Children's Home run by Serene Surroundings Limited in Bexley

Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 1 Registered provider: Serene Surroundings Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This private home provides care for up to 2 children with emotional and social difficulties. There were 2 children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in November 2024. The manager was registered in March 2026.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/04/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 3

p.2

Summary of findings

The physical condition of the home requires significant attention to ensure that it is a homely environment for children. Inconsistency in the daily routines of the home impacts on children’s engagement in education.

p.3

Summary of findings

Children engage in a number of positive activities, and relationships that are important to them are recognised and prioritised.

p.3

Summary of findings

Managers recognise risks to children and mostly respond in an appropriate manner, particularly when children have been missing from home. Managers are proactive in seeking partner agency support when children’s needs warrant it.

p.3

Summary of findings

Managers have recognised some of the areas of improvement needed in the home but have been insufficiently proactive in implementing the changes needed.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children do not have established routines and are often asleep during the day and awake at night. This limits children’s engagement and participation in education. Staff are not proactive in waking and encouraging and supporting children to take part in learning. There is a daily log, but this is not consistently implemented or adhered to. This inconsistent approach to caring for children impacts on their capacity to engage with staff effectively. Staff lack confidence in managing children’s behaviour.

p.3

improvement to be good

Records of incidents are well recorded and overseen by managers and debriefs are completed with children. Although there are behaviour support plans in place, there is inconsistency in staff’s ability to follow these and suitably challenge negative behaviour.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s bedrooms are in a neglectful state, in urgent need of refurbishment and insufficiently personalised to create a homely environment. Managers have been insufficiently proactive in recognising and addressing these concerns.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children have detailed care plans, which have been reviewed and provide a good overview of the actions necessary to support children. Most records are completed in a timely manner and do have a focus on the needs of children.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children engage in a range of positive activities. They have opportunities to participate in a range of fun activities and interests of their choice. Children have positively engaged with staff in walks, visits to the cinema and trips to places of interest. Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 4 Children are actively supported to have meaningful contact with their families and other people who are important to them.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff do have access to a wide range of relevant mandatory training, although not all staff have up-to-date training to meet the needs of children resident in the home. For example, one child has diabetes, and a number of staff do not have up-to-date training in the management of this condition.

p.4

improvement to be good

Not all serious incidents notifiable to Ofsted have been completed in a timely manner with the correct information, hampering regulatory oversight of the home.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children have detailed risk assessments that are evaluative of risks to children, and there is a good understanding of the risks relevant for each individual child in the home.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff follow identified procedures when children go missing from home, and children have detailed missing-from-home protocols. Any missing-from-home incidents are appropriately followed up through conversations with children to ascertain the reasons why they went missing.

p.4

improvement to be good

When there are any concerns in relation to increasing risks for children or emerging higher levels of need, staff are proactive in arranging meetings with relevant professionals to ensure children receive the right level of meaningful support.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers show an understanding of the needs of children living in the home. However, they have not established or implemented sufficient structure in the home so that expectations of how staff will support children are clear. Managers have not ensured that children’s educational attainment is given enough focus or priority.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have some awareness of areas for development in the home but have not addressed issues relating to the fabric of the home, particularly with reference to children’s bedrooms, to create an environment in which children would feel proud to live.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Regular staff meetings take place where any areas of concern are addressed. While staff receive supervision, they do not have annual appraisals, which negatively impacts on their capacity to reflect on their own practice and their interactions with children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The responsible individual is insufficiently involved in the management of the home, which limits their oversight of the effectiveness of care for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers have some awareness of the areas of development in the home and have plans to address such shortfalls. One example is in gathering the views of children, staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 5 and partner agencies more effectively to help evaluate the impact of the care given on children’s outcomes and wellbeing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 6

p.4

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders, managers and staff must support the children to have bedrooms that are suitability clean and tidy and provide a safe environment that is comfortable and suitably furnished. 16 June 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 16 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 7 that staff—

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.7

Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(viii)(ix))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders, managers and staff need to ensure that children are supported to have daytime routines that will support them to access and engage in education and training provision.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

p.7

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there.

p.7

Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified. 16 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 8 (Regulation 40 (4)(c) (5)(a)(i)(ii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they report notifiable incidents in line with the regulation requirements. Leaders and managers must ensure that they liaise with the correct authorities when managing allegations.

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.8

Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

p.8

Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

p.8

Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

p.8

Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(viii))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff have the required skills to support children effectively. This includes staff’s ability to build relationships with children that support them to manage children’s behaviour. 16 June 2026

p.8

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.8

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and 16 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 9 promotes their welfare.

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.9

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.9

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f))

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and mangers must ensure that there is clear direction for staff to be able to support children and provide consistent care that helps them to feel safe and supported.

p.9

Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

p.9

Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1) (7)(b))

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, the responsible individual is active in their role and supports and supervises the manager to support the management structure, accountability and oversight in the leadership team. 16 June 2026

p.9

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 16 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 10 have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c))

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that all staff have an annual appraisal.

p.10

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: 2753031 11

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Serene Surroundings Limited

p.11

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 High Tor View, London SE28 0LN

p.11

Inspector

Helen Daniel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2753031 12 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.11

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.12

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.12

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.12