Children's Home run by Safe Haven (Childrens Homes) LTD in Nottingham

Inspection report for children's home: 2836695 1 Registered provider: Safe Haven (Children's Homes) Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This privately owned children's home provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2026.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home, and both were spoken with.

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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 outstanding

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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: 9 December 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2836695 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/12/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2836695 3

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Summary of findings

Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to the wellbeing of children, making efforts to safeguard them and promote positive social opportunities. They provide a warm, welcoming, family-style environment where children are encouraged to experience new activities, build confidence and create enjoyable memories with staff. Aspirational and child-focused leaders have fostered a culture in which children develop strong, trusting relationships with the adults who care for them. Staff are skilled in helping children to explore and understand their emotions, experiences and life journeys and to recognise how these may influence their feelings and behaviours. As a result of this nurturing and reflective approach, children have made progress, developed new friendships and established meaningful social connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel happy and settled thanks to the strong relationships that they have been supported to form with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their understanding of emotions and increase their ability to recognise and express how they feel. They have invested significant time and effort in getting to know each child well and maintain a consistent approach to expectations, boundaries and behaviour management. As a result, children benefit from predictable routines and responses from staff, which promotes a sense of stability and security.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively facilitate life-story work and reinforce this through reflection and meaningful conversations, helping children to understand their experiences and develop a positive sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consistently interact with children in a respectful and dignified manner, fostering trusting and positive relationships. As a result, interactions are warm, authentic and child centred. Two professionals independently described the staff team's approach to caring for children as 'genuine', reflecting the strong, trusting relationships they have developed with the children they support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate strongly for children, working closely with education providers and professionals to secure appropriate school placements and support that meet their individual needs. These efforts have contributed to improved school attendance and engagement for children. However, some children would benefit from more consistent and creative encouragement to access external emotional support services, helping them to address underlying emotional needs and sustain their long-term participation and success in education. Inspection report for children's home: 2836695 4

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

Children benefit from a proactive and caring staff team that prioritises their safety and wellbeing through effective risk management and a strong understanding of safeguarding responsibilities. Staff respond appropriately to incidents, using consistent de-escalation strategies that have significantly reduced the need for physical intervention, which is only used as a last resort when necessary.

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

When children go missing from home, staff act quickly and persistently to locate them, making extensive efforts and using established links with family members and peers to support their safe return.

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

Staff actively promote and support children's time with family members and other important people, ensuring that children's wishes and views are communicated clearly to the local authority. This helps children maintain meaningful relationships in a safe and supportive way. Staff work persistently to build and sustain positive relationships with families, while carefully considering the impact of these relationships on children and prioritising their individual needs, wellbeing and best interests.

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

Staff carry out regular key-work sessions with children. Staff are able to support children in discussing sensitive topics. They reassure children when they break the rules and work with them to discuss what could be done differently in the future. This approach has meant that children have started to feel more comfortable in sharing their worries and views.

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

There has been one allegation made by a child during this period, which was taken seriously and subject to a thorough investigation. The child was kept informed throughout the process, their views were carefully considered, and they received a clear outcome. The manager demonstrates a continued commitment to listening to children, making ongoing efforts to speak with them following incidents and implementing changes where appropriate to ensure that they feel heard, valued and supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team has established a caring and progressive culture that places children's needs at the centre of practice. There is a strong emphasis on the use of respectful, child-focused language in both day-to-day interactions and documentation, which staff have fully embraced. This approach has helped children make progress while also improving staff morale and enabling staff to develop meaningful and trusting relationships with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders work effectively as a close-knit team, sharing responsibilities appropriately across the manager, deputy manager and responsible individual. The manager carefully considers the impact of staffing changes on children, ensuring that they are prepared for transitions and supported throughout. Children are given appropriate notice when staff Inspection report for children's home: 2836695 5 leave or reduce their hours, and the manager ensures that a trusted member of staff is present to help children build positive relationships with new team members.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff say they feel well supported by the management team, benefiting from regular, detailed supervision that promotes reflective practice and focuses on children's progress and staff wellbeing. Supervision discussions are meaningful and result in identified learning being embedded into day-to-day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are encouraged to develop their skills and knowledge through detailed performance plans that are reviewed regularly. Training is tailored to the specific needs of the children living in the home, and new staff receive a comprehensive induction that helps them quickly understand the children's needs, routines and experiences, enabling them to provide effective and consistent care from the outset.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

One child has requested that their bedroom is redecorated in their chosen colour scheme, which has been actioned by staff. This is seen as significant progress for a child who has previously found it difficult to share their views.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel valued and listened to by the management team, which actively seeks and considers their views when planning care and making decisions for children. Leaders demonstrate a reflective and child-focused approach, openly recognising when strategies are not achieving the desired outcomes and continually reviewing practice to ensure that it meets children's needs effectively. The management team maintains a critical and evaluative oversight of care, making timely changes where necessary and communicating these clearly to staff. This responsive approach helps to ensure that practice remains consistent, effective and centred on achieving positive outcomes for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2836695 6

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Recommendation

 Staff should play a key role in encouraging children to access therapeutic support and should be creative in seeking and referring children to the correct emotional support services. (Guide to the Children's Home Regulations, including the Quality Standards', Page 26, paragraph 5.3) Inspection report for children's home: 2836695 7

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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: 2836695 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Safe Haven (Children's Homes) Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 3.1 Clarendon Park, Clumber Avenue, Nottingham NG5 1AH

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Inspector

Patrick Rowell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2836695 9 regulates and inspects to 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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