Children's Home run by Harmony Residential Homes Limited in Waltham Forest

Inspection report for children’s home: 2845898 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

This privately owned children’s home provides care for 3 children with social and/or emotional difficulties. This home registered with Ofsted in October 2025. The manager was registered with Ofsted at the same time.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection since its registration with Ofsted. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home. Both children spoke with the inspector.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2845898 2

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Summary of findings

This home is judged good in all outcome areas. Children enjoy living at the home and have trusted relationships with the staff team. Their health and education are well promoted; children enjoy fun activities and have opportunities to enhance their independence skills.

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Summary of findings

Children are protected from harm, neglect, exploitation and abuse. Safeguarding systems are sound; managers and staff work in close partnership with other safeguarding professionals to promote the safety of children.

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Summary of findings

The leadership and management of the home are effective, and managers have good oversight and governance of the home’s operation and development. Staff receive excellent support and supervision. Staff training opportunities are wide ranging and relevant. Areas identified for improvement include safer recruitment, the recruitment of additional permanent staff, ensuring that all staff have good knowledge of the home’s safeguarding procedures and ensuring that children’s privacy is fully promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children settle quickly on their arrival at the home, and they share trusting relationships with the staff. Children have good opportunities to speak with managers and staff to share their views and experiences. Children have made progress from their starting points. A child said, ‘I like all the staff; they’re really nice. I really like my key worker. They know what they’re talking about and how to support me, especially if I’m having a bad day.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live healthy lifestyles. They attend primary healthcare appointments and specialist services as needed. Staff encourage children to take part in activities that help to promote their physical health. They provide children with support and advice in relation to key healthcare issues, such as healthy eating and improving their personal hygiene.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s learning outcomes are good. For those children who attend school, their attendance is excellent, and school staff comment on the significant improvement in children’s presentation, self-esteem and educational progress since moving to the home. Staff engage well with educational professionals to ensure that children receive appropriate resources to support their learning. For children who do not attend school, staff ensure that they participate in activities that enhance their learning, such as trips to museums. Inspection report for children’s home: 2845898 3 Children benefit from staff’s support in developing independence skills to prepare them for adulthood. For example, children receive support in preparing meals, shopping and managing their money. Staff work with children to help them recognise and develop healthy relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s identity needs are well met. Staff ensure that children have safe and appropriate contact with their family, friends and others who are significant to them. Staff encourage children to practise their chosen faiths in the manner that they wish. For example, children who are Muslim eat Halal meals, and the entire home celebrates key events and festivals such as Eid and Easter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have fun and benefit from taking part in a wide range of social, educational and leisure activities, both at the home and in the community. Children choose activities that they prefer. One child is learning to play the guitar and has developed excellent skills in crocheting. Staff regularly plan movie nights at the home and take children to a popular cat café and places of interest in central London.

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

Children say that they feel safe at the home and are very comfortable with staff. There are clear child protection policies and procedures in place, which staff adhere to. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and complete training in key issues such as child criminal exploitation and missing from care. However, not all staff demonstrate a good understanding of actions to take in the event a child makes an allegation against a senior member of the team.

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

Staff support and supervision of children are effective. Staff are vigilant and ensure that children do not experience harm or abuse. When critical incidents happen, staff take appropriate action to ensure children and others are protected from harm.

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

There have been instances of a child going missing from care for prolonged periods of time. Staff have a very good understanding of the protocols in place to support children’s safe return home. Staff speak regularly with children about keeping themselves safe while out in the community. When children are missing from care, there is effective communication between staff, the police and social workers, which helps to promote the children’s safety while away from the home.

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

Risk management plans help identify risks posed to children and offer staff clear guidance about the action to take. Risk management strategies are detailed, child specific and regularly reviewed by managers to address children’s changing circumstances. Staff have a good understanding of children’s known risks, and they are consistent in the action taken to help reduce them. Key-work sessions and safety plans are focused on things that children can do to help keep themselves safe, for example exploring the risks posed by gaming and internet use. Inspection report for children’s home: 2845898 4 Leaders and managers ensured the one allegation that has occurred was managed sensitively and quickly, ensuring that the child’s welfare remained central to the subsequent investigation. There have been no complaints.

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

Staff promote children’s positive behaviour. Children benefit from the home’s clear structures and consistent boundaries in place to encourage their safety. Staff regularly use praise and incentives to encourage children to safely reflect on their emotions and feelings. One child has a ‘Praise Book’, which contains written reminders of the child’s achievements and words of encouragement and praise to help enhance the child’s self- esteem and confidence.

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

Leaders, managers and staff share very effective working relationships with external professionals. Consultation with children’s professional networks is consistent and frequent. Managers promptly request that strategy meetings and professionals’ meetings are held to explore concerns for children’s progress and safety. A local authority social worker said, ‘[Name of child] is given reflective space and is making good progress. The staff are addressing safeguarding concerns, and I have no issues with staff’s safe protection of her.’

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

The home’s premises are safe and secure, well maintained, well decorated and well equipped. However, both communal lounges have insufficient window coverings, for example, net curtains to prevent people on the outside from looking into the home, to ensure children’s privacy is protected. Children’s rooms are personalised and they enjoy decorating their bedrooms and other areas of the home to their preference.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership of the home is strong. The registered manager is qualified to manage the home, and she is supported by senior leaders who have a strong presence in the home. This has contributed to staff providing children with safe, good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good oversight of the induction, training and general welfare and development of the staff team. Since the home has opened, some staff have left and there has been an increased use of agency staff. Leaders and managers are currently recruiting to permanent key posts to help reduce this trend and promote children’s continuity of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is wide ranging and relevant to the work that staff undertake with children. An effective training programme supports staff’s learning and development in providing children with good advice, care and support. The registered manager facilitates regular reflective team meetings, which staff say are useful in helping them develop relevant knowledge and skills and explore learning from issues that arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive excellent support and supervision, which staff say is meaningful and supports them to develop and enhance good care practices. A member of staff said, ‘I love working here. My delegated tasks allow me to get to know the children. The Inspection report for children’s home: 2845898 5 management and staff are friendly and offer me good support and guidance.’ Staff benefit from regular sessions with the organisation’s psychologist, who supports staff’s understanding of the organisation’s therapeutic model of care. Managers’ safe recruitment of staff is an area identified for improvement, as not all staff files relating to external support staff evidence full information as required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records are of a good standard. There are good systems in place that help to monitor children’s progress or placement issues. Managers monitor staff performance, speak with children, staff and others to obtain their views of the quality of care provided, and senior staff complete case file audits. Managers’ formal review of the home’s quality of care shapes future improvement priorities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff share effective working relationships with parents and other professionals. Communication between staff, parents and external professionals is regular and effective. All parties receive updated information and staff share with professionals weekly summaries that outline children’s progress and any placement difficulties. Inspection report for children’s home: 2845898 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 must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

If an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(d)) 1 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff have a good understanding of the action to take in the event that a child makes an allegation against a senior member of the team. 1 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2845898 7 The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children in appropriately protected. (Regulation 21 (a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the home’s 2 lounges have adequate window coverings to prevent people outside the home from being able to look into these rooms. 1 July 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the use of agency staff is carefully monitored and reviewed to ensure children receive continuity of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16)

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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: 2845898 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Harmony Residential Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2845898 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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