Children's Home run by Creating Lifestyles Homes Limited in Lewisham

Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 1 Registered provider: Creating Lifestyles Homes Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home registered with Ofsted in December 2023. It provides care for up to 5 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no responsible individual or registered manager in place. There has been no registered manager since February 2026. An interim manager has been managing the home since June 2026 and was due to leave in July 2026. The most recent responsible individual had not had their suitability assessed by Ofsted and resigned on the first day of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, no 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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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2025 Full Good 24/09/2024 Full Good 14/05/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, one child has lived in the home. The child’s placement ended with immediate effect due to significant safeguarding concerns and staff’s inability to keep the child safe.

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Summary of findings

There has been a lack of stable and consistent leadership and management in the home for over 6 months. Leaders and managers have not taken effective action to address shortfalls in procedures and practice that impacted on the safety and wellbeing of the child. This adversely affected the child’s overall experiences and placed them at risk of harm.

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Summary of findings

There are serious shortfalls in safeguarding that have impacted on the child’s safety and overall experiences. Leaders and managers do not always recognise, assess or respond appropriately to children’s known risks and vulnerabilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff turnover is high and there is a high use of agency staff. This reduced the opportunities for the child to develop positive relationships with consistent adults. Agency staff have often worked in the evening and at night when safeguarding incidents have occurred that have not been safely managed. Leaders and managers have not noticed this pattern and so did not adjust staffing to better support the child with consistent adults to care for them. In addition, agency staff did not have the appropriate experience, skills and training to manage the needs of the child. This compounded the difficulties the child experienced in their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff lacked a full understanding of the child’s individual needs. Staff’s ability to meet these needs was limited due to their lack of experience and insufficient training. As a result, the child did not receive the individualised care and support needed to keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to effectively assess children’s needs before they move into the home to determine whether staff have the skills to meet their needs. This has been a contributing factor in children having unsuccessful outcomes and having to leave the home prematurely, causing them disruption and instability. Leaders and managers have not prioritised the needs of children and have failed to acknowledge or accept the impact that their decision-making has had on the children’s overall experiences and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not consider before children move into the home how their educational needs will be met. The child who lived in the home did not attend school. The child’s care plans did not set out how education would be secured, and staff did not provide the child with opportunities for alternative educational experiences in the home Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 4 while they were not in education. As a result, the child did not make any progress in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child’s liberty was restricted while living in the home. The staff locked the lounge door to manage the child’s behaviours. Staff had not completed risk assessments to evidence their decision-making in relation to this practice. In addition, they had not completed direct work with the child to identify other strategies to manage behaviours more appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Complaints and allegations are not managed effectively. The child raised a complaint about inappropriate behaviour of staff which was not addressed or investigated. The child also made a significant verbal complaint which was not investigated, and leaders and managers were unaware of the complaint. This means children do not feel heard and are not reassured their concerns are being addressed. As a result, the child was left feeling confused and upset, which adversely affected their emotional wellbeing and trust in some of the adults responsible for their care and protection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is spacious and some areas of the home are decorated to a high standard. However, staff have removed some furnishings from around the home as a way of managing incidents. This is not an appropriate way to manage behaviour and has left parts of the home feeling cold and bare.

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

Safeguarding practice is inadequate. Staff failed to recognise when the child was at risk of harm. Consequently, appropriate safeguarding action was not always taken. As a result, the child experienced harm while living at the home and was not consistently protected.

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

Leaders and managers have not provided staff with clear guidance on managing and reducing risks to children. Safeguarding procedures are not in place to ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to understand their role in protecting children. Leaders and managers have failed to provide staff with clear guidance and training about reporting, recording and responding to safeguarding concerns. This training is necessary to ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that there is effective oversight of incidents in the home. Incident records are not consistently completed to an acceptable standard and key documentation is not regularly reviewed. Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are not updated promptly following incidents, resulting in staff not having access to accurate and current information about children’s known and emerging risks. This limits staff’s ability to respond safely and consistently and prevents effective measures from being implemented to reduce future incidents. Consequently, opportunities to improve practice are missed, and children remain exposed to avoidable risks, compromising their safety and welfare. Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 5 Staff did not manage the child’s behaviour effectively because rules and consequences were applied inconsistently. As a result, incidents occurred frequently and quickly

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

escalated. The staff’s lack of safe management of the child’s behaviours led to high levels of police intervention.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that physical restraint is used only when necessary, is proportionate and is subject to effective management oversight. In one incident, a child was restrained for approximately 25 minutes. In another, the child was restrained on the floor with a staff member positioned on top of them. Following both incidents, the child did not receive medical assistance to identify any injuries or adverse effects arising from the restraint. This failure increased the risk that potential harm went undetected and demonstrates that the child’s welfare was not prioritised following a significant intervention.

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

Oversight of restrictive practice is ineffective, with leaders failing to recognise the seriousness of these incidents or provide timely training and guidance. Neither incident was followed by an appropriate post-incident debrief with the child or staff. This limited opportunities for the child to share their views, prevented effective reflection on whether the restraint was necessary and proportionate, and reduced learning to improve future practice. Consequently, leaders and managers have not demonstrated effective oversight of restrictive physical interventions or safeguarded the child effectively.

