Children's Home run by Rapha Social Care Ltd in Kent

Inspection report children's home: 2783009 1 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Rapha Social Care 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 is privately owned and provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of inspection 3 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

This is the first inspection since the home was registered on 8 August 2025. The manager registered on the same date.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2783009 2 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. Staff use planning effectively to support improvements in children’s health and educational outcomes. Staff demonstrate high levels of ambition for children’s academic success, providing effective support for home study. This has led to increased engagement; one child noted that they are now completing tasks where previously they had struggled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive relationships with staff that they trust. Staff support children to establish healthy routines, which enhances both their physical and mental wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

While some children move into the home in an unplanned way, the manager ensures that these moves prioritise each child’s individual needs. Staff enhance the admission arrangements further by inviting families and carers to visit the home before children move in. The manager ensures that staff have all the information required to meet children’s needs and understand their risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop practical skills for independence. Children learn to cook and keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. Children are also supported to take pride in their home, getting involved in day-to-day tasks that help to maintain a clean and safe home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff implement tight restrictions around children’s liberty which can limit their ability to interact with each other. Although some restrictions are in accordance with children’s plans, this does not extend to limiting interactions. This negatively impacts on children’s opportunities to learn and to develop positive relationships with their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff facilitate meaningful contact between children and those important to them, in strict accordance with individual care plans. One parent said that they felt welcome when they visited their child in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is well looked after and furnished to a good standard; however, staff have not encouraged children to personalise their bedrooms. As a result, children’s individual identities are not reflected in their surroundings which limits their sense of their belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use incentives effectively to celebrate achievements and motivate children. However, when staff use consequences, they are not consistently restorative. These are missed opportunities to help children reflect on their actions and to develop more positive coping strategies.

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

Inspection report children's home: 2783009 3 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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

Children say they feel safe and that trusting relationships with staff enable them to talk openly about their risks and behaviours. As a result, staff support children to learn to manage their feelings, especially when they become angry or agitated.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. The combination of legally agreed restrictions to children’s liberty and positive support from staff allows children to access the community safely and not go missing from home. At times, staff miss opportunities to loosen restrictions where possible to allow children to develop the skills they need to keep themselves safe.

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

While children are generally well-supervised and staff are committed to promoting their welfare, some practices are unnecessarily intrusive. On occasion, staff have used voice recordings and photography to document injuries and incidents rather than relying on robust written records. This approach does not sufficiently respect children’s privacy and dignity.

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

Staff proactively manage conflict by keeping children apart during periods of disharmony. However, there are missed opportunities for staff to facilitate restorative conversations. A heavy reliance on physical separation prevents children from learning how to repair relationships and resolve differences effectively.

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

Leaders and managers demonstrate a commitment to safer recruitment. Effective processes ensure both permanent and agency staff are suitably vetted to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is diligent and committed to the ongoing professional development of staff. This ensures that staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to support children to make continued progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling well supported by the registered manager. New and agency staff benefit from effective induction and training. The manager ensures that supervision and training are extended to agency workers, fostering a consistent approach to care across the entire staff group.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager engages in effective professional partnership working. For example, safeguarding professionals are consulted to ensure that children’s risks are continually reviewed. She has challenged placing authorities appropriately to ensure that children have the right support in place to reduce their risks. This proactive advocacy results in stable and effective safety planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers, through their oversight, ensure that staff encourage children to engage with the local community. As a result, children enjoy the balance of accessing local amenities, such as shops, the gym and local library while their restrictions and safety plans are adhered to. This helps children to develop a sense of belonging and connection to the local area. Inspection report children's home: 2783009 4 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are looked after by a diverse staff team. Through the commitment and resilience of staff, children have increased their tolerance and have developed a more respectful understanding of backgrounds different to their own. This had helped staff and children to share a strong commitment to equality and diversity. Inspection report children's home: 2783009 5 SENSITIVE-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, 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

(b)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

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child's relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ix) Reg 6(2)(b)(ix) (c)(i)(ii)) 20 April 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 no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child's need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(d)) 20 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children's home's premises; and 20 April 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2783009 6 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child's privacy or access to any area of the home's premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b) (c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(iv) (b)) 20 April 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff use of consequences to address behaviour that challenges is restorative in nature and helps children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, pages 46-47, paragraph 15.8) Inspection report children's home: 2783009 7 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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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: 2783009 8 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Rapha Social Care Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 57 Lakedale Road, London SE18 1PR

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Inspector

Karen Flanagan de Martinez, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2783009 9 SENSITIVE-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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