Children's Home run by Independence-Development Ltd in Medway

Inspection report for children's home: 2781121 1 Registered provider: Independence-Development Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to 5 children who experience social and emotional difficulties. There were 2 children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

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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: 2781121 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/06/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2781121 3

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Summary of findings

Children are happy and have developed strong relationships with staff and are making progress from their individual starting points. Staff place children’s wishes and feelings at the centre of their care and support them to achieve positive outcomes, particularly in education and emotional wellbeing, whilst providing a wide range of enriching experiences.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand the children’s individual needs, vulnerabilities and risks. Staff respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns, work effectively with partner agencies and take prompt action to promote children’s safety and wellbeing.

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Summary of findings

The manager provides strong and aspirational leadership and is committed to ensuring that children receive high-quality care. She knows the children well, has developed trusting relationships with them and maintains effective oversight of the home. Staff feel well supported and morale has improved. However, some staff have not enrolled on the relevant residential childcare qualification.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and happy. They describe the home as being like a family and regularly express a strong sense of belonging, to both staff and one another. Children have made good progress from their individual starting points, supported by the nurturing care and consistent support provided by staff. Staff have developed strong, trusting relationships with children, which contribute to their emotional wellbeing and stability. External professionals are very positive about the care children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place a high value on education and are strong advocates for children’s learning. Through staff’s effective support and partnership working, children have improved their engagement with education, attend regularly and are achieving positive academic outcomes. Staff celebrate children’s achievements, helping them to develop confidence, aspirations and pride in their successes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are central to the care they receive. Staff are strong advocates for children and ensure that their voices are heard. For example, when one child was unhappy with decisions being made by professionals involved in their care, staff supported them to access an independent advocate. This enabled the child to express their views effectively and contribute to decision-making processes. As a result, the child developed greater confidence in adults and professionals, knowing that their views are valued, listened to and acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consistently implement clear and appropriate boundaries, providing children with stability and structure. Children understand what is expected of them and respond well to the consistent approach adopted by staff. This has helped children to develop Inspection report for children's home: 2781121 4 routines, which have contributed to improvements in both behaviour and school attendance. Staff recognise and reinforce these improvements through praise and reward systems, helping children to understand the benefits of making positive choices. As a result, children are developing greater self-discipline, confidence and pride in their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of enriching and enjoyable activities that support their personal development and wellbeing. Staff are proactive in identifying opportunities in the local community and make good use of activities provided by the local authority. These include visits to local farms and wildlife parks, first-aid courses and adventurous activities such as canoeing. Staff are committed to broadening children’s experiences and encouraging them to try new activities. For example, children have enjoyed a visit to the circus and are looking forward to a caravan holiday. Staff ensure children have opportunities to have fun, develop new skills and create positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Improvements have been made to the home environment, creating a welcoming and homely atmosphere for children. Areas of the home have been decorated and new appliances have been purchased. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to reflect their individual interests, tastes and preferences, helping them to be comfortable. Children are also actively involved in contributing to the decor throughout the home, promoting a sense of ownership and belonging.

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

Staff have a strong understanding of children’s individual needs, vulnerabilities and risks. Comprehensive care plans provide clear guidance for staff, ensuring that children receive consistent and well-coordinated care. Staff work closely with children to help them achieve their individual targets and aspirations. They provide effective support to help children understand and manage their emotions, developing strategies that promote emotional resilience and self-regulation. As a result, children are better able to manage their feelings, and incidents have reduced in both frequency and intensity.

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

Incidents requiring physical intervention are infrequent. When physical intervention is necessary, it is used proportionately and only as a last resort, following attempts by staff to de-escalate situations through other strategies. The welfare and safety of children remain central to staff practice. Following incidents, children and staff receive appropriate support, and children are helped to understand why the intervention was necessary to keep them and others safe. Recording of incidents has improved significantly and is now clear, detailed and reflective. This enables the manager to maintain effective oversight, evaluate practice and ensure that any learning from incidents is identified and acted on promptly.

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

Children are rarely missing from home. When incidents do occur, staff respond promptly and follow agreed protocols to safeguard children and support their safe return. Staff work effectively with partner agencies, including the police, and take all reasonable steps to promote children’s safety while they are absent from the home. Records of these incidents are clear and demonstrate the actions taken by staff. Following their return, Inspection report for children's home: 2781121 5 children are offered opportunities to speak with staff and independent professionals, enabling them to share their views and experiences. This helps staff and external professionals to better understand children’s needs and supports the ongoing work to keep them safe.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and are confident in recognising and responding to safeguarding concerns. When concerns arise, staff take prompt and appropriate action, always placing children’s welfare at the centre of their decision-making. Children are supported to understand the reasons behind decisions made to keep them safe. Staff work collaboratively with external professionals and agencies to address safeguarding concerns effectively and ensure that children receive the support they need. This coordinated approach helps to promote children’s safety, wellbeing and positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have shown resilience and dedication during a challenging period for the home, including supporting 2 children who moved on in unplanned circumstances. The manager worked closely with the responsible individual and the home’s consultant to minimise the effect on children still living in the home. Staff say they were well supported during this period. The manager and consultant have completed reflective learning reviews to identify learning and strengthen practice. Children who moved on were subsequently able to experience positive endings with staff, allowing important relationships to conclude in a meaningful and supportive way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high aspirations for the children in her care. She has a strong understanding of each child’s strengths, needs and vulnerabilities and is dedicated to ensuring that they receive high-quality, individualised care. The positive effect of her child-centred approach is evident in the relationships she has built with children. For example, one child recently gave the manager a birthday card thanking her for making the right decisions for them, reflecting the trust, confidence and appreciation the child has for her care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has strengthened her oversight of the home through the implementation of a new electronic recording system. This enables her to maintain clear oversight of children’s care and the day-to-day operation of the home, while promoting a culture of continuous improvement. The system supports the manager to identify strengths, track progress and recognise areas requiring further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team morale has improved significantly, supported by a positive culture promoted by the manager. Staff describe the manager and their colleagues as approachable, helpful and supportive. Communication within the team has strengthened through regular weekly team meetings. Staff benefit from regular supervision and annual appraisals, which encourage reflection and professional development. New staff receive a comprehensive induction, helping them to develop the skills and knowledge needed to provide high- quality care to children. Inspection report for children's home: 2781121 6 Staff receive a good range of training that equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to support children and meet their individual needs. However, only a small number of staff have achieved the relevant residential childcare qualification. In addition, some staff who have successfully completed their probation period have not yet enrolled

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

on the qualification. Not all staff fully understand the importance of taking and completing the course within the required timescales. This has the potential to limit their professional development and may impact on their understanding of their role and responsibilities, as well as the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children's home: 2781121 7

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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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a) (6)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff who have passed their probation period and do not have an equivalent qualification are enrolled on the diploma.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must make the appropriate arrangements for part-time staff, including bank staff, to enrol on the diploma. 1 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2781121 8

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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: 2781121 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Independence-Development Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4 Blenheim Avenue, Ilford IG2 6JG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael Olyedemi

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Inspector

Louise Webling, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2781121 10 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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