Children's Home run by Open World 2 Limited in Croydon

Inspection report for children's home: 2747747 1 Registered provider: Open World 2 Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in February 2024 and is privately owned. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since February 2026. The current manager started working in the home in April 2026 and has 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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: 2 September 2025

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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: 2747747 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/09/2025 Full Good 24/06/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2747747 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last full inspection, one child has moved out of the home and one child has moved in. During this period, 2 managers left the home suddenly and without a handover to the incoming manager. This has created instability in the staff team and inconsistency in the child’s care.

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Summary of findings

The child’s experiences and progress have been undermined because of shortfalls in the home’s leadership and management, and a lack of proactive practice in maintaining a physically safe environment in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide the child with regular key-work sessions which address important aspects of their physical health and wellbeing. However, there is no consistent work to reduce the child’s risk of harm in relation to significant and ongoing risks. Furthermore, staff do not have important discussions with the child about the use of offensive language or physical aggression. This means that the child is not supported to understand how to keep themselves safe or develop positive social relationships.

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improvement to be good

Consultation with the child and capturing their voice is not embedded in staff practice. There is just one house meeting recorded. This is written from the staff’s perspective and reflects the child being told information rather than being asked for their views. There are very few records of conversations with the child, and key-work sessions have a consistently generic tone. The current manager has carried out training with staff to improve this area of practice and to ensure that they do not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to produce their records, as AI has been used by some staff.

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improvement to be good

The child has limited access to activities, inside and outside of the home. The child’s activities lack variety and do not demonstrate high levels of aspiration for the child.

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improvement to be good

The house is clean and tidy with some colourful, child-friendly touches on the walls and in the decor. However, some work is needed to maintain it as a homely environment. This includes cleaning a bedroom window, fresh paint on chipped paintwork, cleaning a stain on a bedroom carpet and removing offensive language written over posters on the living room wall.

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improvement to be good

During the inspection, the home’s medication cabinet was seen with its door wide open and the key in the lock. This was a significant breach of the home’s protocol for the secure storage of medication. Inspection report for children's home: 2747747 4 Missing-from-home incidents are not consistently well managed. Although staff follow the child’s plan when incidents occur, manager oversight is not always in place and leaders are not effective in ensuring that the placing authority arranges an independent return home interview. This does not help staff to have a full understanding of why the child has gone missing and other potential risks to which they may be exposed.

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improvement to be good

Staff take prompt action in the home once a risk becomes known. For example, an open fireplace was boarded up after the child found a piece of broken glass behind it. However, they have not always been effective in maintaining a physically safe environment and supervising the child in line with their care plan. This includes failing to remove an easily accessible brick from the back garden which was later used in a safeguarding incident. As a result, the child has been involved in several incidents that have caused them to require medical attention.

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improvement to be good

Allegations are well managed. Leaders and managers work together with the local authority designated officer when allegations are made. One internal investigation has been carried out, which was analytical and made recommendations for ongoing practice development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home’s leadership and management arrangements are turbulent. Since the last full inspection, 2 managers have suddenly left, with no handover to the incoming manager. This has led to instability in the staff team and inconsistency in the oversight and delivery of the child’s care. The child’s social worker reported that the change in managers has caused confusion, drift and delays in communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

In response to this situation, the responsible individual is very involved in the child’s daily life. However, while this is done with the intention to provide the child with a consistent adult, it blurs the professional boundaries in the home and diminishes the responsible individual’s strategic management and oversight of the home. For example, on one occasion, the child reported their involvement in a safeguarding incident that was soon established had not taken place. Despite this, it was recorded as a fact, then shared with the child’s mother and professionals, including a safeguarding notification to the regulator. The home’s independent person wrote about it in their monthly report which the responsible individual subsequently signed off. This created unnecessary concern and confusion and demonstrates a lack of oversight of the home’s records and communication with others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is a lack of capacity among senior workers, which has led to some staff rotas being planned with no senior staff on shift. This arrangement has not been risk assessed in relation to the child living in the home and their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

No staff members have had an annual appraisal over the last year. This is a missed opportunity to provide feedback on their performance, support their morale and development and make them feel valued. Inspection report for children's home: 2747747 5 The home’s statement of purpose does not include the required information about staff members’ experience and qualifications.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are not always provided with regular supervision, and the quality of the supervision is variable. Some records do not include any clear discussion about the child’s needs and safeguarding incidents that have taken place. This means that some staff members have not been given individual guidance and advice on how to best support the child and keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers raise concerns with the placing authority when they arise. However, they are not effective in escalating when there is no response. This has created delays in care planning for the child, including in relation to their placement stability and family time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Monthly audits of the home’s compliance with the regulations are carried out. However, these do not seek feedback from the child or staff, which is required by the home’s own audit template, or provide any guidance on how the service can be improved and developed based on its findings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings take place regularly. The home’s current manager has introduced reflective discussions about incidents so that staff can learn and develop their practice. Inspection report for children's home: 2747747 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff have the necessary skills and experience to safeguard the children in their care; work consistently with children to reduce their risk of harm; maintain a safe home environment in line with children’s risks. 31 July 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

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2747747 7 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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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)(a)(c)(d)(f)(h)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the staffing arrangements are informed by a clear assessment of children’s needs; all employees work within the roles they are recruited to; there are clear boundaries between the different roles in the home; they monitor and ensure the accuracy of the home’s records; they demonstrate effective oversight of the accuracy of the home’s regulation 44 reports; they maintain oversight of all incidents and missing-from-home episodes; their monitoring and review arrangements contribute towards ongoing service development.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 staff— 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2747747 8 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual, and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff build relationships with children that are consistent and supportive. Leaders must ensure that staff are supported and equipped with the necessary training and skills to build these relationships, manage more challenging behaviours and work effectively to reduce children’s use of offensive language.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c)) 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2747747 9 In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s placing authorities provide them with return home interviews, and that they escalate concerns when a placing authority does not respond to issues raised about placement stability or children’s family time.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicines kept in the home are stored in a secure place so as to prevent any child from having unsupervised access to them. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the medicine cupboard is kept locked and the key is kept secure. 31 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose clearly states the names of the home’s leaders and managers, and staff members’ qualifications and experience. 31 July 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff receive regular supervision to support them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and of children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children's home: 2747747 10  The registered person should ensure that they continue to improve all areas of the home’s interior. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children are regularly and consistently offered a wide range of activities, both inside and outside of the home, and that they are encouraged to participate in those activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)  The registered person should ensure that children are consulted with regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted on. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: 2747747 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Open World 2 Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 28 Daventry Road, Romford RM3 7QT

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Inspector

Jo Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2747747 12 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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