Social care · Children's home inspection (SCCIF)
Children's Home run by CF Support Services Limited in Hertfordshire
Summary
What we read, and from where
Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.
- Group verified
CF Support Services Limited
- Inspection date verified
11 Mar 2026
- Inspectors verified
Sallie Bloomfield
- Helped and protected verified
Good
- Leadership and management verified
Good
- Overall effectiveness verified
Good
- Name on report verified
2831009
- URN verified
2831009
Deep dive
What this report says
In plain English
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Grade profile
Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.
- OverallGood
- Helped and protectedGood
- Leadership and managementGood
70% of comparable inspections in the last three years were graded Good (12,716 inspections).
Tone of the report
How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.
Reads more warmly than most reports of this type graded Good.
Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.
How the report reads, start to finish
Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.
Strengths
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
- The manager is ambitious for the children and demonstrates a strong understanding of their individual needs. p.3
- Strong, trusting relationships are evident between the manager, staff, children, their families and professionals. p.3
- Daily records and key-work sessions show thoughtful and consistent use of a therapeutic model, supporting the child to feel understood and build trusting relationships. p.3
- Staff work collaboratively and respectfully, modelling positive communication and creating a consistent approach that helps children to feel safe. p.3
- Both have a strong desire to achieve positive outcomes for children. p.3
Concerns
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
No strong criticism found.
Next steps
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
- The registered person must comply within the given timescales. p.5
- The registered person must ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to— p.5
- In particular, the design of the home should provide staff who sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. 11 March 2026 p.5
What the report dwells on
Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.
Progress & outcomes4
“Both have a strong desire to achieve positive outcomes for children.” p.3Teaching & assessment2
“Staff know the children well and demonstrate warm, nurturing interactions.” p.2
Anatomy of the report
How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.
- Pages
- 7
- Words of findings
- 1,060
- about usual (typical 1319)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 48, typical 51
- Average sentence
- 14 words
- Next steps
- 3
- typical 4
- Hedged sentences
- 1%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Inspection report for children's home: 2831009 1 Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited
p.1
Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework
p.1
Information about this children's home
This home was registered with Ofsted in August 2025 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to 2 children aged between 8 and 17 years who experience social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.
p.1
Information about this children's home
The manager was registered with Ofsted in August 2025.
p.1
Overall experiences and progress of
children and young people, taking into account
p.1
good
How well children and young people are helped and protected good
p.1
good
The effectiveness of leaders and managers good
p.1
good
The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.
p.1
good
Date of last inspection: not previously inspected
p.1
good
Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable
p.1
good
Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2831009 2
p.1
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Since the home opened, 2 children have moved in. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home. Both children spoke with the inspector. They spoke positively about living in the home, saying that they like living here and the staff are helpful and kind.
p.2
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Children experience well-planned and coordinated moves into the home. Transitions into the home are managed thoughtfully, with meaningful involvement from children and the wider support network. Children visit the home to see the environment and meet staff before they move in. This careful planning contributes to positive early experiences and smooth transitions for children entering the home.
p.2
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Children are active and happy in this home. Staff know the children well and demonstrate warm, nurturing interactions. When children seek appropriate physical affection, staff respond sensitively. They use a playful and engaging approach that children respond to positively. This means that children have trust and comfort in their relationships with staff.
p.2
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Children enjoy a range of regular activities during the week and at weekends. They are supported to pursue their hobbies and interests, and have outings in the local community that reflect their choices.
p.2
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Children benefit from clear routines and structured days. Each child has a personalised chart that links to the home's incentive scheme, enabling them to earn additional pocket money when they complete agreed tasks. This approach promotes independence and builds children's confidence and pride in their home. Children are actively involved in daily chores and regularly take part in meal preparation, which further strengthens their life skills and sense of ownership in the household.
p.2
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
The home is warm, welcoming and decorated to a high standard. Children's bedrooms are thoughtfully personalised to reflect their individual tastes. However, the current arrangements for staff sleeping-in are not ideal. There is no designated overnight accommodation for second sleep-in staff. The communal area is used as an additional sleep-in space. This means that this area is not always fully available for the children.
p.2
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
Staff know the children well and demonstrate a strong understanding of their individual needs, challenges and associated risks. Risks are clearly identified. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated, and changes are communicated promptly to the staff team. This means that staff practice remains responsive and children benefit from consistent support. Inspection report for children's home: 2831009 3 Staff are very proud of the children's achievements. They hold high aspirations for the children. Positive moments, such as birthday parties and shared activities, are captured well in memory books. The culture of the home is to support and motivate children to achieve.
p.2
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
Children benefit from a nurturing environment in which positive behaviour is reinforced. Staff do not use physical intervention but other creative ways of helping children to recognise and manage their behaviour. Staff use meaningful choice and outcome charts, which give children the opportunity to make positive choices and consider consequences. These are personalised and help children to work toward goals that are important to them.
p.3
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
Recording is written in child-friendly, strength-based language and is child focused. Daily records and key-work sessions show thoughtful and consistent use of a therapeutic model, supporting the child to feel understood and build trusting relationships.
p.3
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
Staff work collaboratively and respectfully, modelling positive communication and creating a consistent approach that helps children to feel safe. Multi-agency working is a clear strength. Staff are confident to seek advice from other professionals to support children's safety and wellbeing. Professionals are highly complimentary of the staff. One professional said, 'Whoever we speak to we get a consistent message and approach. We work together; brilliant communication from all the staff.'
p.3
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
The home is managed by a permanent, qualified registered manager. The manager is supported by an enthusiastic deputy manager. Both have a strong desire to achieve positive outcomes for children.
p.3
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
The manager is ambitious for the children and demonstrates a strong understanding of their individual needs. Leaders and managers have a clear insight into the dynamics between the children living in the home and use this knowledge to guide staff practice effectively. Strong, trusting relationships are evident between the manager, staff, children, their families and professionals. As a result, children benefit from living in a homely, nurturing and well-supported home.
p.3
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
The manager has a good understanding of the strengths of the team and the areas for development. They have a clear plan of how to bring therapeutic thinking into the home, with a creative, child-centred approach to fully embed a consistent, therapeutic model into daily practice.
p.3
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
The manager has successfully begun to establish a new and cohesive staff team. This has been achieved through a robust induction programme, access to high-quality training and regular, reflective learning opportunities, all of which contribute to embedding learning into practice. Inspection report for children's home: 2831009 4 Staff benefit from regular supervision. Staff describe the leaders and managers as very understanding and supportive. The manager values staff and invests in their professional development. She provides staff with regular team meetings. A clinical psychologist brings further expertise to these meetings and provides additional support. As a result, the therapeutic practice in this home is becoming more embedded, understood and delivered by staff. Inspection report for children's home: 2831009 5
p.3
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.
p.5
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—
p.5
Requirement Due date
enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (2)(c)(i)(ii))
p.5
Requirement Due date
In particular, the design of the home should provide staff who sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. 11 March 2026
p.5
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: 2831009 6
p.5
Children's home details
Registered provider: CF Support Services Limited
p.6
Children's home details
Registered provider address: Three Rivers Business Centre, Unit 11 Felixstowe Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP10 0BF
p.6
Children's home details
Responsible individual: Joanne Henderson
p.6
Children's home details
Registered manager: Colette Moreira-Henocq
p.6
Inspector
Sallie Bloomfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2831009 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.
p.6
Inspector
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Inspector
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Inspector
T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted
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