Children's Home run by London Borough of Sutton in Sutton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2774622 1 Registered provider: London Borough of Sutton Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted as a multi-building children’s home on 5 September 2024. It provides care in 3 buildings for up to 6 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living in 2 of the properties. The inspector spoke with all 3 children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 14 January 2025

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2774622 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2774622 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and enabled to build positive relationships with staff. Staff show care, compassion and warmth towards the children. This helps children settle into the home and discuss their worries with staff. Some children experienced several moves before moving into the home, but they have now settled and are making good progress. Two children who moved out of the home made excellent progress and returned to live with their families, while another moved into supported accommodation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities that are specific to their interests and talents, including weekly gym sessions, bowling, shopping and go-karting. The children enjoyed a summer holiday at a holiday resort. These activities help children strengthen relationships with staff and provide opportunities for them to have new experiences in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are respected. Leaders and managers record and formally respond to any complaints made by children. Staff encourage children to express their views, and they listen to them. For example, children requested to have a pet, leading to the purchase of two rabbits that they enjoy looking after. This ensures that children feel heard and understand that their requests prompt action.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although children’s educational outcomes vary, managers and staff take appropriate measures when they are not in school. They liaise with education professionals and provide children with short-term educational activities at the home. Children who had not previously engaged in education are now attending school and can talk about their future. Staff encourage children to attend school, including those who attend school outside of the borough. Feedback from 2 schools is very positive about staff’s communication and commitment to children’s education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, spacious and welcoming. Children’s bedrooms and communal spaces are well furnished, personalised and comfortable. Managers have removed all the closed- circuit television from communal areas in response to feedback from children about the cameras in the home. This ensures that children’s privacy is always respected and helps them feel comfortable in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and meet children’s health needs effectively. They work closely with health agencies to ensure that children receive appropriate support. Specialised help and support are sought when necessary. Children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. They are registered at local gyms, and staff encourage them to attend. Staff offer healthy meals to support children’s overall health and wellbeing. They work effectively with the in-house therapists and attend a weekly formulation meeting to help understand children’s emotional wellbeing and respond effectively to their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2774622 4

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

Children say they feel safe at the home. They can identify a trusted person to talk to if they have concerns. The stable and consistent home environment, together with the warmth and confidence of the staff, help children feel safe and secure.

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

Safeguarding practice is strong. Staff have a thorough understanding of whistleblowing procedures. Leaders and managers take allegations of harm seriously and act promptly when issues arise. Feedback from the local authority designated officer is very positive about practice in the home.

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

Staff help children understand the risks posed to them when accessing the internet. Staff use individual sessions with children to help them develop their knowledge and understanding of the risks. There are effective strategies and monitoring systems in place to address any concerns raised. As a result, children are kept safe when playing and working online.

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

Generally, staff are proactive when children go missing from the home. They maintain contact with children and work with other agencies to ensure their safety. Records of missing-from-home incidents are thoroughly reviewed, and debriefs are carried out with staff and children. However, staff have not always followed individual children’s protocols, for example, by collecting children from their families as per their plans. In addition, on 3 occasions, a child supervised by 2 staff members was able to leave the home unnoticed, despite the assessed risks. Feedback from the police is varied regarding the quality of information provided when children go missing; the information does not always help officers to assess the risks. Managers have taken prompt actions to address staff practice and are working with the police to ensure that children receive well- coordinated support when they are missing from the home.

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

Safer recruitment and employment practices help ensure that staff are suitably vetted. This minimises the risk of unsuitable people working at the home and helps promote the children’s safety. However, recruitment practices have not been strengthened since the last inspection, and managers have failed to ensure that employment gaps and reasons for staff leaving their previous roles are fully explored.

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

Leaders and managers did not promptly follow one recommendation from the fire risk assessment carried out in May 2025. The ground-floor kitchen is not fitted with a suitable fire door, despite managers escalating the delays to senior managers in the local authority. This poses a risk to children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led and managed by a committed and experienced registered manager. The registered manager is supported by 3 home managers, one from each home. The managers and staff know the children well and hold high aspirations for them. Feedback from children, professionals and parents about the leaders, managers and staff is Inspection report for children’s home: 2774622 5 overwhelmingly positive about the care provided to the children and the communication from staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff are dedicated and passionate, and they advocate endlessly to ensure that children lead positive and fulfilling lives. They challenge social workers when children’s plans do not meet their needs. The registered manager has created an open and transparent culture that fosters mutual support and respect for the staff. They address poor practice promptly and offer relevant training and support to ensure that staff practice is of a high standard to meet the individual needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision. Supervision focuses on the children’s needs, experiences and plans. Safeguarding issues are discussed, as well as staff development needs. In-house therapists attend group supervision sessions for staff to support them in understanding the children’s complex needs and reflect on their practices. This demonstrates effective management oversight of staff practice and development and of the progress that children are making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is very positive. Staff say they feel well supported by leaders and managers and are offered a range of relevant training. Consequently, staff retention is good, and children receive a consistent level of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the home’s strengths and areas for development. There are effective monitoring systems in place to review the quality of care provided to children. The registered manager’s 6-monthly review of the home’s quality of care highlights improvement priorities and is child focused. The registered manager uses feedback from others to review the care provided and address any issues raised. Inspection report for children’s home: 2774622 6

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that all staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities when protecting children from harm. This specifically relates to managers ensuring that all staff provide an appropriate level of supervision to children, in line with their care plans.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that all staff follow children’s individual missing-from-care protocols. 22 May 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they maintain good employment practice, as set out in regulations 31 to 33. This specifically relates to ensuring that if a person has Inspection report for children’s home: 2774622 7 previously worked with children or vulnerable adults, verification is sought for why the employment ended and all gaps in employment are explored. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that they comply with relevant health and safety legislation. This specifically relates to managers ensuring that all actions from the fire risk assessment are promptly addressed, including replacing the kitchen fire door. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

Inspector has 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: 2774622 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Borough of Sutton

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Offices, St Nicholas Way, Sutton SM1 1EA

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Inspector

Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2774622 9 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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