Children's Home run by Elite Children's Care Group ltd in Bexley

Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 1 Registered provider: Elite Children's Care Group 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 private home provides care for up to 3 children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home registered with Ofsted on 8 February 2022. The manager registered with Ofsted on 29 April 2026.

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Information about this children's home

One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/05/2025 Full Good 29/04/2024 Full Good 03/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive nurturing, trauma-informed care from staff who build strong, trusting relationships and communicate well with them. Children are supported to make positive progress and are kept safe through detailed risk management and effective multi-agency working. Leaders and staff advocate for children and demonstrate a good understanding of their needs. Further development is needed in relation to the homely environment, children's records and memory work, transition planning for children approaching adulthood and oversight and the completion of actions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's wellbeing, development and relationships are at the heart of the home's ethos. Staff provide consistent, trauma-informed care and invest time in building safe, meaningful and trusting relationships with children. These nurturing relationships help children to feel understood, valued and secure, enabling them to develop trust in their carers, build emotional resilience and make positive progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by kind and caring and staff who demonstrate excellent communication skills. Staff are skilled in listening to children and adapt their communication methods to meet children's preferred styles of communication. Their consistent use of a wide range of communication approaches reflects how deeply they value children's views, ensuring that children feel heard, respected and are actively involved about decisions in their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a warm and welcoming environment. The downstairs communal areas are not currently being used by children and are therefore occupied mainly by staff. This has resulted in a higher number of displayed notices than is typical in a family-style setting. While this is not impacting children at present, the recommendation from the previous inspection remains unmet. Children's bedrooms are well presented and appropriately personalised, reflecting their individual interests and identities. Children are supported and encouraged to take ownership of their rooms, promoting comfort and a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from regular key-work sessions, which are carefully planned and, where appropriate, developed in collaboration with the in-house clinical psychologist. These sessions are closely aligned to children's care plans and are tailored creatively to meet their individual needs and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in education. When children cannot attend school, staff encourage them to access online tutoring and complete schoolwork. For one child, leaders could have been more proactive in addressing the implications for the child caused by a change of tutor. Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 4 Staff use their trusted relationships and knowledge of children's communication style to support engagement with health professionals. However, for one child, despite a range of interventions, there remain ongoing unmet health and hygiene needs that have not yet been resolved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff work effectively with professionals and advocate for children when they identify that that services are not fully meeting a child's needs. However, for one child who is closely approaching adulthood, there is still no clear transition plan into adult services. Although discussions have taken place, leaders now need to escalate these matters more robustly to ensure timely and effective planning for the child's future care and support.

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

The registered manager and staff effectively identify, understand and manage risks for children. They demonstrate a strong understanding of children's vulnerabilities and the impact that trauma and adverse childhood experiences can have on increasing risks.

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

Children's risk assessments and safety plans are developed alongside children and relevant professionals. These plans are further strengthened through monthly team meetings, group supervision facilitated by a clinical psychologist and regular multi- agency meetings.

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

For one child who may struggle to leave their bedroom in the event of a fire, staff have developed a comprehensive and individualised fire-safety plan. This includes an animated video to help the child understand what actions to take in the event of a fire. Staff have also informed the fire service of the child's needs and provided them with a floor plan of the home to support an effective emergency response.

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

All staff are trained in de-escalation techniques and use these effectively to minimise the need for physical intervention. Staff also use mindfulness and grounding strategies to support children's emotional wellbeing and reduce the likelihood of crisis behaviours. As a result, there have been no incidents requiring physical intervention in the last year.

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

Staff receive regular training on responding to children who go missing from care and those at risk of exploitation. However, leaders recognise that staff have not supported a child with these specific needs for some time. To ensure readiness, situational training has been scheduled for all staff prior to any new admission.

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

Safer recruitment practices for staff are thorough, ensuring that only suitable people are employed to work with children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager took up her post in May 2025 and was registered with Ofsted in April 2026. Throughout her first year, she has benefited from consistent support from both the director and the responsible individual, which has helped her continue to build Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 5 confidence and competence in the role. She demonstrates clear ambition for the children and is committed to ensuring that they receive effective support to address, and recover from, trauma.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has an appropriate understanding of the service. Although she is still developing confidence in independently identifying areas of weakness, she responds promptly and constructively when shortfalls are highlighted. She demonstrates a clear grasp of the home's strengths and shows commitment to improving practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff respect and value the registered manager. Records of individual and group supervision, as well as team meetings, show reflective discussions about children's needs and provide staff with clear guidance. However, actions arising from these forums are not consistently specific or timebound, creating a risk that they are not progressed, reviewed, or formally completed within appropriate timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children's records are generally written about children, rather than for them, and do not fully reflect the warm, trusting relationships that they have with staff. In addition, children do not currently have a memory book or personalised record for their time living at the home that captures their experiences, achievements and important memories for them to keep when they leave. Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should work collaboratively with the placing authority to ensure children's smooth and effective transition into adult care. This includes escalating concerns where appropriate provision has not been identified, within the required timescales, in order to support effective planning and enable the child to prepare appropriately for leaving the home. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 17, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2657553 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Elite Children's Care Group ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Office 7775, 321-323 High Road, Romford RM6 6AX

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Inspector

Jenny-Ellen Scotland, His Majesty's Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2657553 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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