Children's Home run by House of Love Care in Sandwell

Inspection report for children’s home: 2848800 1 Registered provider: House of Love Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The inspector spoke with the child as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in January 2026.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2848800 2

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Summary of findings

Overall, the quality of care requires improvement. While there are some strengths, the child’s experiences and progress are not consistently positive. There are also weaknesses in how staff manage the child’s needs safely, and these are not always addressed effectively. As a result, the child is not consistently protected from harm. Improvement is therefore required to ensure that the child living at this home receives consistent, safe and effective care.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is not consistently maintained to a good standard. Leaders do not ensure that the home is kept in a condition that reflects a nurturing and welcoming environment. Records do not demonstrate that there is effective monitoring to ensure that any repairs required are promptly addressed. As a result, the child has experienced unnecessary reminders of incidents where damage has occurred, undermining their sense of stability, emotional security and belonging in the home.

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improvement to be good

The child does not yet benefit from a well-planned and structured daily routine. There is limited evidence that staff and leaders routinely review and promote the child’s engagement in a broader range of activities that support their physical, emotional and social development. One professional commented, ‘I do think they need to have more activities whilst balancing their safety needs. I think they do get bored.’ As a result, the child experiences missed opportunities to develop important skills, which may affect their overall progress and wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Limited progress is evident in how staff and leaders meet the child’s educational needs. There is insufficient evidence of robust planning to assess the child’s current learning needs or to demonstrate how leaders review and use resources to build the child’s confidence in numeracy and literacy, as set out in their placement plan. The child’s views, shared during the inspection, reflect frustration and poor communication about their education. As a result, the child is at increased risk of becoming disengaged from learning. This negatively impacts their confidence and may affect their future attainment.

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improvement to be good

Leaders have taken appropriate steps to plan the child’s move to the home. Multi-agency meetings with professionals from the child’s wider network helped develop a clear understanding of the child’s presenting needs. A comprehensive risk assessment was carried out before the child’s move, which clearly identifies their developmental needs and the strategies staff should use to promote safety. When shortfalls were identified in the quality of care provided by staff from the child’s previous home on the day of the child’s arrival, the registered manager challenged this practice and escalated concerns promptly. This demonstrates the leadership team’s commitment to challenging poor practice and ensuring that the child’s rights are consistently upheld. Inspection report for children’s home: 2848800 3 The child’s health needs are appropriately met. Staff ensure that the child attends necessary appointments, seek timely medical care when new needs arise, and facilitate

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improvement to be good

regular sessions with a drama therapist. As a result, the child’s physical and emotional health needs are supported, which promotes their overall wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Progress is evident in the child’s relationships with significant people in their life. For example, staff have supported the child in having regular telephone contact with their sibling, which promotes their sense of identity and belonging. As a result, the child is developing stronger support networks beyond those provided by the staff team.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand that physical restraint should be used only as a last resort, and records demonstrate that it is proportionate when used to prevent the child from experiencing significant harm to themselves or others. However, practice is inconsistent. Staff do not always use approved behaviour management strategies effectively to de-escalate incidents. As a result, incidents escalate unnecessarily, which places the child at prolonged risk, leads to police involvement and increases the risk of the child becoming criminalised.

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improvement to be good

During periods when the child is distressed, they do not consistently receive clear and appropriate guidance from staff. For example, following a disclosure about a potential medication overdose, staff did not promptly search the child’s belongings, despite known risks that the child might conceal unsafe items. This delay meant that staff were slow to identify that the child had access to an unknown substance. Consequently, the child faced an avoidable risk. This demonstrates missed opportunities for timely intervention and a lack of consistently proactive safeguarding practice by staff and leaders.

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improvement to be good

Records of safeguarding incidents are not sufficiently robust and often lack clear and concise detail about the actions staff have taken to mitigate or prevent harm to the child. This limits leaders’ ability to evaluate practice effectively and identify areas for improvement. Despite leaders acknowledging this weakness, they have not yet consistently implemented improvements in practice. As a result, there is reduced assurance that learning from incidents is being used systematically to strengthen safeguarding arrangements and improve outcomes for the child.

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improvement to be good

Notifications of serious incidents are not consistently submitted to the regulator within required timescales. This limits external oversight of safeguarding practice. As a result, there is reduced assurance that safeguarding incidents are shared and reviewed promptly, which may delay effective scrutiny and the timely improvement of practice to protect the child.

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improvement to be good

When the child raises concerns with staff about their experiences of care, appropriate and timely action is taken to ensure that they are managed effectively. Records show that complaints are responded to promptly and investigated thoroughly. The child is kept Inspection report for children’s home: 2848800 4 informed of the outcome, which ensures transparency throughout the process. This approach helps the child feel valued and heard, and it promotes trust in their relationships with staff.

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

Monitoring and review systems are not yet sufficiently robust. Leaders have not established clear systems to demonstrate how the child’s progress is tracked, particularly in relation to access to education, engagement in social activities and the maintenance of the home environment. During the inspection, there were delays in the manager locating key records to show how shortfalls are identified and addressed. Consequently, leaders have failed to demonstrate effective progress in driving improvements. This limits their ability to secure sustained progress for the child.

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

Management oversight is not consistently recorded in the child’s records, resulting in insufficient evidence of decision-making. For example, decisions made through the on- call system are not always fully documented. This reduces the ability to audit their effectiveness. As a result, there is limited assurance that decisions are consistently appropriate, well evidenced and contributing to effective safeguarding and care planning for the child.

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

Staff report positive experiences with the support they receive from the manager, and they say they feel heard, valued and confident in raising concerns. As a result, staff describe an open and supportive culture in the team. This supports effective communication and promotes staff’s confidence in raising issues that may affect the quality of care provided to the child.

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

Leaders actively promote staff training and development, and records show that training is well aligned with the child’s developmental needs. Leaders review the impact of training through supervision and team meetings, which demonstrates a clear commitment to continuous workforce development. As a result, staff are better equipped to meet the child’s needs effectively.

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

Staff receive regular, good-quality supervision. The records clearly outline objectives for developing individual practice and reviewing the quality of care provided. This promotes accountability, reflective practice and the sharing of effective approaches among the staff. Staff are encouraged to consider the impact of their work and identify areas for improvement. As a result, supervision supports continuous learning and helps drive greater consistency in practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2848800 5

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that prompt action is taken to repair damage to the home, and any incidents that are serious and relate to the protection, safeguarding and welfare of a child living in the home are 12 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2848800 6 notified within the required timescales to Ofsted and all other relevant persons.

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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, the registered person must ensure that leaders and managers monitor the service effectively to provide clear oversight of the quality of care provided to children in their care. 12 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all children’s records are up to date, signed and dated, with all information clearly and factually documented. 12 June 2026

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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: 2848800 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 82 Holbein Walk, Grange Park, Swindon SN5 6DS

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Inspector

Charlotte Tippett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2848800 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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