Children's home run by Brighter Horizons Residential Care Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2843624 1 Registered provider: Brighter Horizons Residential Care Limited

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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 privately run home provides care for up to 3 children with complex social and emotional needs.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the home opened in August 2025.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2843624 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There were 2 children living at the home at the time of the inspection. The children were both spoken to. The children have positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children's education. Both children have education provisions that they attend. When one child was waiting for a school place, staff used the child's interests to complete educational activities with them. This supported the child with their learning in a way that they found interesting. Consequently, they engaged with this learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children's particular interests. One child has an interest in bikes. The staff purchase bikes for the child to repair and have set up a shed in the garden to be a workshop. The other child attends DJ sessions in line with their interests. This means that children have the opportunity to try new things and develop new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

staff recognise the importance of children spending time with people who are important to them. They support the children to build and maintain relationships. Staff support the children to visit and see their family. They also take children who have yet to make friends in the local area to see their friends where they used to live.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Clear plans are made in collaboration with professionals and families in readiness for helping children move into the home. The manager assesses the needs of the child as part of the referral process and considers the other children already living at the home. However, the needs of children living at the home are not always in line with the statement of purpose. One child has a diagnosed learning disability as well as social and emotional difficulties. The manager did not identify that the child's needs are not in line with the home's statement of purpose and conditions of registration. Furthermore, while staff complete the organisation's general training for their roles, they have not completed training to help them meet the children's particular needs, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Tourette syndrome and sexualised behaviours.

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

Staff understand how to support children who are struggling with their emotions. They learn children's triggers and take a proactive approach to reduce and manage situations that are likely to cause children distress. For example, staff adapt their communication for one child to reduce demands on the child. This has led to a reduction in incidents.

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

Staff use de-escalation skills effectively to help children calm and prevent incidents from escalating. Consequently, incidents do not happen frequently, and staff have not used physical restraint.

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

Staff involve children in writing their support plans. This means that children's views are gained to help identify strategies that staff can use during incidents when they occur. Inspection report for children's home: 2843624 3 Staff have, in partnership with one child, developed a new strategy for the child. At the child's request, staff checks on the child have been reduced. This has been positive for the child. It helps them to feel more in control and start to develop their self- management skills.

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

The lack of clear recording means that is not clear how often consequences have been used to help manage negative behaviour. The manager recently introduced a central consequence book to help improve oversight. However, the manager does not review each consequence to ensure that it is clear what consequence was issued, for how long it was in place and whether it was proportionate or effective. This means that there is potential for staff to be repeating ineffective or inappropriate consequences due to lack of management oversight.

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

Staff have not consistently ensured that the weekly checks of the fire doors identify and highlight any concerns. These weekly checks have not identified that fire doors do not all fully seal on their own. The manager took action during inspection to repair the closures and ensure that the fire doors safely close.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The dedicated and committed manager is working towards a suitable relevant level 5 qualification. The manager knows the children well and is aspirational for them. The manager is aware of the areas of development at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment processes are followed for new members of staff. New staff benefit from a suitable induction process, which helps them to learn their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about the support they receive. Regular staff supervision sessions take place. These sessions are detailed and include discussions about the children, practice- based reflection and scenarios to support staff member's development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff also receive group supervision with a psychotherapist. This means that staff are able to think about the reasons behind children's behaviours and how to respond to these therapeutically.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that all staff are kept updated and are working in a consistent manner through regular team meetings. The manager has used presentations in team meetings to support staff to develop their knowledge and understanding. These presentations are developed in response to incidents that have happened in the home to help staff think about their responses to situations and be able to better support children. This demonstrates a responsive and reflective culture developing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work well with professionals and families. The feedback from professionals and families about the care of the children is positive. Professionals say that staff know the children well and understand their needs. Professionals and family members spoke about how positive the plan for one child moving in was and how proactive the manager is. Inspection report for children's home: 2843624 4 The manager maintains some recorded oversight following all incidents. However, this is limited and does not involve a clear review of the actions taken, any patterns identified or identify learning. This means that opportunities to develop practice may be missed. Inspection report for children's home: 2843624 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 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

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) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are only accepted in line with the home's statement of purpose and that consideration is given to staff skills and training needs during the referral process. 27 March 2026

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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; and 6 March 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2843624 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have completed training that is relevant to children's needs and evaluate staff actions following incidents to identify any learning.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of children. In particular, ensure that all fire doors fully close and regular checks are completed to ensure that these are functioning correctly to ensure safety. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the consequences used are all clearly recorded and evaluated to ensure that they were effective. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: 2843624 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Brighter Horizons Residential Care Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 309 Hoe Street, London E17 9BG

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Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2843624 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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