Children's Home run by Pinewood Residential Care Services Ltd in Merton

Inspection report for children's home: 2823600 1 Registered provider: Pinewood Residential Care Services Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to 2 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The privately run home was registered with Ofsted on 6 August 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 14 June 2026. The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were no children living in the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 20 January 2026

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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: 2823600 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/01/2026 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2823600 3

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Summary of findings

Children have not consistently received safe and effective care. There have been concerns about how some incidents and missing-from-home episodes have been managed, how risks have been understood and responded to, and how consistently staff have met children’s individual needs. Staff have not always been fully prepared or had the skills to be able to meet children’s needs and have shown a lack of professional curiosity. There have also been allegations against staff, and some investigations are still ongoing. These concerns have affected children’s safety and experiences.

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Summary of findings

The registered manager and proposed responsible individual are new to the home and have identified the areas that need to improve. They have put an action plan in place and have started to make changes to staffing, training, staff support, management oversight and the way staff respond to children. Some actions have already been completed. However, these changes are recent and need more time to become established to show a sustained impact on children’s experiences.

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improvement to be good

Children were unsettled and, at times, experienced emotional distress. Staff did try to support children when they were distressed, but they often responded after difficulties had occurred, rather than identifying concerns early and taking action to prevent them.

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improvement to be good

Leaders accepted emergency placements without always having enough information to understand children’s needs and risks and decide whether staff could meet those needs. Leaders did not always consider carefully enough whether children were a suitable match for the home. Furthermore, leaders did not act quickly enough when it became clear that staff were struggling to meet a child’s needs. This made it difficult for children to settle and affected the stability of the home.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and staff did not consistently listen to or act on children’s wishes and feelings. At times, children used increasingly concerning behaviour to communicate what they needed. This meant that children did not always feel that staff were listening to them or that what they said would lead to change.

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improvement to be good

Leaders did not always consider the importance of children being close to their families and other important people when planning placements. This made it harder for some children to maintain important relationships.

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improvement to be good

When staff were able to provide some positive support, they helped children with some daily activities, work on independence skills, engagement in education and access to specialist services. However, children did not make enough consistent progress during Inspection report for children's home: 2823600 4 their time at the home. The positive support provided by staff was not enough to overcome the instability and difficulties the children experienced.

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improvement to be good

Children were exposed to significant risks, including self-harm and going missing from home, and they experienced periods of emotional distress. Staff did not understand children’s individual risks and needs well enough. Staff were developing strategies to support children when they became distressed, including giving them space, using activities they enjoyed and helping them access appropriate support. However, these strategies were not effective and did not support children when they needed it most.

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improvement to be good

Leaders have identified gaps in staff training around safeguarding and behaviour management. They have provided additional training, some of which has already been completed, and some is planned. Leaders also recognise that staff have not always demonstrated that they have the skills and confidence to consistently manage children’s complex needs. In response, they are reviewing the team’s skillset and providing additional support where needed.

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improvement to be good

Leaders have reviewed staff recruitment files and identified gaps in employment histories and references. They have started to address these gaps, but some checks remained outstanding at the time of this inspection.

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improvement to be good

Leaders responded appropriately to allegations involving staff and referred them to the local authority designated officer. However, leaders did not always notify Ofsted promptly when required. The registered manager acknowledges that some concerns should have been shared with Ofsted sooner. This meant that Ofsted did not receive important information at the relevant time and could not maintain effective oversight of significant safeguarding concerns.

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

Leaders understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The current leaders have made changes and have identified further work through an action plan.

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

Staff now have more opportunities to discuss their practice and receive support. The registered manager is present to support staff practice. Daily recording training is now in place to support staff to competently record information, which will support leaders’ understanding of the children’s experiences. As these changes are recent, the leadership team has not had sufficient opportunity to show the impact of these changes on children being cared for in the home.

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

Senior staffing has been strengthened, with two permanent staff joining since the registered manager started. The registered manager now has greater involvement in recruitment. Inspection report for children's home: 2823600 5 Staff say that the new management arrangements are positive. Staff now receive regular supervision and have opportunities to discuss their work and development. Managers use supervision to identify where staff need further support. Staff say that they still need to gain more knowledge and improve their skills to better meet children’s needs.

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

One child’s social worker said that leaders acted quickly to secure education for the child. The child also received support from a specialist service, which helped professionals develop a better understanding of the child’s needs and how to support them moving forward. Inspection report for children's home: 2823600 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children are listened to and, when children are unsettled, that they take the necessary actions to support them so that their views are heard and acted on. 11 September 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

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; 11 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2823600 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they monitor and review the quality of care provided to children and take effective action to address shortfalls in practice. Leaders and managers must ensure that staff have the skills and show curiosity to understand children’s behaviour. Leaders and managers must ensure that staff accurately record children’s day-to-day experiences so that they can effectively understand themes and emerging concerns.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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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 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)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that they understand all known and potential risks to children and that these are thoroughly considered and assessed at the point of referral. 11 September 2026

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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

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; 11 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2823600 8 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)(a)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that gaps in employment history are explained and explored, supported by a clear rationale for the person’s suitability for the role.

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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)) 11 September 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: 2823600 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pinewood Residential Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Floor 3, Sunley House, Bedford Park, Croydon, London CR0 2AP

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Inspector

Jo Tarbie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2823600 10 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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