Children's Home run by ZST Care Ltd in Barking and Dagenham

Inspection report children's home: 2860688 1 Registered provider: ZST Care 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 is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025.

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Information about this children's home

The home is currently offering a solo placement to one young person who recently had a baby in early May 2026.

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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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Date of last inspection: not applicable

Overall judgement at last inspection: Not applicable

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Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable

Inspection report children's home: 2860688 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Inspection report children's home: 2860688 3

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Summary of findings

The provides a solo, nurturing, and supportive environment for they young person who is currently living there following the birth of her baby. Staff have warm and trusting relationships to help her feel safe, confident and increasingly independent. While the baby remains in hospital, staff continue to provide consistent monitoring and emotional support. They young person understands the transition plan to a mother and baby unit and the registered manager is working closely with the local authority to reassure and reduce anxieties.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding practices are effective and risks are well assessed. Staff respond effectively to the young person’s emotional distress. Health needs are met, including post-natal care and medication management. The registered manager has good oversight over allegations and incidents.

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Summary of findings

Leadership and management is stable, reflective and child focused. Staff receive regular supervision, specialised training and have confidence in the leadership team.

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Summary of findings

However, staff qualification documents are not consistently available on file which minimises the registered manager’s ability to show staff suitability. Some young people have also felt unheard at time and admissions are not always well planned due to incomplete information which can affect placement stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person has warm, positive, and nurturing relationships with staff. She feels safe and likes living in the home. Staff support her to develop confidence in her ability to care and bond with the baby, and independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

While the baby is still in hospital under observation, staff maintain consistent monitoring of the young person within and outside the home, through regular checks while she rests in her room and remain attentive to her needs. Staff continue to provide ongoing emotional support to the young person until baby is discharged.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the young person to engage in a variety of activities suited to their needs. These are planned in collaboration with the young person to ensure they contribute positively to her wellbeing and experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is helped to have regular contact with her family. Parents can visit the home without any restrictions. Staff work well with professionals to support safe contact which helps the young person keep her identity and family connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person is aware of the transition plan to a mother and baby unit. The registered manage is collaborating with the local authority to finalise care plans for the Inspection report children's home: 2860688 4 young person and the baby. This helps to reduce anxieties and manage expectations for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help the young person to engage in education. Although she is not in mainstream education, staff are committed to ensure that she continues to access learning suitable to her individual needs. However, the registered manager needs to challenge the local authority’s virtual school to ensure that the young person’s has regular personal education plan meetings to check progress and set targets that align with the young person’s academic goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the young person to express their views and has access to advocacy services. However, there has been instances when she felt unheard by staff. Although concerns were addressed, this affected the relationship development between staff, the young people’s overall experience of living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s move into the home are not well planned. The registered manager does not always have access to all the information including impact risk assessment, care planning, and transition plans before accepting responsibility to accommodate young people with complex needs. This limits the home’s ability to prepare for and manage significant risks, which can lead to placement instability, breakdown and negative experience for the young person living in the home.

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

The young person feels safe in the home because staff understand her needs. Risks are assessed well, reviewed and updated to reflect the young person’s current circumstance, with clear safeguarding procedures and management oversight.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the young person’s vulnerabilities and respond appropriately. Care and support plans are tailored to meet the young person’s individual needs.

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

Staff understand the missing from care procedures. Although the young person doesn’t go missing from the home, the missing person’s grab pack is available to support information sharing with other professionals like the police and other emergency services.

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

Staff are trained in trauma informed care and de-escalation practices to support young people when they experience emotional distress. Staff respond calmly, promptly, and consistently and keep young people safe from harm. Regular room checks are completed as part of safeguarding procedures to support the young person’s health and safety.

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

The young person’s health needs are well supported in the home. She has access to specialist medical attention following the birth of her baby. Staff help her to manage and administer medication prescribed by post-natal healthcare professionals. The registered Inspection report children's home: 2860688 5 manager makes sure that staff remain accountable and follow safeguarding practices. This promotes safe and responsible care.

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

The young person has developed good and trusting relationships with key staff. She is settled, calm and engaging well with staff who are helping her to develop a bond with her baby.

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

Allegations, incidents, and complaints are effectively managed. Staff clearly records them. The manager provides reflective supervision and oversight. Where appropriate, referrals are made to LADO for independent guidance and oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are present and available in the home. This provides good and stable leadership. They are child-focused, and reflective about the care and stability of children and young people they accommodate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s leadership is committed to developing existing workforce to support continuity of care for young people in the home. They invest time and helping staff build their skills and confidence, to prepare for leadership roles. This focus on staff development improves quality of care which helps young people have a good experience of living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the young people’s needs. They work together with other professionals to ensure that children’s needs are effectively met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have confidence in the leadership of the home. They receive regular and reflective supervision with clear aims and ongoing support. These discussions help staff to manage their roles effectively and support safe practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is tailored to meet young person’s individual needs including specialist areas such as teenage pregnancy. This helps staff have confidence to provide the right support in the home. This training also ensures that staff understand the young person and respond in a sensitive and informed way. This promotes the young person’s safety and overall wellbeing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers follow safer recruitment practices. Staff are qualified and have the experience and skills needed to work with vulnerable children and young people. However, staff qualification documents are not consistently available on files which limits the registered manager’s ability to show that all staff are suitably trained and qualified to meet the required standards of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers support staff to ensure that they understand safeguarding, whistle blowing and the escalation procedures in place to keep children safe. Inspection report children's home: 2860688 6 Feedback from professionals and families is positive. Where concerns are raised, leaders and managers respond proactively through clear communication and restorative approach . Inspection report children's home: 2860688 7

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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 care planning standard is that children have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child's placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that the child's placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child's relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child's needs.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(e)(i)) 03/08/2026

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Requirement Due date

The requirement is that registered person must ensure that – 03/08/2026 Inspection report children's home: 2860688 8 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of the matters in Schedule 2 (5)

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Requirement Due date

The requirement is that registered person must ensure that –

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of the matters in Schedule 2 (5)

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children have regular personal education plan meetings. This specifically relates to ensuring that staff understand the child's education targets or next steps for learning by seeking expert advice from education experts such as Virtual School Head. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 27, paragraph 5.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have skills and confidence to communicate easily with the children and understand that importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. Staff should understand that they have a responsibility to observe, notice and respond to children who are expressing their views, and should also understand how children might communicate their feelings through behaviour. ('Guide to Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 22, paragraph 4.10)

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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: 2860688 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 33 Roebuck Road, Hainault Business Park, Ilford, RM4 1XU

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Inspector(s)

Stella Namakula, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: 2860688 10 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(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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