Children's Home run by Family Circle Homes Ltd in Bexley

Inspection report for children’s home: 2801644 1 Registered provider: Family Circle 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 privately owned home was registered with Ofsted in October 2025. This was the home’s first inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered in March 2026.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home.

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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: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2801644 2

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Summary of findings

The home provides a safe, warm and nurturing environment, where children are making good progress. The children are relaxed and comfortable in their home and say that they felt safe. Children experience strong and positive relationships with the staff. Staff understand the children well and are attuned to their needs, maintaining a therapeutic and child-focused approach. The manager is highly organised and motivated. They lead an enthusiastic team and have established strong communication across the professional network. Children’s individual needs are managed well and external professionals speak positively about the home. Some minor shortfalls were identified. These include ensuring that the home’s statement of purpose fully and accurately reflects practice, particularly around the potential use of monitoring devices, and making sure that all staff are clear about the local authority designated officer’s (LADO’s) role and procedures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a friendly atmosphere, where the children’s individual needs, personalities and preferences are the primary focus. Staff demonstrate affection and care for the children, resulting in children being happy, relaxed and comfortable in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality, individualised care. The therapeutic approach of playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy used by staff is clearly embedded in the home. Children’s behaviour is well understood by staff, who recognise children’s underlying needs and respond using trauma-informed approaches. This supports children to feel safe and reduces the likelihood of escalation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are valued and respected, and there are regular opportunities for children to provide feedback through monthly discussions and day-to-day interactions. Children are actively involved in daily living decisions and are encouraged to make choices about their care and routines. Staff provide children with clear boundaries, alongside empathy and reassurance; this is important in building trust and further developing a sense of security and stability for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. Staff ensure that children attend appointments and receive the appropriate care. Staff support children to access and attend specialist support services for all areas of their health and will seek out alternative specialist support services when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Emotional wellbeing is prioritised; staff take time to sensitively address areas of concern with the children, in both structured and spontaneous one-to-one discussions. For example, staff have explored one child’s anxiety and difficulties around food with care and creativity, providing reassurance and motivation. Staff seek advice appropriately from external professionals and use consultation effectively to inform their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2801644 3 Although both children are yet to be in full-time education, staff and managers are proactive in prioritising this and advocating for the children’s needs. The manager consistently advocates for the children, escalating concerns when necessary. Managers and staff work closely with social workers and education professionals to identify appropriate provision. As a result, an alternative placement has been secured for one child, while

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

another child has completed a visit to a potential school placement. In the interim, children receive online learning, and home tuition arrangements are in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate creativity and persistence in encouraging children’s learning, providing individualised support and helping children to build confidence and develop skills. One child proudly told the inspector that staff have helped him to improve his mathematical skills, saying that they have ‘taught me to do it so much better’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment is warm and homely, it is well maintained and decorated to a high standard. The children can choose their own bedrooms and are supported to personalise them to their own tastes. This helps the children to feel valued and comfortable.

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

Staff are aware of children’s vulnerabilities and know how to keep them safe. Detailed written risk assessments and individualised care plans support effective safeguarding of children and are regularly reviewed. This enables staff to identify and be responsive to children, keeping them safe.

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

The home’s incident reporting procedures are clear and effective. Incident reports and daily records are completed competently and demonstrate a therapeutic approach to behaviour support. However, records do not always capture the child’s direct voice, particularly following incidents and debriefs.

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

One child has a significant history of going missing from care; however, there have been no missing incidents since the child moved into the home. Staff have implemented effective strategies and behaviour management plans to reduce risk, and the child has contributed to discussions about how staff can best support them.

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

Children report that they feel safe living in the home. One child told inspectors, ‘This is probably the best home I’ve been to. They always have a conversation with me; I can speak about things to someone I trust.’

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

Staff safeguarding training is up to date and staff demonstrate a good level of awareness and knowledge in practice. However, not all staff were aware of the LADO process.

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

The home has a door alarm system available if required. However, the use and rationale for this are not fully reflected in the home’s statement of purpose and/or relevant policy documents to ensure clarity and transparency. Inspection report for children’s home: 2801644 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide clear direction for the home. Managers know the children very well and show a clear understanding of the experiences that lead to their progress. All achievements, no matter how small, are celebrated with lots of praise and positive reinforcement. This has contributed to the transparent and positive culture at this home, where all work together to ensure the best outcomes for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is well organised, with a reflective and clear child-centred approach. Staff describe the manager as approachable and supportive and say that they feel able to speak openly with her.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular supervision is in place for the manager and staff, providing all with opportunities for reflection and guidance. The manager benefits from effective support from the responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a supportive working environment, where there are clear opportunities for training and development to enhance practice. Team meetings are held regularly, creating space for staff to share views and engage in child-focused discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems, including regular management audits, are in place to support oversight of the home’s practice and identify areas for development. Independent oversight arrangements are established; the manager works well with the independent visitor, who provides guidance and advice. This helps them to identify where improvements may be needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment practices are in place to help ensure that the children are cared for by suitable adults. The home’s statement of purpose has been reviewed and updated; however, there are some areas that need clarification, as noted above.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from children, staff and professionals is consistently positive and demonstrates strong relationships in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2801644 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should review and update the home’s statement of purpose, specifically to clarify the home’s approach to devices for monitoring, such as the use of door sensors. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. This relates to staff awareness of the managing allegations process and the role of the LADO. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.14)

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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 for children’s home: 2801644 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Family Circle Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 61 Ware Point Drive, London SE28 0HG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Temitope Iroegbunam

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Inspector

Amanda Burrows, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2801644 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.

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Inspector

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