Children's Home run by Libertas GBR Limited in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 1 Registered provider: Libertas GBR Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care for 2 children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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This monitoring visit

On 30 June 2026, a full inspection was undertaken at this home. Significant concerns were raised during the inspection. An inadequate judgement was given. This led to compliance notices being issued related to Regulations 12, 13 and 14 of The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. Following this inspection, additional concerns were raised to Ofsted about the safety of the children at the home. The inspector returned on 21 July 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with ‘Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence’ policy. During the visit on 21 July 2026, further serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care and protection of children and the leadership and management of the home. As a result of the serious and widespread concerns identified, the registration of the home was suspended on 22 July 2026.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to review the suspension notice and compliance notices issued. Requirements that were not monitored at this inspection have been restated.

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This monitoring visit

Despite some improvements seen at this monitoring visit, the provider has not taken sufficient action to address the concerns previously identified. The compliance notices have not been met. As a result, further compliance notices have been served.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has complied with the suspension notice. The home remains unready to accommodate children. Therefore, the suspension remains in place and will continue to be monitored by Ofsted. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 2 The acting manager has now applied to register with Ofsted. She is overseeing this home as well as another home within the organisation. This additional responsibility places significant demands on their capacity and has impacted on her ability to provide consistent and effective oversight of this home.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that safer recruitment is embedded in practice. Two members of staff have incomplete employment histories and the gaps in employment had not been explored for one member of staff. Sometimes references highlight concerns. However, leaders and managers do not always sufficiently document the action taken in response to these. This does not provide assurance that staff are suitable to work with children or that leaders demonstrate the necessary professional curiosity when completing employment checks.

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This monitoring visit

Fire prevention measures at the home are not good enough. During the visit the inspector observed door stops holding open 2 internal fire doors and 3 fire doors did not close properly. This does not ensure that internal fire doors would prevent the spread of fire.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that there are sufficient staff to meet the Statement of Purpose. Leaders and managers are in the process of recruiting staff. However, only 3 staff are employed to work at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff have sufficient access to high- quality training that supports their understanding of the children’s needs. Some progress has been made with staff completing some training. Leaders are now more able to track training through a training matrix. However, they have failed to identify when staff have gaps with training, including first aid training. No staff have completed online safety training. This does not help ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to be able to monitor online safety risks to children or implement risk reduction measures when required.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have failed to appropriately use the staff skills audit templates to identify strengths, weaknesses and training needs of staff. Auditing templates have been created by leader’s and managers to review safer recruitment practice, staff’s competency and children’s documents but these have yet to be used.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that there are sufficient or effective systems to support children to say goodbye to people who are important to them. This does not demonstrate that leaders and managers understand how unplanned endings can affect children.

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This monitoring visit

The providers registration and statement of purpose indicate that the home intends to support children with learning disabilities and complex needs. However, leaders and the manager have not assessed how the staff will be equipped with the appropriate skills, knowledge, training and experience, to meet the needs of these children. This means leaders cannot demonstrate that the home has the necessary Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 3 arrangements and resources in place to provide appropriate care and support to children.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and staff have received practice related supervision. Topics such as safeguarding and staff wellbeing have been explored. Although follow up actions have been identified for staff, these have not been followed up by leaders. This limits the effectiveness of supervision and means that identified areas of development are not always progressed or embedded in practice.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that sufficiently clear whistleblowing policies are in place or that these mitigate risks linked to close relationships between staff.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements from the previous visits have not been reviewed in full at this visit. Therefore, these have been reinstated and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/06/2026 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 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 with 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

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

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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vii)(b)) 2 October 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 2 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 6 promotes their welfare.

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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 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

*The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(c)) 2 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 M1 applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (b)) 2 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 7 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 23 October 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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and 23 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 8 any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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 has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 2 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 9 The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

HMCI. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (7)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 23 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Libertas GBR Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 Greystoke Gardens, Enfield EN2 7NX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: David Obodoechina-Joseph

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Inspector

Syvanna Matthew, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2840213 11 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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