Children's Home run by Thrive Care Homes LTD in Barking and Dagenham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2812170 1 Registered provider: Thrive Care Homes Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately run home provides care for up to 3 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted on 10 March 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 2 children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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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 good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2812170 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/08/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2812170 3

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Summary of findings

Children have warm relations with staff, who know them well and are committed to helping them to achieve positive outcomes. Care planning is detailed and individualised, with effective risk assessments, behaviour support plans and safeguarding arrangements that respond to children’s needs. Children are encouraged to share their views and access a range of health and wellbeing services, as well as activities, although children’s engagement varies.

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Summary of findings

Staff respond appropriately to incidents and safeguarding concerns. There is good management oversight and reflective practice following incidents and concerns. Leadership and management are strong, with effective monitoring systems, regular supervision, a well-trained workforce and a clear focus on continuous improvement.

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Summary of findings

Education remains the main area for improvement as children’s attendance and engagement continue to be inconsistent, despite staff efforts to promote learning and work alongside professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before children move into the home, consideration is given to the impact this may have on the other children living there. The registered manager takes steps to ensure that they have all the information to assess potential risks and consider how the children’s needs will be met alongside those of the other children already in the home. Management oversight of this process ensures that the necessary planning takes place before children move in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by caring staff who take time to get to know them as individuals. Staff understand each child’s strengths, challenges and aspirations and use this to provide consistent care. Staff work closely with families and other professionals to make sure that children receive the right support and make progress in all areas of their lives. Staff arrange routine health appointments, and children are encouraged to attend. Staff continue to work together with other health professionals to ensure that children have access to emotional wellbeing support, such as mentoring and counselling. One child has developed a positive relationship with a professional who undertakes return home interviews and is someone they are comfortable with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff seek children’s views through regular house meetings, key-work discussions and monthly feedback forms. This provides children with an opportunity to share their wishes and feelings. While children’s engagement varies, staff actively continue to encourage engagement, so children’s voices are heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of building trust with children and providing them with consistent care. Staff show genuine interest in children’s lives and provide support that Inspection report for children’s home: 2812170 4 responds to their needs. As a result, children experience a sense of belonging, feel safe and settled in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered activities that reflect their interests and preferences, such as indoor games, community activities and home interactions with staff. This helps children to improve their experiences, develop social skills and build resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s engagement with education varies. Although staff promote learning, encourage attendance and liaise with education professionals, children’s engagement in education remains inconsistent. As a result, children are not making the level of progress they are capable of. Staff continue to advocate on behalf of the children and work alongside relevant professionals to identify learning opportunities that meet each child’s needs. More progress is needed to ensure that children have access to suitable learning opportunities and are supported to engage consistently.

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

Children’s safety and welfare are central to the day-to-day care they receive. Staff understand children’s individual vulnerabilities and take appropriate action to reduce risks and keep them safe. Staff understand the risks affecting children and are knowledgeable about strategies to manage and reduce those risks. Risk assessments are reviewed and regularly updated following incidents. Safeguarding responses are consistent and the registered manager maintains effective oversight and shares relevant information with other professionals when risks change.

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

Children and staff receive a debrief after incidents. This offers an opportunity to reflect on experiences, understand contributing factors and identify learning. Management oversight is focused on promoting children’s safety and improving practice.

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

Staff respond calmly when children become distressed and know when they need reassurance and space. Staff understand the reasons behind children’s behaviour and use de-escalation techniques to reduce conflict to help children regulate their emotions and develop positive coping strategies.

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

Although staff understand their responsibilities when a child goes missing from the home, they have not consistently used or followed local safeguarding procedures. This limits the effectiveness of multi-agency work to safeguard children. For one child, the frequency of these episodes exposes them to risks and increases their vulnerability while away from the home.

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

Staff respond promptly when children disclose or experience safeguarding concerns. During this inspection, professionals attended the home to speak to a child who had shared some safeguarding concerns. Records show that staff acted promptly to share the information with the relevant professionals and are actively supporting ongoing investigations. This reflects a culture where children are listened to, and their concerns are taken seriously. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812170 5 Staff offer children regular key-work sessions to address areas of need and development, including emotional resilience, self-esteem, and social engagement at a pace that is appropriate for children. While children do not always choose to engage, staff continue to offer support in a sensitive, patient and respectful way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides clear and effective leadership. There are systems in place to monitor the quality of care, which helps the registered manager to maintain oversight over children’s progress, safeguarding arrangements and the day-to-day running of the home. Leaders and managers have a good understating of the home’s strengths and challenges and take prompt action to address issues when they arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. This provides them with an opportunity to reflect on their practice, discuss children’s needs and consider their own wellbeing and professional development. Staff are encouraged to talk about any concerns they may have and receive feedback about their performance, which helps them to develop their skills and confidence needed to meet children’s needs. Leaders and managers are planning to introduce clinical supervision, which shows a commitment to further strengthen practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff meetings are used effectively to share information about children’s progress and emerging needs. This helps staff to develop a consistent approach to supporting children and respond promptly when children’s circumstances change. Staff can learn from one another, develop professional curiosity and reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager often seeks feedback from children, professionals and family members. This is generally positive and shows the caring approach of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has developed a positive approach to workforce development. Staff have undertaken a range of mandatory, essential and specialist training that helps them to meet children’s needs. Several staff are undertaking nationally recognised qualifications, which shows that leaders and managers are committed to developing a skilled and competent workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have effective quality assurance systems in place. This ensures that oversight of key areas of practices, such as safeguarding, care planning, children’s progress and staff performance, is consistent. Internal and external monitoring reports are reflective, evaluative and show that leaders can identify areas that require further development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812170 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children who are not participating in education should be supported to resume full-time education as soon as possible and challenge the placing local authority when education provision is not identified. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that arrangements are in place to manage missing-from-home episodes and that these arrangements are understood and implemented by staff. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2812170 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Thrive Care Homes Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 119 Parnell Road, London E3 2JF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Danielle Henry-Peddie

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Inspector

Stella Namakula, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2812170 8 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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