Children's Home run by Harmony Residential Homes Limited in Essex

Inspection report for children's home: 2617499 1 Registered provider: Harmony Residential Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 5 children who experience social and emotional difficulties and children who have experienced trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since April 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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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2617499 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/08/2025 Full Good 19/06/2024 Full Good 04/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2617499 3

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from positive, trusting relationships with staff who know the children well. Children enjoy a wide range of activities inside and outside the home. Staff encourage structure and daily routines. Most children have been well supported to meet milestones in their education, health and personal development. Leaders and managers understand and know the children well and are strong advocates for them. Children experience warm care and live in a friendly, supportive home, which helps them feel safe and supports them in building resilience. This has resulted in an overall judgement of good.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved in, and 3 children have moved out of the home. One child’s move happened suddenly because the home could no longer keep the child safe. At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living at the home, and 2 children took part in the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a warm, welcoming environment. Children’s bedrooms are personalised. There is a large garden with outdoor play apparatus, which offers space for physical activity and supports children’s wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and their interactions are warm, playful and respectful. Children’s views are actively sought and acted on. Children generally participate in the house meetings, which include a response from the staff to children’s ideas, wishes and ‘grumbles’, with clear reasons as to why things may not be implemented.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff give lots of thought to creating opportunities for children based on their hobbies and interests. Children enjoy a wide range of activities, including a trip to London to be part of Soccer Aid, horse riding and community activities like litter picking. Their achievements are recognised and celebrated. Initiatives like ‘well done’ cards and positive journals capture positive moments in a child-friendly way. Staff build important connections with children through enjoying common interests together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders, managers and staff work proactively with the virtual school and education providers to secure the most appropriate provision for every child. The manager offers effective advocacy, ensuring that children’s educational needs are prioritised and met. Communication with school and college staff is consistent, purposeful and responsive, enabling the team to monitor progress closely and address any concerns. Inspection report for children's home: 2617499 4

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

Staff know the children well and understand their individual vulnerabilities. Staff demonstrate a good awareness of each child’s needs and implement agreed strategies to keep them safe.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff follow the missing-from-care protocols effectively. Records show that staff act promptly, communicate with relevant agencies and take appropriate steps to reduce any risks to the child.

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

When children struggle with their emotional wellbeing, staff take effective action to keep them safe. This sometimes includes physical intervention with children. Physical intervention is only used when staff have exhausted all other options to help children manage their safety. Incidents are reviewed and staff and children have conversations afterwards that support reflection and learning. This helps children to feel heard and reassured and strengthens staff confidence.

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

Leaders and managers respond swiftly to concerns about staff practice. Immediate safeguarding actions are taken where necessary, and leaders ensure that children’s safety remains the priority throughout any investigation. Learning from incidents has been used effectively to strengthen practice.

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

Care plans and risk assessments are of good quality. They are child focused, regularly reviewed and provide clear guidance to staff. Daily records and records of key-work sessions show a thoughtful and consistent use of the therapeutic model used by the staff. These support the children in feeling understood and building trusting relationships.

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

Recording and management of incidents are generally good. However, on two occasions, staff failed to be vigilant during incidents that took place at nighttime. Managers responded promptly, strengthening staff practice and increasing the alarm’s volume.

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

Regular fire drills are held, but children do not always participate. This limits their opportunities to practise a safe evacuation routine and feel confident in the event of a fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the time of the inspection, the registered manager post was vacant. The acting manager holds relevant qualifications and is an experienced manager. He is planning to submit his application to register with Ofsted. The inspection was led by the acting manager supported by the responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager is ambitious and has clear plans for the development of the home. He understands the strengths and weaknesses of the home and is starting to establish Inspection report for children's home: 2617499 5 effective change. Staff say the acting manager is supportive and approachable, and they appreciate and welcome his style of management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide reflective and thoughtful oversight. Clear management decisions guide and support consistent practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers demonstrate a strong understanding of the children’s individual needs and consistently implement child-focused practice. They advocate effectively for the children and ensure their voices and best interests are central to all decision-making. This developmental approach is starting to strengthen the quality and stability of children’s daily experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular and supportive supervision. Managers provide staff with regular team meetings that offer a range of learning and development opportunities. A clinical psychologist brings further expertise to these meetings and provides additional support. As a result, therapeutic practice is becoming embedded, understood and delivered by staff. Inspection report for children's home: 2617499 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, 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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure children participate in regular fire drills and have an understanding of the importance of why they need to be aware of the procedure to follow in case of a fire. 28 August 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. Staff should understand that children should not be left unsupervised at night, and systems should be in place for staff to be alerted when a child leaves the property. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 43, paragraph 9.12)

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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: 2617499 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Harmony Residential Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 33a Portsmouth Road, Southampton SO19 9BA

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Inspector

Sallie Bloomfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2617499 8 and inspects to 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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