Children's Home run by Solicitude Homes Limited in Hillingdon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2827749 1 Registered provider: Solicitude 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 privately owned and provides care and accommodation for up to 2 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in July 2025. The registered manager’s post has been vacant since October 2025. The current manager has submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2827749 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/01/2026 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2827749 3

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Summary of findings

The admissions process for new children moving into the home is not sufficiently robust.

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Summary of findings

The home has been unsettled recently, and one child has had to leave due to staff not being able to meet their needs.

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Summary of findings

Staff’s responses to managing risk are varied, and there has been a high level of incidents requiring police intervention to manage children’s behaviour.

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Summary of findings

Managers do not routinely review and evaluate significant incidents and concerns to ensure that children are receiving good care.

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Summary of findings

The child currently living in the home is settled and is developing good relationships with staff.

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Summary of findings

Placing authorities, schools and one parent gave positive feedback about the home and the communication from staff.

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improvement to be good

Two children have lived at the home since it opened. The admissions process for new children moving into the home is not sufficiently robust. Leaders and managers do not fully assess the needs of the children and how they may impact on each other. As a result, the home has recently been unsettled with a high number of incidents, some involving both children. This has resulted in one child being given notice to leave the home because the staff cannot meet their needs. This does not provide stability for the children.

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improvement to be good

The home environment requires improvement. Repairs and renovations are currently being undertaken as there has been significant property damage. There has been some redecoration to parts of the home, and there is a plan to complete the outstanding work to ensure that children live in a warm and homely environment. Some parts of the home, including the garden, have broken items, such as a trampoline, that need to be removed.

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improvement to be good

Children are rewarded for positive behaviour. Each child has a reward chart and their achievements are celebrated. Staff use a restorative approach to care and show an understanding of children’s trauma and experiences. However, managers do not regularly review consequences to ensure that they are appropriate and child focused. Furthermore, some of the language used in the records of consequences is not child friendly. For example, on one occasion, notice to end the child’s placement in the home was described as a ‘sanction.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2827749 4 Children’s health needs are met well. Children attend all their routine health appointments. Help and support from specialists are sought when necessary. Staff work closely with health professionals to ensure that children receive the appropriate support and are offered a range of activities to lead a healthy lifestyle.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise the value of children maintaining family relationships. Children are sensitively supported to spend time with their family and other people who are important to them. The manager and staff support children and families to overcome any difficulties in their relationships. Feedback from parents is very positive.

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improvement to be good

Staff work well with placing authorities when children are not accessing education. They talk to children about their interests and provide educational activities in the home to promote their development and progress and support children’s return to education. Feedback from school is very positive about staff communication and support provided to children.

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improvement to be good

Although the child currently living at the home is adequately safeguarded, how staff help and protect children needs to improve.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s responses to managing risk are varied. Although risks are understood and risk assessments are updated to include clear safety plans, there have been a number of recent significant incidents that staff have been unable to manage. This has resulted in staff regularly relying on the police to assist them in managing children’s behaviour. In addition, one child had an unplanned ending because staff could not meet their needs.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have appropriately reported allegations once they have become aware of them. However, internal investigations are not robust, and not all staff involved are spoken to. In addition, oversight of safeguarding practice and incidents is weak. Leaders and managers do not routinely review and evaluate significant incidents and concerns. Some incidents have been reviewed by the manager, who was involved in the same incident. As a result, opportunities to learn and improve staff practice are missed.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, staff do their best to maintain contact with them and encourage them to return. Staff follow children in the community when they attempt to run away, and they work with other professionals. Staff talk to children about the dangers relating to going missing from the home and try to understand the contributing factors to children going missing. One child talked about the conversations they have had with staff and said that they do not go missing as often now as a result. However, feedback from the police is varied about communication with staff, language used about children, and their understanding of the thresholds between unauthorised absence and missing from home. As a result, there have been some incidents when children have been reported as missing before their curfew times. Inspection report for children’s home: 2827749 5 The recruitment of staff is not robust. Leaders and managers do not consistently explore

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improvement to be good

gaps in employment histories or the reasons why a person left their previous employment when they worked with children or vulnerable adults.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to understand risks through regular individual sessions with staff. Children engage well and talk about what is happening in their lives. Individual sessions are regular; they focus on children’s needs and are in line with their care plans. However, there is no evidence to demonstrate that regular individual debriefs take place for children following incidents, and managers do not review restraint incidents to ensure that they have been used appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to complain in this home. One complaint from a child has been managed well, and staff ensured that their views were heard and their concerns addressed. The child said that they feel safe in the home and can talk to staff if they have any concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not have effective monitoring systems in place to review the quality of care provided to children. This is partly due to the inconsistency and quality of children’s records. Poor-quality records compromise management oversight and the development of the service. Leaders and managers recognise this as an area for development and had completed an action plan before this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staffing levels are appropriate. A new deputy manager and a team leader have been appointed to strengthen the management team. Leaders and managers understand that there is a need to create and develop a stable and skilled staff team and are reviewing the workforce development plan. Feedback from placing authorities and one parent is positive about the care provided and communication from staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff report that they feel well supported by leaders and managers. Managers and staff receive regular supervision and attend team meetings. Staff report that supervision sessions help them to understand their role and consider their personal wellbeing. Staff can reflect on the practice in the home and share any concerns they have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff team is stable, committed and highly resilient. Staff undertake a range of online and face-to-face training. They undertake more targeted training to meet the children’s needs, including understanding trauma and its impact on children’s progress. Staff say that they find training beneficial and it helps to develop their practice. However, not all staff, including the manager, have completed all of the training offered. In addition, leaders and managers have not provided some training to help staff understand their roles, such as responding to children going missing from home. This has had a direct impact on children, as staff have not responded appropriately when children have been missing from the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2827749 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 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff are able to meet children’s needs and manage risks and significant incidents in the home. Leaders and managers must ensure that 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2827749 7 internal investigations are thorough, and all relevant people are spoken to as part of the investigation where appropriate.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that all known and potential risks to children are thoroughly considered and assessed at the point of referral. Leaders and managers must ensure that their assessment of children’s needs at the point of referral also considers the needs and risks of other children living in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they understand, monitor and review the quality of care provided for children and take effective action to address shortfalls in staff practice. Leaders and managers must ensure that all staff are offered and complete relevant training to help them meet children’s needs. 14 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s homes overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children. 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2827749 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the home is safe, homely and suitable for children. Leaders and managers must ensure that the garden is also maintained and safe for children.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that full recruitment procedures are undertaken. This includes reviewing all gaps in staff employment histories and the reasons for staff leaving previous care roles when they have worked with children or vulnerable adults. 14 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 14 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2827749 9 that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that a thorough assessment is completed of new children moving into the home to determine if the staff can meet the child’s needs and keep them safe.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that physical restraint is used appropriately and reviewed and that debriefs consistently happen following incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.57)  The registered person should ensure that children’s records are detailed and kept up to date with appropriate management oversight in place. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)  The registered person should ensure that the use and recording of consequences to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature and help children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and other children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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: 2827749 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Solicitude Homes Limited

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Inspectors

Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Rubina Gani, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2827749 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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