Children's Home run by Zone Central Ltd in Lewisham

Inspection report children's home: 2590934 1 Registered provider: Zone Central 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 home registered with Ofsted in June 2020 and is privately run.

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Information about this children's home

It provides care for up to two children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in 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 requires improvement to be 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: 21 October 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2590934 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/10/2025 Full Good 05/11/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/07/2024 Full Inadequate 01/11/2023 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2590934 3

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Summary of findings

The child living in the home is making good progress in all aspects of their life. This includes building their independence skills, improving their relationships with staff, engaging in education and managing their emotions better. This has been achieved through consistent, passionate, child-centred practice from staff.

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Summary of findings

Although the child has made good progress, this inspection identified inconsistencies in the overall leadership and management of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the last inspection the child had just moved into the home and their progress since then has been significant. One thing that had a positive impact on the child is how staff supported their move into the home. The child’s move was carefully planned, allowing them to start building relationships with staff prior to their admission, which supported a smoother transition. The child’s preferences, including a preference for working with one gender, were acknowledged and sensitively supported. Due to the positive relationships the child has with staff they are supporting them to work with different genders so that they can work confidently with a diverse staff team. As a result, the child is now more settled and able to engage positively with a wider range of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and professionals said that there has been significant progress and improvements to the child’s day-to-day experiences. For example, prior to living in this home the child struggled to go out into the community and had not travelled on public transport. Since moving into the home, the child has travelled to new places and had become confident using public transport. The child now enjoys more activities and shopping trips with staff, which is supporting the development of their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s views are actively considered and have contributed to changes within the home. For example, the child chose the decor for their bedroom and went with staff to purchase the paint and materials needed. Furthermore, staff have successfully introduced new items into the child’s bedroom to support their sensory needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consistently encourage the child to express their views, which happens in a natural and supportive way. The child’s opinions are taken seriously and responded to appropriately. When the child experiences challenging or difficult moments, staff manage these situations effectively, providing empathy, time and space for the child to reflect on their choices and outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Currently the child does not have a school placement. However, staff continue to encourage daily engagement in education with learning activities. Leaders and managers Inspection report children's home: 2590934 4 continue to escalate their concerns to ensure that the child’s education and finding a suitable school placement is not overlooked.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the child’s risks and known triggers for behaviour. They can identify early indicators of escalating behaviour which enables them to respond promptly and take action to de-escalate situations before they reach crisis point.

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

Incidents are generally well managed. Staff support the child appropriately at the time of the incident and after. This includes debriefs involving both the child and staff which identify follow-up actions that are required. The child’s risk assessment also supports consistent staff practice to manage risks well.

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

Due to the child’s needs, they require a high level of supervision and support from staff. Staff are appropriately supported through specialist training to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge and confidence to provide safe and effective care that meets the child’s individual needs.

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

General maintenance and cleanliness of the home environment requires improvements. For example, the flooring is damaged in areas, and the kitchen and bathroom requires repairs. The garden requires upkeep to ensure it is safe and suitable. for the child to use.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Leadership and management of the home are unstable and inconsistent. Since the last inspection a new role has been introduced for the head of operations. However, the roles and responsibilities across the senior leadership team are not clear. Additionally, the registered manager has recently resigned and is due to leave shortly and the deputy manager has also left the service. Although interim oversight arrangements are in place, these are not yet fully embedded and lack robustness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Staff do not receive regular or effective supervision. Supervision has been inconsistent across the service, which has meant staff are not always receiving regular opportunities for reflection, guidance and support in their roles. As a result, staff confidence has been affected and morale is low. Some staff reported feeling unsupported at times, and there was a general sense of inconsistency in how issues are followed up and addressed. This has contributed to a lack of stability within the team and reduced confidence in leadership direction

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Monitoring and audit tools are in place; however, these are not being used effectively. This is owing to the breakdown in relationship between the leadership team and has resulted in gaps in responses, inconsistencies in information and a lack of the level of oversight required to ensure staff are supported. For example, allegations were not reported to Ofsted in line with regulatory requirements. Although the responsible individual identified that the notification was required, this was not completed by the Inspection report children's home: 2590934 5 registered manager and the responsible individual was not aware that this had not been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The registered manager reported that she has not been involved with the recruitment process of some staff. This indicates a further level of discord in the leadership team. As a result, there is a shortfall in governance and management oversight. Inspection report children's home: 2590934 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, 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires, and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that-

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they monitor and review the quality of care provided to children and take effective action to address shortfalls in practice. 12 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff receive regular and effective supervision. 12 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 12 June 2026

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Recommendations

Inspection report children's home: 2590934 7  The registered person should ensure that repairs and maintenance issues are addressed in a timely manner so that the home remains comfortable and welcoming. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2590934 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Towngate House 2-8, Parkstone Road, Poole, BH15 2PW

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Inspector

Jo Tarbie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2590934 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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