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

Furthermore, untrained staff were involved in physical interventions, placing the child at increased risk of harm. Staff also failed to consistently record all restraint incidents, preventing leaders from identifying patterns, challenging poor practice and implementing improvements. These significant shortfalls compromise safeguarding arrangements, undermine positive behaviour support and place children and staff at unnecessary risk.

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

The recording of serious incidents and restraint is not sufficient or robust. Documentation is completed by leaders and managers rather than the staff who were directly involved, compromising accuracy in the incident reports. Furthermore, leaders and managers quality assure their own records, limiting independent oversight of incidents. This practice compromises the integrity of investigations and weakens safeguarding arrangements for children.

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

Leaders and managers failed to ensure that the environment was safe for the child. They had not adequately assessed the risk of self-harm in the child’s bedroom. For example, the bedroom door can be locked from the inside, preventing staff from gaining immediate access. Furthermore, all fire extinguishers had been removed from their designated, clearly marked locations and stored inside a locked staff office. This presents a significant fire safety risk, as the extinguishers are not readily accessible in the event of a fire. This failure by managers to ensure the safety of the premises placed both the child and staff at unnecessary risk of harm. Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not have effective oversight of staff practice or risk management in the home. There is no stable management team in place. There is no registered manager or responsible individual to offer effective, suitable management or leadership of the home that offers consistency, skills and experience to provide safe care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders do not seek to identify any learning from serious incidents or to apply it to improving practice in the future. Leaders and managers’ oversight is ineffective and does not evaluate how practice can be improved or guide staff on follow-up actions that should be taken to safeguard children. Leaders and managers do not provide staff with support following safeguarding concerns. They do not discuss incidents with the staff who were involved, in supervision, team meetings or reflective practice sessions. Despite the repeated pattern of children’s placements breaking down, there is no learning in relation to the home’s practice or accountability taken by leaders and managers. This lack of reflection and evaluation prevents the development of safe and robust decision- making around children’s admission to the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff supervision and support for staff are poor. Management failures have meant that staff have not had regular opportunities for critical reflection or professional support, or to raise safeguarding concerns. The lack of effective oversight means that staff are not supported to develop their practice or reflect on their work. The failure to address this is a repeated requirement from the previous inspection, which demonstrates a lack of progress and weak leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to take effective action when serious concerns arise. Several safeguarding incidents involving staff have not been reported to the child’s social worker, the local authority designated officer or Ofsted. Not all information relating to allegations or poor practice was available during the inspection. Failure to share information hinders the regulator’s ability to monitor the quality of care being provided and the actions of staff to keep children safe. There is no record of a serious incident when a child was inappropriately restrained in their bedroom, which caused the child significant distress. Furthermore, leaders and managers were unaware of incidents until they were raised at this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Ofsted has not received the independent person’s report since April 2026. Leaders and managers said this was due to financial restrictions. The lack of regular reporting limits the regulator’s oversight of the home and is in breach of regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s statement of purpose misrepresents the type of care that children are given. It states that it is a therapeutic home, but this approach is not role modelled by leaders or embedded in practice. Also, the statement of purpose does not detail the qualifications and experience of any staff and fails to provide the latest management structure. Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 7 Due to the serious and widespread concerns identified at this inspection, a notice suspending accommodation was issued with immediate effect. Ofsted will continue to monitor the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 8

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure restraint is only used as a last resort, is necessary and proportionate, and supported by staff training in de-escalation and approved restraint techniques.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff receive regular training in behaviour management, de-escalation techniques and approved restraint methods so that restrictive interventions are minimised wherever possible. 4 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 9 Leaders and managers must ensure that staff involved must complete accurate restraint records, which managers should review to monitor practice, identify concerns and improve safeguarding.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure children receive appropriate medical attention and a meaningful debrief, and risk assessments are updated when required.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure all incidents are effectively monitored and reviewed to identify patterns, risks and recurring concerns. They must take prompt action by updating risk assessments, reviewing behaviour support plans, implementing appropriate safeguards and ensuring children receive any necessary medical attention and emotional support to promote their safety and wellbeing.

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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 the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that a registered manager and responsible individual are in post to provide consistent leadership and oversight of the home.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that management of the home is effective and there is an understanding of the impact care is having on children. Leaders and managers must ensure that staff have the relevant training to help them to meet children’s needs. 4 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 10 The registered person must ensure that staff have timely supervision and appraisal.

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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.

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a thorough assessment takes place before children move into the home, to consider if their needs can be met and how any known risks will be managed. This should consider the needs of other children already living in the home. 4 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child's privacy or access to any area of the home's premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to staff unnecessarily locking doors to exclude children from communal areas. 4 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 11 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff have adequate qualifications, skills and experience to meet the needs of children in their care. 4 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about past abuse or neglect in relation to a child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the alleged abuse or neglect occurred; provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 34 (2)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that there are records of internal investigations and the actions taken in response to concerns raised. 4 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the matter; 4 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 12 the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter. (Regulation 40 (4)(c) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they inform relevant professionals and Ofsted of allegations and the actions taken in response to the concerns.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI (Regulation 44 (1) (7)(a)) 4 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it;

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Requirement Due date

and ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (3)(a) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose is updated with the qualifications and experience of the leaders, managers and staff working in the home and that the home is providing the type of care set out in the statement of purpose. 4 August 2026

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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: 2723813 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Creating Lifestyles Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 118 Sydenham Road, London SE26 5JX

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Inspector

Sadia Akhtar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2723813 14 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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