Children's Home run by Woodford Children's Services Ltd in Redbridge

Inspection report for children's home: 2559019 1 Registered provider: Woodford children's services Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

The home was registered with Ofsted in November 2019 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to 5 children with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with one child during the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children's home

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

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2559019 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2025 Full Good 13/11/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/02/2024 Full Good 21/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2559019 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children receive warm, nurturing care from staff who know them well and support their individual needs. Children benefit from positive relationships, support with their health, emotional wellbeing and independence, and carefully planned moves into the home. Staff promote children's safety through effective risk management, safeguarding practice and responsive support. Children are encouraged to develop confidence, life skills and a better understanding of their emotions.

p.3

Summary of findings

A new manager and responsible individual are providing positive leadership and have clear plans for the home's development. However, children who are not attending full- time education are not always consistently supported to engage in meaningful routines and opportunities for informal learning that promote their development, interests and individual educational goals. In addition, improvements are needed to the home environment and oversight of staff training records.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work alongside other professionals to ensure that children's moves into the home are carefully considered and planned. As a result, children feel welcomed and have a clear understanding of what to expect from the outset.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a welcoming, friendly and warm home for children. Children's bedrooms are personalised to reflect their individual interests and preferences. Children display photographs of people who are important to them and artwork they have created, helping them to feel a sense of belonging and ownership. However, some areas for the home require repair and redecoration. For example, there is a broken washing machine panel and water staining on a bathroom ceiling. These shortfalls detract from the cleanliness and presentation of the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children's health needs well. Children attend routine health appointments, and staff work alongside health professionals and advocate on behalf of children to promote positive outcomes.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive regular one-to-one sessions that support their emotional wellbeing. Staff remain attentive to children's needs and provide regular wellbeing checks to ensure that children feel listened to. Through videos, community-based activities, cooking and baking, staff build trusting relationships with children and help them to understand and express their feelings.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their independence skills through budgeting, cooking, cleaning, saving and money management. As a result, children develop important life skills that help to prepare them for adulthood. Inspection report for children's home: 2559019 4 Staff work with children's education providers, including schools, colleges and alternative education providers. Staff attend education meetings and advocate for children's educational needs. However, when children are not accessing full-time education, staff do not consistently support children to engage in meaningful and structured daytime activities. This means that opportunities for children to develop skills, pursue interests and maintain routines outside formal education are not always maximised.

p.3

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

Staff have a good understanding of children's vulnerabilities. Care plans and risk assessments are regularly reviewed and provide staff with clear guidance on how to support children safely and meet their individual needs. These records are tailored to each child and identify strategies that help staff to provide consistent care. As a result, children's safety and wellbeing are prioritised.

p.4

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

Staff support children well when they are feeling upset or overwhelmed. Children are given opportunities to talk through their experiences and feelings with staff. Staff use a range of approaches, including videos and other resources, to help children understand risks and develop coping strategies to help keep themselves safe. This helps children to build confidence, better understand their emotions and make safer choices.

p.4

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

Staff are familiar with the organisation's missing-from-care and safeguarding procedures. Missing-from-care incidents are managed well. Staff maintain regular contact with children and take appropriate steps to promote their safety until they return home. Parents and relevant professionals are kept informed throughout. On their return, children receive emotional support and opportunities to talk about their experiences, helping them to settle back into the home.

p.4

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

Complaints made by children and other stakeholders are managed appropriately. Leaders respond promptly to concerns and ensure that children receive feedback about the outcome of their complaint. Learning from complaints is shared with staff, helping to inform practice and improve the quality of support provided to children.

p.4

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

The home follows safer recruitment practices. Relevant pre-employment checks are completed before staff begin working with children, and any gaps in employment histories are appropriately explored. New staff complete mandatory training and receive an induction that helps them to understand their roles and responsibilities.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new manager is leading the home and has submitted an application to register. In addition, leaders have appointed a new responsible individual and notified the regulator of these changes. Ofsted is currently considering both applications.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager and responsible individual are ambitious for the home and have quickly identified its strengths and areas for development. Staff speak positively about Inspection report for children's home: 2559019 5 the support they receive and report that they feel listened to and valued. This contributes to a positive and supportive culture in the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular training to develop their knowledge and skills in supporting children. Training is delivered through a combination of online and face-to-face learning. However, records of completed training are not always clear or up to date. This reduces leaders' ability to maintain effective oversight of staff training and development. Inspection report for children's home: 2559019 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child's education and training targets, as recorded in the child's relevant plans;

p.6

Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when children are not attending school or other formal education arrangements, they are consistently supported to engage in meaningful routines and opportunities for informal learning that promote their development, interests and individual educational goals. 2 September 2026

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, the registered person should keep a clear record of all training completed by staff. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.11)

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that children are provided with a welcoming, homely and domestic environment. The broken washing machine panel need to be replaced and the water stains removed. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children's home: 2559019 7

p.6

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: 2559019 8

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider: Woodford childrens services Ltd

p.8

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 37B Chipstead Valley Rd, Coulsdon, Croydon CR5 2RB

p.8

Inspector

Nirmal Gracian, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2559019 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9