Children's Home run by The Medusa Project Limited in Lewisham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2857795 1 Registered provider: The Medusa Project Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in February 2026 and is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to 4 children aged between 8 and 18 years 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 at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2026.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2857795 2

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Summary of findings

The quality of care provided to children is inconsistent, with significant weaknesses in leadership, safeguarding and oversight. Leaders have not ensured that effective systems are in place to monitor staff practice or to identify and manage risks before children move into the home. Safeguarding arrangements require urgent improvement, with gaps identified in recruitment checks, recording and staff knowledge. Workforce instability, training delays and insufficient supervision of some staff affect the consistency of support children receive. Although children benefit from some positive experiences and relationships, these are not sufficient to address the wider shortfalls.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders do not ensure that children receive safe and well-planned care. Assessments carried out by leaders and managers before children move in are weak and ineffective. They do not ensure that all relevant information about children’s risks, backgrounds and needs is obtained before admission. Some important information is received after children move in. As a result, staff do not have the information they need to provide safe and effective care from the outset.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s needs are not understood or consistently met by staff. Children with complex needs move into the home without sufficient consideration of the impact on other children already living in the home. Staff are not prepared or equipped to meet their needs. This contributes to instability for children and has resulted in children leaving the home in an unplanned way. There is a reliance on police support to manage behaviour rather than effective care planning and practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders fail to promote the child’s education. The child currently living in the home is not in education. Daily routines do not encourage or support readiness for learning. Leaders have not challenged the placing authority with sufficient urgency, and there is no clear plan to secure education despite the child having clear aspirations. Consequently, the child is not making progress towards achieving their educational potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Some aspects of the child’s day-to-day experiences are positive. The child said that they enjoy living in the home and wish to remain until adulthood. The child engages with art therapy and is also supported to access activities in the community, including shopping, visits to the park and beauty appointments. Staff celebrate achievements and important milestones, such as birthdays, and provide gifts that reflect the child’s interests and preferences. Since moving into the home, the child has not been missing, which is positive. However, these experiences do not compensate for the significant weaknesses in leadership, planning and children’s outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: 2857795 3

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

Although physical intervention is used infrequently, records do not consistently contain the required information. Some records combine several interventions into one single account, making it difficult to understand what happened and the duration of the intervention, and the names of staff who used the hold are not consistently included. Poor recording reduces management oversight and increases the risk that inappropriate or disproportionate practice may go unnoticed.

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

Children are not safeguarded effectively because leaders fail to provide clear direction. Leaders and managers have not established clear expectations for when staff care for children who are subject to restrictions imposed by the High Court. This includes seeking clarification from the relevant placing authority when there is any uncertainty about the restrictions in place, for example in relation to a child’s mobile phone use. As a result, staff do not have the information that they need to implement restrictions safely or lawfully. This lack of professional curiosity and decisive action leaves children at risk of contact with individuals who may pose a safeguarding concern.

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

Safer recruitment practice is not robust. Significant gaps in some staff members’ employment histories have not been identified or explored. Leaders and managers were unaware of these omissions and had not taken steps to obtain the required information. Assurance that all staff are suitable to work with vulnerable children is therefore compromised.

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

Allegations of abuse made by children have been reported to the relevant agencies. However, Ofsted has not been notified as required. This failure limits external scrutiny of whether appropriate action has been taken to safeguard children. Such weaknesses demonstrate ineffective leadership and management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management are ineffective. The home is experiencing significant instability within its leadership team. Leaders acknowledge the weaknesses in the service and staffing structure and have begun to take action to address the concerns. However, these actions are at an early stage, and their impact cannot yet be measured.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The workforce is not sufficiently skilled or supported. Staffing arrangements are fragile, and there are no established senior staff or team leaders to provide day-to-day guidance and oversight. Nearly half of the workforce is newly appointed. Several members of staff have not completed the mandatory training programme but continue to work directly with children. At times, new members of staff have worked without supervision from experienced colleagues or managers. This leaves staff ill-equipped to respond consistently to children’s needs, some of which are high and complex.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Reliance on agency staff undermines the quality of care. The home relies on agency staff to maintain staffing levels. Induction arrangements are inconsistent and do not ensure that staff understand the home’s ethos, model of care or expected standards of practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2857795 4 Consequently, children receive care from staff who do not always have the knowledge or confidence to meet their needs safely and consistently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The cumulative impact of these failures places children at increased risk. Weak leadership, workforce inexperience and inconsistent practice reduce staff’s ability to meet children’s needs and fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities. Leaders have not established the stable and well-managed environment that children need to feel safe and make sustained progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2857795 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 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;

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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

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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that newly appointed staff receive a thorough induction, complete all mandatory training relevant to the needs of children, and benefit from regular supervision and management oversight. The registered person must also take action to reduce the use of agency staff to promote consistency and continuity of care for children. 28 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; 4 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2857795 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all relevant information relating to children’s risks, backgrounds and needs is obtained before decisions are made to admit children to the home.

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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 that staff—

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that clear guidance is obtained and implemented regarding mobile phone access for children who are subject to restrictions imposed by the High Court. This includes seeking clarification from the relevant placing authority whenever there is any uncertainty about the restrictions in place. 21 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(vi)) 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2857795 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that each restrictive physical intervention is recorded as a separate and distinct record and includes all the required information.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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 promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must take a proactive approach to promoting each child’s education and ensure that any plans relating to the child’s educational provision and attendance are implemented and progressed without delay. 28 August2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all gaps in employment history are fully accounted for in writing and appropriately verified before an individual is employed. 21 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2857795 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: 2857795 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Medusa Project Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 792 Wickham Road, Croydon CR0 8EA

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Osareme Ikhinmwin

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Shevannon Bigby-Williams

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Inspector

Kay Barnett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2857795 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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