Children's Home run by Brighter Horizon Homes Ltd in Croydon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2739386 1 Registered provider: Brighter Horizon Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to care for up to 3 children with learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in September 2023. The manager registered in April 2026.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 2 children 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2739386 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/12/2024 Full Good 19/03/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2739386 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making good progress and are cared for by a committed and nurturing management and staff team. Relationships are a particular strength of the home, and children appear happy, safe and settled. Children enjoy a wide range of opportunities, and their individual needs are well understood by staff.

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Summary of findings

Parents and professionals are positive about the care provided. One parent reported seeing significant positive changes since their child has been living in the home.

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Summary of findings

Since the previous inspection, leaders and managers have strengthened staff development, training and overall practice, resulting in a stable and confident staff team. The management team has maintained good oversight and has developed more of a reflective and enquiring team culture which is focused on continued support and safeguarding of the children.

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Summary of findings

Minor shortfalls relating to recording and the updating of missing-from-care profiles have been identified. These do not detract from the positive experiences and progress children are making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress and are settled in the home. The home has a family- friendly atmosphere where the children’s individual needs, personalities and preferences are the primary focus. The home is warm and welcoming. The affection and care observed in staff interactions result in children being happy, relaxed and comfortable in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and understand what is important to them. Children are encouraged to share their views and are involved in decisions about their daily lives. Staff are attuned to and respond sensitively to children’s needs, demonstrating a good understanding of their behaviours and vulnerabilities. Children’s views are listened to. For example, the trampoline was removed from the garden and replaced with a swing set at the children’s suggestion.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions are purposeful and tailored to each child. Sessions also take into consideration children’s preferred communication styles and level of understanding. They help children explore issues that are important to them and support their emotional development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities that reflect their interests. These include drama clubs, museum visits, theatre trips, karaoke, arts and crafts, cooking and baking. These build children’s confidence, develop skills and create positive experiences. Children’s Inspection report for children’s home: 2739386 4 cultural needs and religious beliefs are well supported, helping them develop a positive sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are attending full-time education. School staff spoke positively about the home and highlighted the strong communication from staff and managers. This joined- up approach has helped the children to make good progress in their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care and behaviour management plans are individual to them and clearly reflect their needs, strengths and aspirations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One parent described seeing positive changes in their child since moving into the home, stating that they are ‘much calmer’. They added that they feel their child is safe and well cared for; ‘I love the home and love what they do.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is modern, well-decorated and furnished to a good standard, maintaining a homely atmosphere. Children’s bedrooms are clean and tidy and personalised by the children, reflecting their personalities and interests.

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

Staff are alert to changes in children’s behaviours; they understand safeguarding procedures and know what action to take if concerns arise.

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

Leaders respond positively to learning opportunities. Following a safeguarding concern, managers responded promptly and followed appropriate safeguarding procedures. The management team and staff worked effectively and transparently with external agencies and parents in the best interest of the child. Staff completed additional face-to-face safeguarding and de-escalation training. This has strengthened staff’s knowledge and confidence when responding to safeguarding incidents.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of procedures for children who go missing from the home. Expectations have been reinforced by leaders, and staff understand their responsibilities if a child were to go missing from the home. However, children’s missing- from-care profiles require updating to ensure that information remains current and readily available.

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

Staff have a clear focus on understanding the reasons behind children’s behaviour and use de-escalation effectively. Physical intervention is rarely used and only when necessary to keep children or others safe. Records of physical intervention are detailed and clearly record the duration, reason and type of hold used. Children are supported to add their views and comments to the record following an incident of physical intervention.

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

Incident recording is generally good. Records show that appropriate action is taken following incidents and that managers provide consistent oversight and analysis. There are some minor inconsistencies in some records. For example, while children’s individual Inspection report for children’s home: 2739386 5 risk assessments may have been updated, some information has not been transferred onto the child’s overall plan. There is also some variation in some records seen, such as in daily logs. Leaders and managers recognise these shortfalls and work to address them is underway. While these do not affect children’s day-to-day safety, greater attention to detail would further strengthen practice.

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

Safer recruitment practices are in place to help ensure that children are cared for by suitable adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team have worked hard to implement positive change in the home since the previous inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and the home’s manager have worked effectively together to drive improvements and maintain stability for the children and staff. There is a strong safeguarding culture at the home. Leaders have prioritised workforce development, and staff have made substantial progress in completing mandatory and specialist training since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows the children well and has a clear understanding of their progress and experiences. She is reflective and analytical in her approach and has high aspirations for the children. Alongside the home’s manager, she has developed strong and consistent management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager effectively assesses the quality of care provided to children. Monitoring systems, including management audits, are in place to support oversight of the home’s practice and identify areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Records are reviewed regularly, and leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths of the home and the areas that require further development. This helps ensure that any shortfalls are identified and addressed quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual is experienced and provides effective support and oversight to the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision and team meetings take place regularly and are child focused, reflective and well recorded. Staff are encouraged to contribute and share their ideas. This helps to promote consistency and ensures that children receive well-planned care that reflects their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The introduction of clinical psychotherapy support has been a positive development. Staff are receiving additional support and further learning around neurodiversity, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, helping staff to develop a deeper understanding of the children’s needs and behaviours. This also provides staff with an Inspection report for children’s home: 2739386 6 additional space to reflect on their work, supporting staff resilience, and it may contribute positively to staff retention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by managers and are committed to providing the children with good-quality care. Staff describe feeling ‘proud’ of their work. One staff member said, ‘It is rewarding to see the progress the children make, no matter how small, and to know that we are helping them build confidence, resilience and independence for the future.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2739386 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date and that the home’s policies on record-keeping are clear and understood by staff. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that missing-from-home procedures align with the local police protocols to ensure that children’s missing-from-care profiles are regularly reviewed and updated. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.29)

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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: 2739386 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brighter Horizon Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: International House, 109-111 Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8JA

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Inspector

Amanda Burrows, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2739386 9 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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