Children's Home run by Brighter Horizon Homes Ltd in Croydon

Inspection report children's home: 2841052 1 Registered provider: Brighter Horizon Homes 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

This is a privately owned children's home that is registered to care for up to three children with learning disabilities. There was one child living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The post for a registered manager is currently vacant. An application is in progress by the current home manager.

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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 applicable, this is the home’s first inspection

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2841052 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know children well and take time to learn about each child’s personal history, behaviours and communication style. Children’s daily needs are well met, including consistent routines, personalised spaces and nutritious, enjoyable mealtimes. Staff’s commitment to providing stability has enabled the child currently living in the home to settle shortly after their move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

However, the quality of children’s experiences has varied due to inconsistencies in staff’s understanding of individual needs and how best to meet them. Current staff’s nurturing approach, combined with clear and consistent boundaries, helps children develop positive and trusting relationships. For one child, this contributed to progress in managing difficult emotions. In contrast, previous staff did not fully understand another child’s needs, which affected the child’s ability to settle in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs, including mental health and needs arising from learning disabilities, are well supported. All children are promptly registered with primary healthcare services shortly after moving in. Managers advocate for access to specialist services, such as child adolescent mental health services or professionals with expertise in supporting autistic children. This timely access to additional support, alongside staff’s consultation with external professionals, contributes to a wraparound approach that meets children’s complex needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is actively promoted. When children are not in school due to their needs or because they have recently moved in, managers work closely with the virtual school to secure appropriate local education placements. Staff provide fun, structured learning activities tailored to each child’s developmental stage. They recognise when children need breaks or when topics need to be repeated or taught in different ways to maintain engagement. This helps children make educational progress while awaiting a school place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer a range of activities that support children’s interests and independence. For example, one child enjoys karaoke, football and completing their own laundry. Staff’s patience, encouragement and focus on celebrating achievements help children develop independence skills at a pace that suits them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s relationships with their families and other important people are supported, and staff promote positive connections with parents. When appropriate, parents and previous carers visit the home to help children settle following their move. A parent provided positive feedback about the care their child receives at the home and the way staff support family time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into the home are planned with children’s professional networks and parents and take place at a pace that reflects each child’s needs. New children are welcomed Inspection report children's home: 2841052 3 sensitively. For example, the home environment was adapted to support a child’s neurodiversity. When emergency moves happen, staff help to reduce children’s anxiety arising from the lack of preparation for the move. When children leave the home, staff support positive endings. The home manager is developing a new planning tool to help staff and children better understand the specific tasks required at each stage of the moving in process.

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

Staff are able to safeguard the children living in the home, and children report that they feel safe. Clear and consistent boundaries are implemented, providing children with a sense of security. Children can identify at least one trusted adult they can speak to about their worries or share positive news with. These protective factors help children develop confidence and support their well-being and progress.

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

Children say that staff listen to them, take their views seriously, and respond promptly. When children’s wishes cannot be met, staff help them understand the reasons, particularly when decisions relate to safety or their best interests.

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

Physical intervention is used only as a last resort and proportionately, to protect children and others. Incidents of children going missing from the home are low. When they do occur, staff respond quickly and work effectively with other agencies to support children and reduce risks.

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

Staff encourage children to take age-appropriate risks. For example, staff supported one child to regularly visit places of interest and use public transport. This poses some risk due to the child’s developmental stage and complex needs. However, it has improved the child’s independence skills and contributed to a reduction in missing from home incidents, as they can explore the community safely with support.

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

Since the home opened, staff’s understanding of risk and insight into children’s behaviours has varied from poor to excellent. This inconsistency affected staff’s ability to respond effectively. For example, previous staff and the former home manager had limited understanding of how identified risks were reflected in a child’s behaviour. On one occasion, this led to planning an activity that escalated the child’s known behaviours, resulting in prolonged frustration and police involvement. The new manager and deputy manager have reflected on past incidents and are supporting staff to improve their skills in responding promptly and effectively to children’s behaviours.

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans have been redesigned, and there is now strong and ongoing management oversight. This enables staff to use tailored diversion and de-escalation strategies that reflect each child’s neurodevelopmental stage and known behaviours. There is clear evidence that these improvements have contributed to a reduction in risk. Inspection report children's home: 2841052 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is currently led by an experienced manager who has been in post since January 2026 and is in the process of registering with Ofsted. She is supported by a deputy manager who demonstrates a child-centred approach in her work with both children and staff. Together, they maintain high expectations for each child’s progress and ensure that staff provide consistently high standards of individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home manager has a strong understanding of each child’s personal history, views, needs and difficulties. Staff are guided by clear, well-structured plans that outline bespoke actions to support children’s needs and behaviours. As a result, children settle well into the home and make progress from their starting points. When a child is unable to settle due to personal circumstances, the manager takes prompt action to identify the underlying reasons. The provider works effectively with multi-agency partners to support children to move on or, where appropriate, return safely to the care of their parents. Significant learning has taken place regarding the assessment of children’s needs prior to moving into the home. The referral process has been improved to ensure that risk assessments more accurately reflect both the needs of children and the skills of staff to meet them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager provide a supportive and reflective environment for staff. They ensure that supervision is effective and that training programmes are high-quality, meaningful and tailored to the specific needs of the children. Staff take collective responsibility for meeting children’s needs and are proud of the care they provide. However, some staff do not have a full understanding of the legal status of the children living in the home, or the implications this has for day-to-day care and for the provider’s relationship with children’s families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the home was registered with Ofsted, it has experienced changes in management, which affected the overall effectiveness of care provided to children. The previous management team did not consistently demonstrate a clear understanding of children’s needs, behaviours or how risks can change over time in response to children’s circumstances. As a result, the guidance and support offered to staff was not always sufficient. Staff, some of whom were inexperienced, were not equipped to identify emerging risks independently or to challenge management decisions when necessary. At times, this led to children’s behaviours not being responded to in line with their known risks and assessed needs. Recording of incidents and reflective work with children was of poor quality, and for one child this has resulted in limited evidence of their life journey during their time at the home. Prior to the arrival of the current management team,

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

there was little evidence of learning from incidents, effective supervision or an individualised approach to staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current home manager and deputy manager have a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for improvement, including the impact of previous management changes had on the quality of care. The manager has developed a realistic Inspection report children's home: 2841052 5 and well-considered plan to address staff vacancies and any gaps in staff knowledge, with the aim of continuously improving children’s experiences. Implementation of this plan has begun, and staff are positive about the direction of the home and the support they are receiving.

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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 recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)) 1 September 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2841052 6

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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: 2841052 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Brighter Horizon Homes Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: International House, 109-111 Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8JA

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Inspector

Claudia Poienar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2841052 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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