Children's Home run by Heartwood RSR Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 1 Registered provider: Heartwood RSR 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 organisation. It provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. The inspector observed and spoke with both children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has not applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: 2711833 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/07/2025 Full Good 24/09/2024 Full Good 23/05/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 3

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Summary of findings

Senior leaders have recognised that safeguarding practice in the home requires improvement and have taken action to strengthen staff responses to safeguarding incidents. Plans have been implemented to address practice concerns, including measures to ensure that staff understand and maintain professional boundaries. These actions are beginning to improve the safeguarding care provided to children. However, further work is needed to fully embed these improvements and ensure that practice is consistently robust. Despite the shortfalls identified, children continue to make progress, including accessing education and health services and developing positive relationships with others.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to develop independence in preparation for adulthood, approaching this work sensitively and recognising that children may feel uncertain about the future. However, there have been occasions where professional boundaries have not been maintained, resulting in children accessing inappropriate information. The responsible individual has recognised this shortfall and implemented actions to address it, although the full impact of these measures is not yet evident.

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improvement to be good

Staff lock some of the fire exits, which means that children are unable to leave the home independently through these exits in the event of a fire. Leaders and managers have not put contingency arrangements in place to address this risk, leaving children potentially unsafe in an emergency.

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improvement to be good

The home has plenty of space, indoors and outdoors, for children to spend time. Staff decorate the home with balloons and banners to mark important celebrations. Staff support children to create a bedroom space that is personal to them and reflects their interests and personalities. Leaders and managers prioritise the upkeep of the home, ensuring that all areas are maintained and in good order. This creates a comfortable living environment for children and supports their sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to maintain good physical and mental health by ensuring that they have access to both universal and specialist services. For example, staff supported one child to access emotional wellbeing services, and, as a result, the child has made significant progress and no longer requires this support.

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improvement to be good

Staff also work collaboratively with children and education providers to promote engagement in education. This has enabled one child to successfully sit their GCSEs, while another has been supported to return to part-time education following a period of non-attendance. Engagement in education has also provided opportunities for children to develop and strengthen friendships. For one child, this has extended beyond the school Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 4 environment, leading to the development of friendships in the local community. These relationships have helped the child build a stronger sense of belonging and connection to the area in which they live.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise the importance of children maintaining relationships with people who matter to them. Family and friends are welcomed into the home where possible. Staff enjoy spending time with children and offering activities; however, children currently prefer spending most of their free time with family and friends. Staff respect this while remaining proactive, as demonstrated by plans for one child to go on holiday with their sibling. Children are aware that staff will support and encourage them to pursue activities or new interests if they choose to do so.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not responded consistently to safeguarding concerns and allegations. When a child made an allegation about another child, safeguarding agencies were not notified promptly; this was only identified by the home’s independent visitor. On 2 occasions, serious concerns were raised with the previous manager, one by a child’s social worker and another by a staff member regarding practice. On both occasions, these concerns were not managed in line with expected safeguarding procedures, leaving potential risks insufficiently addressed.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not responded consistently when children have gone missing from the home. There has been at least one incident where staff responded robustly, working effectively with other professionals and family members to secure the child’s safe return. However, on other occasions, children have left during the night without staff’s knowledge, and staff failed to demonstrate sufficient professional curiosity to identify risks or take timely action. As a result, some incidents were not recognised as children going missing, and children were not offered independent return home interviews. This limits opportunities to understand their experiences and reasons for going missing. There has also been an occasion when staff identified a child’s location while missing but did not notify the police promptly, preventing immediate safeguarding checks.

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improvement to be good

Staff develop and regularly review risk assessments and plans to ensure that they reflect each child’s needs and promote their safety. These plans include sensitive and age- appropriate discussions with children, often supported by resources to aid understanding. This approach helps children develop the knowledge and confidence to keep themselves safe and make positive choices.

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improvement to be good

Staff take a restorative approach to supporting children with their behaviour. Staff rarely need to use physical intervention to help children manage their behaviour safely. However, when this has been necessary, it has been carried out with care using the minimum intervention. Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 5

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

Senior leaders recognised the need to strengthen safeguarding practice and made changes to leadership and management. However, responses remain inconsistent. For example, medical advice was not sought when a child sustained a head injury, and safeguarding agencies were not informed when a child accessed a vape brought into the home by a staff member. While actions have been taken to improve practice, these shortfalls demonstrate that improvements are not yet fully embedded.

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

Leaders and managers have not ensured that safer recruitment practices are consistently followed. Gaps in employment have not been explored, and reasons for leaving previous roles involving work with children or vulnerable adults have not been verified.

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

Oversight arrangements are not consistently effective. Leaders and managers do not routinely use incident reviews to identify and embed learning, and where lessons are identified, actions are not always implemented. Although detailed audits generate clear action plans, they have not been sufficiently robust to identify safeguarding shortfalls in a timely manner. The responsible individual recognises these weaknesses and has plans in place to strengthen oversight.

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

Leaders and managers provide regular supervision that focuses on children’s care, staff wellbeing and safeguarding. Staff report that supervision is helpful and that they feel well supported. The responsible individual also receives supervision; however, this has not been as frequent. Plans are in place to ensure that they receive regular, high-quality supervision.

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

There are personal relationships between some staff and leaders. In response, the responsible individual has introduced measures to prevent a closed culture from developing and to identify any early warning signs. Staff are aware of these arrangements and understand how to raise concerns.

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

Leaders and managers know the children well. They have positive relationships with them and advocate on their behalf. For example, a child was supported to raise a complaint about how their future plans were communicated by their placing authority, ensuring that their views were heard and taken seriously.

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

Staff also benefit from monthly team meetings that similarly focus on children’s care and staff wellbeing and provide opportunities for shared learning. Leaders and managers have ensured that staff have access to relevant training to meet children’s needs.

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

The responsible individual has appointed an acting manager; however, they do not intend to register with Ofsted. Recruitment for the permanent registered manager post is ongoing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 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

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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 24 August 2026

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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 24 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 7 promotes their welfare.

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(b)) 20 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that any appointed manager applies to register with Ofsted. 24 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 8 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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 31 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 24 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: 2711833 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Heartwood RSR Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 416 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex IG3 9JX

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Inspector

Laura Copus, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2711833 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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