Children's Home run by Deborah Pacquette in Waltham Forest

Inspection report for children's home: SC007290 1 SC007290

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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 home is owned and managed by a private provider to care for up to 4 children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home was registered with Ofsted in October 1998. The manager registered in 2007.

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Information about this children's home

The provider has nominated a new responsible individual who is yet to have their suitability assessed.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 10 February 2026

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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: SC007290 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/02/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/03/2024 Full Good 27/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC007290 3

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Summary of findings

Children are settled and well supported at this home. They benefit from strong multi- agency work, planned transitions and support to access education. They develop independent living skills and live in a well-maintained home environment that promotes their progress and wellbeing. Staff understand risk. They work well with external agencies and respond appropriately when children go missing. They ensure that children have access to healthcare services and they use positive behaviour strategies. They support family contact. Managers ensure safer recruitment. Staff are well supported, morale is good and training is aligned to children's needs. Leaders are reflective and chid focused. There are some shortfalls regarding oversight and return home interviews.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with the staff at the home. These bonds have led to a settled and secure atmosphere in the home, where the children say that they feel safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is consistently positive multi-agency work, helping to improve children's overall experiences of living in the home. Staff work collaboratively and proactively with the local authorities to ensure that children maintain active engagement in education through private tutors and liaison with local schools. Leaders and managers rely on external expertise such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and local networks to provide additional support to meet the children's learning and developmental needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff maintain a clear record of children's daily activities. This helps them to capture important and positive engagements as well as noting their achievements and experiences. The records enable managers to keep track of children's progress and to identify any emerging issues, ensuring that the care provision remains relevant and is adapted in accordance with children's needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Admissions and transitions from the home have improved. Careful planning and support ensure that children experience positive moves into and out of the home. Staff are proactive in ensuring that risk assessments and care plans are in place to help keep children safe in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well to develop independent living skills such as budgeting, self- care, positive relationships, and risk awareness in the community. This promotes their independence and resilience for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home's environment has also improved. The home is well organised and children benefit from a noticeably spacious and comfortable home. They take pride in their bedrooms, which have been personalised to reflect their tastes and preferences. Inspection report for children's home: SC007290 4

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

Staff work effectively with external professionals to keep the children safe. They collaborate consistently with the police, schools, local authorities and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to provide a secure and protective environment for the children. These relationships have helped to strengthen safeguarding practices in the home.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the children's vulnerabilities and needs. Risk assessments are updated regularly to reflect any changes in children's behaviours and emerging needs. This means that staff are well equipped to support them with strategies to minimise harm. However, management oversight of these assessments is inconsistent, meaning that themes and learning may not be fully recognised.

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

When unauthorised absences and missing episodes occur, they are reported and managed well in a calm and safe way. Staff act swiftly and respond proactively by following protocols and informing relevant professionals to ensure that there is a coordinated response to keep children safe. However, children are not consistently offered return home interviews by their placing authorities. This limits the ability of staff and other agencies to gather important information, such as 'push and pull' factors, and to collate the information to identify any patterns or themes.

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

Children have access to health professionals, such as dentists, doctors, opticians and CAMHS. This ensures that their physical and emotional health needs are met through routine and specialised assessments.

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

Staff use targeted key-work sessions to provide children with individualised support. These sessions help children to discuss their feelings and develop an understanding of how to keep themselves safe in the community.

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

Staff take a positive approach to managing behaviour. Children are praised and rewarded when they complete set targets or achieve their goals. This increases their self-esteem and promotes individual accountability. However, rewards are not recorded by staff, meaning that the full extent of the child's progress may not be captured in their records.

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

Children are enabled to have regular contact with their families, helping them to maintain their individual identities and backgrounds. These essential relationships are nurtured in a collaborative manner with the local authorities to ensure that contact remains safe and supportive.

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

Leaders and managers apply safer recruitment practices, ensuring that all the necessary vetting checks are completed thoroughly before new staff commence employment in the home. This helps to ensure that only suitable and skilled individuals are recruited to care for the children. Inspection report for children's home: SC007290 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, which helps them to reflect on their practice, identify areas of development and consider how they can support the children. In addition, they receive clinical supervision to help them to understand the emotional impact of their roles and manage challenges. This improves staff confidence and resilience in meeting children's individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that leaders and managers are supportive, which makes them feel valued and listened to. This also helps to improve team morale and minimises staff turnover, ensuring that children receive consistent care from reliable and dedicated adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff continue to receive ongoing training that aligns with children's current and emerging needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a collaborative leadership team, which has set a positive tone for home. The home has appointed a responsible individual who is experienced and has a clear view of what needs to be done to improve the home further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are optimistic and have high aspirations for the children. They value children's views; they listen to what children say and use this feedback to improve the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has strong, long-term working relationships with local authorities. The registered manager actively seeks feedback from other professionals outside the home to help improve outcomes for the children. This approachable attitude means that leaders are learning and are open to implementing new ideas that contribute positively to children's overall experiences. Inspection report for children's home: SC007290 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

The registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that—

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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)(b) (2)(h)) 30 September 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records are kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home (regulation 36 (schedule 3 (14)). This information should be shared with the placing authority and, where appropriate, with the child's parents. Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 46, paragraph 9.31) Inspection report for children's home: SC007290 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: SC007290 8

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Inspector

Stella Namakula, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC007290 9 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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