Children's home run by Silver Birch Care (Residential Services) Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2729935 1 Registered provider: Silver Birch Care (Residential Services) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in June 2023 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted 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 outstanding

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2729935 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2025 Full Good 09/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2729935 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home environment where staff are committed to creating a joyous and nurturing family atmosphere. The children benefit from staff who care for them using the principles of playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy. Several children say the home is the best place they have ever lived. Children and staff have fun together, and they often spend time listening to music, cooking and engaging in activities of the children’s choosing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s voices and wishes are amplified. Children engage in activities they enjoy, such as playing football and attending the gym and choir. Two children have pet hamsters. Weekly house meetings allow for children to choose menu items and an activity for the week. One child said that a strength of the home is staff spending time finding out what each child is interested in and then providing opportunities for them to participate in these activities. Children benefit from being able to engage in extra- curricular activities that foster a sense of self.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff prioritise education, and they work closely with school personnel to support children’s engagement. All children are attending school or college, including children who were not in a form of education when they first moved in. Staff also support children’s future career goals and will enrol them in additional learning courses to further their knowledge and skills. An education professional said that a child’s attendance has significantly improved, partly due to the staff’s continued child-centred approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children with the development of their independent living skills. Key-work sessions focus on helping children learn skills such as cooking and financial management. The registered manager has designed an independent living skills booklet that ensures that children are learning practical skills while also focusing on their emotional development. Children’s feelings regarding their independence journey are fully explored and supported. A social worker commented that it is helpful for children to have a visual representation of the new skills they are learning. This booklet is now being used by the wider organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand the importance of children’s relationships with their families. Managers worked closely with one local authority to allow for two sisters to live together. Staff also support children’s relationships with their parents, siblings and grandparents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have planned moves when they transition from the home, including moving in with family members or foster carers or on to independence. However, some children moved to more secure homes and to other children’s homes. Some of these moves took place shortly after children had moved in, resulting in unplanned moves for those children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729935 4

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

Children say they are safe at the home. They can identify staff members they would approach should they need anything. There is a dedicated and committed staff team at the home, which provides consistency and stability for children. There is a strong emphasis from the managers on giving children a sense of belonging and a feeling of safety.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that children have access to specialist help. Children are engaging in therapy. Several children also have independent visitors and independent advocates. There is a therapeutic lead in the organisation who provides reflective monthly supervision to staff. This ensures that children are being supported by staff who are trauma-informed and able to meet their individual needs.

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

Managers and staff are aware of the known and potential risks to children. Risk assessments are clear and detailed. Regular key-work sessions are an effective way of speaking with children about their risks. Missing-from-home incidents for children have greatly reduced. Safeguarding notifications, which had been previously high, have also reduced. Serious incidents, such as allegations, are appropriately managed.

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

Professionals involved in children’s lives provide positive feedback about the support children receive, praising the good communication, care for children and commitment to safeguarding. This joined-up approach ensures that children’s needs are paramount. Staff work closely with social workers, school personnel, police, therapists and other professionals to ensure good communication and consistency in the care children receive.

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

Robust safer recruitment principles and an effective training programme ensure that the care staff provide to children is safe and effective. Staff receive training in topics such as trauma-informed practice, conflict management, safeguarding, and child sexual exploitation. During the inspection, staff were able to demonstrate how they are bringing learning from training into their work to benefit children. Staff clearly understand safeguarding reporting principles and whistleblowing procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has worked at the home since it opened and is an experienced and proactive leader who knows the staff and children well. The registered manager and deputy manager have formed a strong leadership team. They were both involved in the mayor’s ‘Good Work Standard’ and are good role models for staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and leaders are ambitious for the home to be a haven for children and a place where staff have opportunities to grow and develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has created a team culture where staff are passionate about working with children through a therapeutic lens. During the inspection, staff spoke Inspection report for children’s home: 2729935 5 fondly about the strong family atmosphere in the home and the quality of support they receive from the managers. One staff member said, ‘The environment genuinely feels like a home rather than just a workplace.’ Another staff member said that this is the best job they have ever had.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager encourages staff, who are all champions of the 9 quality standards for children’s homes, to think creatively about how to reflect those qualities in the home. One staff member took the lead in designing and painting murals with each child in their bedroom. Another staff member designed an online quiz to gather children’s views and feedback about their experiences. The managers encourage staff to focus on their professional growth and to progress in the company, which helps to retain staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff supervision takes place regularly. It is purposeful and focuses on staff well-being and the progress of children. Staff are appropriately challenged about their practice if needed and equally supported to improve. Appraisals include the views of children and other staff members. In addition to team meetings, staff participate in monthly group reflective supervision, and this allows for focused time on how staff can best meet the needs of individual children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager uses their initiative to create opportunities for children to succeed. They ensure that staff have access to relevant resources and research when caring for children, who, for example, are managing sleep deprivation or diet or are at risk of exploitation. The benefits of pet therapy in care settings also influenced decisions regarding whether children should have pets.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager endeavours to implement research-informed practice that focuses on the specific needs of children in the home and enhances their lives and experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729935 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should only allow children to move into the home if they are satisfied that the staff can respond effectively to their needs as recorded in their relevant plans and have fully considered the impact on the existing group of children living there. (‘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: 2729935 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Silver Birch Care (Residential Services) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: S B C H House, 212 Ballards Lane, London N3 2LX

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Inspector

Julie Cresswell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2729935 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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