Children's Home run by House & Home Living Ltd in Enfield

Inspection report children's home: 2836395 1 Registered provider: House & Home Living 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

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

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager left the home in January 2026, and the post is currently vacant.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2836395 2 Inspection report children's home: 2836395 3

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improvement to be good

Since the home opened one child has lived there. The child benefits from positive relationships with staff and child centred care. However, some shortfalls in safeguarding practice have undermined their quality and experience of care and led to the overall judgement of requires improvement to be good.

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improvement to be good

The child is registered with local health services and attends routine appointments. However, direct work to address issues of smoking, vaping and alcohol misuse does not consistently take place to support the child.

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improvement to be good

Good joint working between the staff and a local service means that the child’s therapeutic needs are prioritised and supported well.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child with their education and independence. Leaders have arranged for the child to have a work placement to gain skills for the future. Staff ensured that travel arrangements were in place so that the child could attend.

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improvement to be good

The child is supported to maintain important relationships. Staff facilitate practical arrangements for the child to spend time with their family.

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improvement to be good

Staff are proactive in providing the child with enjoyable opportunities. One professional said, ‘They constantly seek out new ways to try to help [the child’s name] engage.’ This includes trips to the theatre and concerts, meals out, and singing lessons.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the home is a clean and tidy environment. There are photos of the child enjoy- ing their birthday celebrations on display and the child’s bedroom is personalised to their taste. However, there are minor disrepair that require maintenance such as graffiti on a door, a missing patio door handle, and peeling privacy film at a window.

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improvement to be good

Incidents in the home are not consistently well managed. On one occasion staff did not have the necessary skills to safely intervene, which resulted in the child being unwell and taken to hospital. The responsible individual took action to address the shortfall in staff practice and give them the confidence to manage a similar situation should it happen again.

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improvement to be good

Important information on safeguarding matters and actions taken by staff is sometimes missing from records. Conversations with staff and the child after incidents and manager Inspection report children's home: 2836395 4 oversight is sporadic. This limits the opportunities for learning and for developing staff practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the main areas of risk affecting the child. However, strategies for reducing these are not always kept under review following incidents. As a result, staff do not always have the knowledge and ability to effectively support the child’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Staff talk regularly with the child to support their progress and development. However, discussions that focus on strategies to keep the child safe are limited, and incidents are not consistently followed up with conversations. This means the child is not always given the help they need to understand risks and how to keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand and follow the child’s care plan when the child goes missing from home. They notify the relevant agencies, welcome the child home when they return, and arrange return home interviews. Leaders have worked creatively with external profes- sionals to reduce incidents of missing from the home. However, some records lack man- ager oversight which is a missed opportunity to address any gaps in practice.

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improvement to be good

The home’s previous registered manager did not consistently inform the regulator of significant safeguarding incidents. The notification of one incident was submitted late following discussion at a manager meeting, and another was not submitted at all. This has reduced the regulator’s ongoing monitoring and oversight of the home. The responsible individual has taken action to improve this area of practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff recruitment is safe and relevant checks are completed. Gaps in employment are checked, references are verified, and overseas police checks are sought for applicants who have worked abroad.

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improvement to be good

Leaders have taken steps to address one of the child’s risks by involving external profes- sionals to work with the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home does not have stable leadership. The registered manager left at short notice in January. The responsible individual has taken prompt action to address this and has appointed an interim manager into the role, pending the recruitment of a new registered manager. The responsible individual understands how the home is operating and is taking action to address the areas that need to be improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers provide staff with regular supervision. However, the quality of supervision is variable. Some sessions do not involve reflective discussions about practice, areas for improvement, or safeguarding matters. This impacts upon staff, who have a varied understanding of how to manage one of the child’s main risks. Leaders have recently started to implement clinical supervision sessions with a consultant psychotherapist to provide additional support for staff and increase reflective practice. Inspection report children's home: 2836395 5 Staff undertake core training as part of their induction. However, leaders have not ensured that all staff have specific training to help them meet the child’s individual needs. This limits the capacity for staff to develop the skills to effectively support the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff understand the home’s whistle blowing policy and an allegation against a staff member was appropriately managed in line with safeguarding procedures. However, the report of an internal investigation did not reach a clear conclusion or identify any actions to prevent a similar situation or to address gaps in the staff member’s practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

External professionals say that the team’s communication is very effective. Staff provide regular updates on the child’s progress; are easy to contact and responsive Staff attend relevant network meetings and provide constructive contributions. This approach means that the team around the child is kept well-informed and supports the care planning for the child. Inspection report children's home: 2836395 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff consistently work directly with children to help them understand how to keep safe.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff have the skills and confidence to manage and reduce children’s individual risks. 20 February 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— 27 February 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2836395 7 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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(g)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff receive the appropriate support and relevant training specific to children's needs and risks to provide a good quality of care to children and ensure their needs are met well.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that records include details of the action required to prevent similar situations in the future and/or to address gaps in staff's practice.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must maintain effective oversight of staff practice, in particular missing-from-home, safeguarding, and records. They must also ensure that safeguarding incident reports and missing-from-home records include all the relevant information.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that notifications of serious incidents are made to the regulator without delay. 13 February 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2836395 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they continue to improve all areas of the home's interior. ('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 each child's day to day health and well- being needs are met in line with the approach set out in the home's statement of purpose. Staff should work consistently with children to discourage smoking, vaping, and alcohol misuse. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff receive supervision of their practice which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2836395 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider: House & Home Living Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 86-90, Paul Street, London, London, EC2A 4NE

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Inspector

Jo Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2836395 10 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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