Children's home run by London Borough of Croydon in Croydon

Inspection report children's home: SC041887 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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SC041887 Registered provider: London Borough of Croydon

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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 children's home provides short-break services for children with physical and learning disabilities. Operated by the local authority, the home is registered to offer overnight stays for up to 7 children at any one time. A total of 47 children currently access the service.

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Information about this children's home

A total of eight children were staying at the home at the time of the inspection, on two separate days.

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Information about this children's home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since March 2007.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC041887 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2025 Full Good 14/02/2024 Full Good 21/03/2023 Full Good 23/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC041887 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from individualised care that is closely tailored to their complex needs. Staff know each child well and provide warm, nurturing support that promotes children's identities, preferences and, where appropriate, their independence. This ensures that children feel valued and understood during their short-break stays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children, including those who do not use speech to communicate, are meaningfully involved in daily life. Staff use a range of creative, sensitive communication approaches to help children express their wishes and feelings and to influence their experience of the service. As a result, children are active participants in their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a variety of activities and opportunities that many would not otherwise experience. This enriches their time at the service and contributes positively to their development, confidence and enjoyment. For example, community visits are carefully planned to be fun, educational and aligned with children's interests. One child has been supported to explore their passion for hairdressing, helping them develop confidence. Other children enjoy the garden, arts and crafts, Karaoke, puzzles and sensory toys.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although most children attend only weekly or fortnightly, they make clear progress from their starting points. Their achievements have a tangible, positive impact on their daily lives. Examples include improvements in personal hygiene, eating habits and social skills, demonstrating the effectiveness of the support provided. Parents value the advice offered by staff and ask for practical strategies to help maintain children's progress at home. This promotes consistency and supports children's life chances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children form positive friendships with their peers, some of which continue outside the service. This naturally enhances their social development and helps them build confidence in social situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Introductions to the short-break provision are well paced and tailored to each child. 'Tea visits' allow children to become familiar with the environment gradually and at their own pace. One parent expressed gratitude for the sensitive, thoughtful approach taken to help their child settle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide effective support to children and families as they prepare to leave the short-break service. Parents appreciate the provider's efforts in offering information about adult services, benefits and future opportunities post-18. Individualised work helps children understand that they will be leaving the service, and farewell events are held to mark this important milestone. Staff maintain positive relationships with families, who are invited to the provider's annual summer event. This encourages continued connection and networking among families. Inspection report children's home: SC041887 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

The home is equipped with appropriate specialist facilities, including profiling beds, and staff are trained in their safe and effective use. This promotes children's comfort, safety and, where possible, their independence during overnight stays.

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

Children feel safe and develop trusting relationships with staff. They are confident approaching staff to express their needs, wishes or feelings. Activities are individually and thoughtfully risk assessed, ensuring that staff balance children's voice and preferences with proportionate safeguards. This enables children to explore interests and try new experiences safely.

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

Behaviour support plans and risk assessments are clear, detailed and informed by children's education, health and child-in-need plans. These documents provide staff especially those who are newer to the service with strong guidance on understanding children's needs and responding promptly and appropriately to emerging behaviours.

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

Safeguarding incidents within the provision are extremely rare. Physical intervention is used only as a last resort, to keep children and those around them safe. Staff receive training in the provider's preferred de-escalation strategies as well as training specific to children's individual needs. This ensures that staff have the skills and confidence required to manage incidents safely, calmly and sensitively.

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

Allegations and complaints are managed carefully and in accordance with local authority safeguarding procedures. Parents are kept updated on the progress and outcomes of any investigations. Recent improvements in incident recording and management oversight have improved the provider's ability to review practice. Records are now clearer, more holistic and evidence based, enabling leaders and staff to identify patterns, reflect on practice and drive ongoing learning and development.

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

Staff and managers can clearly articulate the reasons for the restrictions in place, including children's limited access to the kitchen area, the protective casing around the television and the securing of picture/photograph displays. These measures are designed to keep children safe. Although written risk assessments are not in place to support these safeguards, managers have started to address this shortfall. The absence of documentation has not compromised the safe care provided to children.

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

The home environment is generally welcoming and child friendly. However, there are visible wear and tear and maintenance issues. Some of these ongoing issues present potential risks of accidents, and a few have had an impact on children's personal care needs. Despite escalation by the independent visitor to senior managers within the local authority, there are delays in repairs being completed. In addition, some toys are not in working order. This limits children's access to a full range of recreational choices. For Inspection report children's home: SC041887 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

example, one child showed interest in specific toys, but they were out of use due to missing batteries.

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

Children are encouraged to choose their preferred bedroom during their stay. This promotes choice and supports children's sense of ownership. The sensory room, which provides children with valuable stimulation and relaxation during the day, is also used as a bedroom overnight. After other children have used the room during the day, the sensory room is cleaned, and the bedding is changed to ensure each child has appropriate personal space and care throughout the night. While this reflects efforts to make the best use of available space, the arrangement does not fully support children's privacy, dignity, or their right to a consistently available personal space throughout their entire stay, for example during the day.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a permanent, experienced and qualified registered manager who is supported by an experienced and approachable responsible individual. Together with the deputy manager, they closely monitor each child's progress and clearly demonstrate the positive impact that living in the home has on children's experiences and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is staffed at a level that consistently meets the needs of the children who use the provision. Recruitment processes are robust and include observations of staff practice with children. When agency staff are commissioned, they are required to meet the same standards of skill and experience expected of permanent staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team provides strong, child focused leadership that prioritises children's abilities and actively uses learning from feedback, incidents and complaints. Recommendations from the monthly independent visitor are promptly implemented and escalated to senior leaders when appropriate. However, there are delays in granting funding to address home improvements, and this has an impact on the overall care provided to the children who visit the provision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders promote a culture of continuous improvement in how children's needs are met. This supports staff to take shared responsibility for children's care, participate fully in decision making processes and maintain effective relationships with parents. Staff often act as a bridge between social workers and parents, helping to strengthen mutual understanding of children's needs. Feedback from parents demonstrates that they understand the services offered and feel confident leaving their children in the care of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff receive regular supervision and training that focuses on children's experiences, needs and future plans. Staff are well supported in their professional development, with opportunities for progression within the organisation, something they value highly. This has contributed to low staff turnover, with some staff supporting children from early childhood through to adulthood, providing consistency and stability. Inspection report children's home: SC041887 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager ensures that all notifications of significant incidents relating to children's protection are submitted to the appropriate authorities within required timescales. The previous inspection requirement in this area has been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been significant improvement in the quality of information recorded. Children's case records reflect their backgrounds, experiences and detailed support they receive during their stay. Records and professional feedback highlight effective multi agency working to support and safeguard children who visit the home. Children's files contain relevant documents that help staff understand how best to meet their needs. While managers continue to support staff to improve the quality of records, progress has been made against the previous inspection requirements in this area. Inspection report children's home: SC041887 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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 registered person must 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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, address the wear and tear and outstanding maintenance issues; review how the space is used to ensure all children have access to private personal space throughout their entire stay; and provide functional toys that meet the developmental needs of every child. 01 September 2026

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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: SC041887 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: P2P Team, PO Box 1967, Bernard Wetherill House, 8 Mint Walk, Croydon, Surrey CR90 9FL

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Inspector

Claudia Poienar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC041887 9 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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