Children's home run by Residential Child Care Community (Town Hall) Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2770880 1 Registered provider: Residential Child Care Community (Town Hall) Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a small private provider. The home provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. The children shared their views in written communication.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no registered manager, due to the previous manager’s internal promotion. The home’s deputy manager is currently managing the home and is preparing her application to register with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 10 February 2025

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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: 2770880 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/02/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2770880 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with predictable, therapeutically informed care that supports their emotional wellbeing. They know children well and have developed trusting relationships with them. Staff adapt their practice to meet each child’s individual needs. This approach supports children to feel understood and well supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and another child has recently moved in. Staff carefully plan transitions in and out of the home and prioritise children’s needs and wellbeing. This ensures that children feel well prepared and fully informed about their plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s engagement in education is improving, through targeted support from staff. One child has successfully returned to full-time education after a period on a bespoke timetable. Another child who recently moved into the home attends school on a part- time basis. They are taken by staff to their previous school to maintain important connections that support their wellbeing and learning outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote children’s health and ensure that they are registered with all relevant services. They prioritise children’s emotional health, seeking external support when needed. Regular therapeutic consultations with the in-house clinician enable staff to respond effectively to children’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at the home have faced challenges in their relationships with family and friends. Staff work hard to ensure that children’s wishes and feelings are listened to, while promoting children’s safe and supportive relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s independence, while ensuring that their safety is prioritised. For the child who recently moved into the home, staff have worked closely with their social worker to promote free time. Due to risks faced by the child when out in the community, the manager has been careful to balance the need to develop their independence, alongside establishing a clear and individualised safety plan to promote their wellbeing.

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

Following one child’s move into the home, incidents have increased as they adjust to their new environment. Staff respond using a relationship-based approach, showing empathy and understanding. They help the children to regulate their emotions and build trust in their relationships while maintaining the safety of both children.

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

Missing-from-home incidents are rare, with only one occurrence since the last inspection. Staff respond by following established procedures, communicating with relevant professionals and supporting the child throughout. Inspection report for children's home: 2770880 4 Staff are skilled at de-escalating challenging situations. They use strategies that minimise risk and support children’s wellbeing. Since the last inspection, there has been only one incident in which a child was held. This approach was proportionate and used as a last resort to promote the child’s safety.

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

Incidents are responded to in a predictable and therapeutic manner. However, on one occasion, records did not accurately reflect staff practice, despite the response being appropriate and effective. This limits the manager’s ability to fully evaluate practice and identify any areas for learning.

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

Following incidents, staff inform relevant professionals to ensure that there is appropriate support for children. However, one incident was not reported to the regulator. The manager identified this as an oversight and has reflected on this. All other incidents have been notified to the regulator within required timescales.

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

During the inspection, fire doors were propped open. This compromises fire safety arrangements and increases potential risk to children in the event of a fire. The manager addressed this during the inspection and is considering alternative door-holding devices that meet fire safety regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager provides effective day-to-day leadership of the home. She maintains good oversight of practice and ensures that children’s needs continue to be met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working at the home and the support they receive from leaders and managers in the organisation. Staff feel comfortable in approaching the manager with any concerns and are confident that these are discussed constructively as a team when necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff development is a key strength of the home and directly enhances the quality of care children receive. Team meetings are reflective and focus on research-based training and case scenario learning. By reviewing incidents and positive practice as a team, staff improve consistency and deliver informed support to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular reflective supervision. The manager identifies individual development opportunities and implements clear action plans with ongoing reviews. This approach ensures that staff continually enhance their skills and provide consistently high-quality care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals are positive about the communication they receive from staff and the care they provide to children. One social worker said staff are ‘proactive, resourceful and child focused’ in their approach. Inspection report for children's home: 2770880 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home, (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that fire doors are not held open using door wedges. 11 March 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Specifically, this is in relation to clearer recording when completing incident reports. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that there is a system in place so that all serious events are notified to the regulator without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 2770880 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Residential Child Care Community (Town Hall) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 843 Finchley Road, London NW11 8NA

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Inspector

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2770880 7 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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