Children's Home run by Creating Lifestyles Homes Limited in Lewisham

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 1 Registered provider: Creating Lifestyles Homes Limited

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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 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in December 2023. The registered manager has been in post since 5 September 2024. The registered manager is due to leave on the 6 February 2026 and has made a voluntary application to cancel the registration with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector was aware during this inspection that two allegations and one serious incident were under investigation by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations or incidents of this kind, actions taken by the setting in response were considered (where appropriate) alongside other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform the inspector’s judgements.

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Inspection date: 3 February 2026

Date of last inspection: 25 and 26 June 2025

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Inspection date: 3 February 2026

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 2 The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 3

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Findings from the inspection

This inspection was carried out to address specific concerns received by Ofsted.

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 Shortfalls in staff practice have led to a child’s welfare not being effectively safeguarded and promoted.  There were shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home, with no leadership team in place to oversee and monitor the running of the home.

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Findings from the inspection

We were aware during this inspection of alleged conflicts of interest and management failures affecting the registered manager and responsible individual, both of whom are suspended pending investigation. At the time of inspection, neither post was filled; two consultants and the director are overseeing the home.

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Findings from the inspection

One member of staff felt afraid to raise concerns until after they had left the organisation. The closed culture and lack of effective escalation process undermine the integrity of investigations that have taken place into safeguarding concerns.

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Findings from the inspection

The registered manager notified the child’s placing local authority, local authority designated office (LADO) and Ofsted about a safeguarding matter. A child made a serious allegation about a member of staff, including that they had visited their home address.

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Findings from the inspection

Following the allegation, the responsible individual had also attended the personal address of this member of staff with the child. This action demonstrates a lack of understanding of professional boundaries or recognition of the safeguarding concerns raised against this member of staff. This decision placed the child in a position of conflict and at potential risk of harm.

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Findings from the inspection

An escalation of safeguarding concerns and conflict between the leadership team and director, led the placing local authority to move the child who was living at the home without notice, prior to the inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

This has caused disruption and instability for the child. The social worker reported that this has further undermined the child’s trust in the adults responsible for their care. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 4 There are a number of safeguarding incidents involving staff who are subject to ongoing police investigations and oversight from the local authority designated officer. These include concerns about insufficient action to prevent a child being exposed to exploitation and abuse while living at the home and a serious incident occurring at the home address of a member of staff resulting in criminal damage.

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Findings from the inspection

Recording practices are poor. Information is held across several systems, resulting in unclear, and incomplete records. Serious incidents are not consistently or adequately documented, including disclosures made by a child and police attendance at the home. These gaps in recording compromise investigations, undermine safeguarding practice, and limit the ability to take timely and effective action. The absence of consistent management oversight, alongside these poor recording practices, increases risk to children and weakens accountability.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have failed to implement effective risk management or reflective practice in relation to a child at risk of exploitation. Although there were some examples of positive de-escalation and communication between staff and the child, risk was not addressed effectively and incidents continued to occur. The child accessed petty cash and the home’s credit card and used this information to arrange transport to an unauthorised address before staff reported the child missing from home. There is no evidence of reflection or of any review of staff competence to reduce the risk of recurrence.

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Findings from the inspection

Supervision of staff remains outside the timescales set out in the home’s policy and statement of purpose, despite this being raised at the previous inspection. Management failures have meant that staff have not had regular opportunities for critical reflection, professional support, or to raise safeguarding concerns. The registered manager did not file a regulation 45 report within in timescales. These missed opportunities contribute to a poor safeguarding culture, increases the risk of closed practice, and limits effective oversight of staff performance and children’s welfare.

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Findings from the inspection

The director has commissioned external consultants. They plan to review and strengthen safeguarding oversight. However, at the time of inspection, these actions had not yet started.

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Findings from the inspection

A restriction of accommodation has been issued to prevent further placements at the home while safeguarding improvements are implemented.

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Findings from the inspection

The 2 requirements and one recommendation made at the full inspection were outside the scope of this monitoring visit and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Two new requirements have been made. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 5

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judgement

25/06/2025 Full Good 24/09/2024 Full Good 14/05/2024 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 6

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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, 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 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 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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 28 April 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 7 In particular the registered person must ensure all staff understand and consistently apply safeguarding procedures, whistleblowing processes, and professional boundaries.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the leadership team has access to records, establish clear systems for recording and sharing safeguarding information.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s records are accurate and accessible.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that safeguarding concerns, are investigated independently and without conflict of interest.

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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;

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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 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that a registered manager and responsible individual are in post to provide consistent leadership and oversight of the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that that staff have timely supervision and appraisal. 28 April 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 8 The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review

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Requirement Due date

The registered person supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed;

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Requirement Due date

and make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure quality of care reports are complete and supplied to HMCI within regulatory timescales.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 28 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— 28 April 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 9 the name of the child;

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any consequences for behaviour are recorded.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Creating Lifestyles Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 118 Sydenham Road, London SE26 5JX

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Inspector

Matilda Clode, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723813 11 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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