Children's Home run by Nurture Bridge Limited in Buckinghamshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2867878 1 Registered provider: Nurture Bridge Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in February 2026.

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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 whether 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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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: 2867878 2

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Summary of findings

The child is making good progress from their starting point. They benefit from nurturing relationships with staff who understand their needs well. Leaders and managers demonstrate a strong commitment to improving outcomes for the child.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding practice is effective. There have been 2 occasions when staff have not followed the child’s care plan because the required staffing ratios have not consistently been maintained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s move into the home was carefully planned, which helped them to settle in quickly. Staff have built trusting relationships with the child by providing nurturing care and consistent boundaries from the outset. Before the child moved in, staff introduced them to local sports coaches so they could find local sporting opportunities and build connections in the local area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work alongside professionals to ensure that the child receives an education. Despite the best efforts of leaders, the child is not yet enrolled in the right educational provision. Staff ensure that the child takes part in daily education at the local library, which means that they can learn and make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to participate in activities that help develop their confidence and sense of belonging in the local community. For example, staff support the child to take part in weekly cricket games with a local team. Staff also help the child to develop new life skills. They use praise and rewards to motivate the child to learn and take greater ownership of tasks, such as cooking and tidying their bedroom, enabling them to become increasingly independent.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As a result of the care provided by staff, the child is also making progress in managing their emotions and expressing their feelings. The child’s views are sought by staff at every opportunity. The child says that staff and leaders listen to them, and responses are timely. Staff ensure that the child is kept up to date with changes that affect them, and information is provided to the child in a sensitive manner. This approach helps the child to feel respected and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend high-quality time with people who are important to them. The input from staff has enabled the child to repair some relationships and improve their feelings of social connection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2867878 3

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

Leaders show a high level of curiosity about how the child is feeling. They are thorough in trying to understand any changes in the child’s behaviour. On one occasion, after a child’s presentation changed, leaders carried out a thorough room search. This helped to inform the care plan going forward. After an incident, staff advocated for the child to be supported by intensive mental health services. As a result, the child now receives the right support for their mental health.

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

Staff receive appropriate training and have the skills to respond effectively to children when they are distressed or feeling vulnerable. This helps to ensure that staff can provide supportive responses to children when they might be at risk of harm or struggling with their emotions. However, on one occasion, staff did not respond to a child in a supportive way, which led to an escalation and the child independently seeking external support. Leaders provided guidance to staff to ensure that their responses to the child improved in future.

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

Allegations are thoroughly investigated, and managers take effective action to ensure that children are safeguarded. The child’s voice is clearly represented throughout the process, and they are kept up to date with any outcomes. Staff work with all relevant professionals, and referrals are made to the local authority designated officer (LADO) appropriately. On one occasion, the provider did not notify the LADO in a timely way. While this did not prevent the provider from taking immediate action in response to the concerns, it limited the external oversight of staff practice concerns in the early stages of investigation.

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

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to keeping the child safe. However, on 2 occasions, staff did not supervise the child in line with their care plan. On one occasion, this resulted in the child injuring themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is supported by an experienced deputy manager. Together, they have high standards and expectations of the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers make effective decisions and are responsive to learning from incidents. They have good oversight of the home and maintain positive relationships with professionals, which aids communication and multi-agency decision-making. One professional said that the child has settled quickly into the home because of the care they are receiving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership team is experienced, child focused and understands the child’s needs, strengths and vulnerabilities. Staff are confident in the manager and leadership team, describing them as ‘supportive’ and ‘available for advice when needed’. The child described the leadership team as ‘extremely efficient’, citing the timely purchase of a trampoline, at the child’s request, as an example. Inspection report for children’s home: 2867878 4 The manager ensures that staff have the right skills and training to care effectively for the child. Staff receive good-quality supervision, which focuses on their practice, safeguarding and professional development. This helps to ensure that staff feel well supported and are equipped to respond knowledgeably and consistently to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2867878 5

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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 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—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure the correct staffing ratios are adhered to, as per the child’s safety plan. 1 September 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the skills and confidence to communicate easily and understand the importance of listening to, involving and responding to the children they care for. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 4.10)  The registered person should ensure that the relevant officer or teams in the local authority are informed promptly of all allegations. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.8)

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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: 2867878 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Nurture Bridge Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 20 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU

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Inspector

Stephanie McDonald, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2867878 7 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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