Children's home run by Protea Care 2 Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2627009 1 Registered provider: Protea Care 2 Limited 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 private provider. It offers 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 this inspection, 4 children were living at the home. The inspectors spoke with 3 of the children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2627009 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2025 Full Outstanding 23/01/2024 Full Good 01/03/2023 Full Good 31/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2627009 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have new experiences, visiting various places with staff at weekends. Staff take children to local parks to play, which increases opportunities for them to socialise. One child has been on holiday, which they enjoyed. Children have photo albums and memory books to help them remember enjoyable times and the places they have visited.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s routines have been reviewed by staff to align with their preferences. The strong routines in the home help promote good sleep habits. All children go to school full time; the morning routines help them prepare for their school day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage healthy lifestyles. They help children access both routine and emergency medical treatment. Children contribute to the menu and are helped to understand what a balanced diet looks like. Staff play sports with the children and promote physical activity. One child’s parents said that their child is now feeling fitter and healthier.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have left the home have remained in contact and have received ongoing support from staff, occasionally visiting for meals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When one child moved in, there was a gradual increase of time spent in the home, which enabled staff and other children to build relationships with them. Staff help children process what changes feel like when they move out or join the household.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children spend time with people who are important to them. Family members report an improvement in communication; however, there have been instances when they have not received regular updates about their children’s progress or healthcare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have toys throughout the home, and photos are framed and displayed in living areas. Most children enjoy spending time in the communal areas of the home. Some areas of the home require additional cleaning, repair or maintenance. One child has ill- fitting window coverings, meaning that light is let through their window in the morning.

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

Children can identify staff who they trust with their feelings. Staff take concerns raised by children seriously. Staff provide appropriate support to children who disclose harm, and they share concerns with the children’s social workers.

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

Staff understand and regularly review the safety plans in place. One child is accessing specialist support to manage child-specific risks. Staff have accessed online training to better understand the risks. The registered manager has advocated for increased staffing levels to manage these risks more effectively. Staff offer supervision to children in accordance with their plans. Inspection report for children’s home: 2627009 4 Physical interventions are rarely used. Personalised plans inform staff about how to help children when they are upset or frustrated. One parent said that their child is handling their feelings better because of the support network in the home. Physical interventions are recorded and reviewed by management. On one occasion, the child did not receive a debrief following the use of a physical intervention, and the detail in the record could have been clearer.

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

Staff activate bedroom door alarms at night to help keep children safe in the home. The use of door alarms is proportionate to the risks that are being managed. One child has an audio monitor at night. The placing authority was unaware of this device, and therefore, consent has not been sought.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has positive relationships with children. One child frequently asks to speak with the registered manager, who replies, ‘I’m not too busy to talk to you,’ emphasising that time with children is essential to the home’s function. The manager knows the children well and has good oversight of their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change in management during this inspection period. The manager spent a month working alongside the previous manager to build relationships with children and staff before they left. Staff receive regular supervision and consider the team meetings helpful. The staff team is stable, which means children receive continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Stakeholder feedback is positive. A social worker commented, ‘The communication is exceptional. They always keep me informed about what is going on.’ Social workers and education providers report receiving updates following incidents and during meetings attended by the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has tools and systems in place to oversee the day-to-day running of the home. However, the manager’s internal monitoring systems need to ensure that actions from meetings are consistently followed up in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

On one occasion, language recorded was not strengths-based. The record was reviewed by the manager, but it remained unchanged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been delays in reports being received from the independent person. Inspection report for children’s home: 2627009 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them 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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(vii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should have systems in place to ensure that the home is maintained and cleaned in a timely manner. The window coverings in children’s bedrooms and bathrooms must be functional. 4 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance; 4 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2627009 6 the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the use of audio monitors is discussed with the placing authority and signed consent sought. The use of monitors and door alarms should be kept under review to ensure that it is proportionate to children’s changing needs.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained is provided the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable. Records of restraint should be detailed to enable the registered person to review them fully. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.6)  The registered person should develop effective working relationships with each child’s placing authority and with other relevant parties, which may include services, individuals (including parents), agencies, organisations and establishments that work with children. These working relationships will also be key to success in delivering the care planning standard (regulation 14). Improved communication with parents will help support family time and reunification plans for children. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. This will ensure that the language in the records is meaningful to children and that actions from children’s plans are addressed in a timely manner. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.4)

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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: 2627009 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Protea Care 2 Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 317 Horn Lane, London W3 0BU

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Inspectors

Ali Owens, Social Care Inspector Zoe Monaghan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2627009 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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