she has begun to address this with staff. Staff are committed to this and understand that they are capturing children’s lives with their writing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and the manager provide regular support for staff, and children and staff’s wellbeing are central to this. Staff value the time and space to think and reflect with their supervisors and in team meetings that are supported by the psychological support service. Staff make good use of this time to better understand children. Staff have regular appraisals with realistic objectives that are reviewed through the year. This enables leaders to hold staff to account while offering them support and opportunities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2784402 5 The manager is seen by others as approachable and someone who takes action. A social worker was highly complimentary about the communication from the manager and believes they and the staff collaborate well in their joint work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children have numerous opportunities to make their voices heard. There are formal meetings where children can consider their week, their likes and dislikes and ideas about the home. In addition, children have regular sessions with staff to consider how they can develop but also so that staff can hear their views. Staff have begun to include pictures in records of their individual sessions to make them more accessible and memorable for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2784402 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that painting is carried out to a reasonable standard, the shed doors are repaired and the broken freezer is removed from the garden. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that records are well written and, if necessary, be cross-referenced clearly to other documents. The registered person should also ensure that staff take care in the language and phrases used in their recording and identify where development is needed in staff’s recording practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that records of incidents and physical interventions include identification of areas of learning or themes so managers can support staff to develop their practice to best meet children’s needs. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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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: 2784402 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Borough of Hillingdon

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge UB8 1UW

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Inspector

Karol Keenan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2784402 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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