Children's Home run by Destiny House in Harrow

Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 1 SC038906 Registered provider: Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This privately run children's 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 registered in 2007. A recently appointed manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children's home

There was one child living in the home at the time of this inspection. The inspector spoke with the child.

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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

Date of last inspection: 17 December 2025

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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: none Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 3

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Summary of findings

The child is making good progress and benefits from stable, individualised care that meets their needs. They are settled in the home, feel listened to and are actively involved in decisions about their care. Staff provide effective support to promote the child's health, education, emotional wellbeing, identity, independence and family relationships. The child is supported to pursue their interests and aspirations and is making progress as a result of the care they receive. Staff work proactively to keep the child safe. Leadership is strengthening the service further, although improvements are needed to the home environment, workforce planning and child-centred recording.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is settled in the home and has lived here for several years. They appreciate the care, support and advocacy provided by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child feels listened to. Staff regularly spend time talking with the child about their daily routines, how they are feeling and any requests they may have. The child is involved in discussions about their day-to-day care and support. Staff use activities to explore important topics with the child. For example, during one discussion, staff completed a word search about respect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support the child's health and wellbeing. They encourage the child to take part in physical activities, including going to the gym and playing football and basketball. Staff also ensure that the child attends routine health appointments and receives support from a drama therapist to promote their emotional wellbeing. The child says that, with help from staff, their mental and physical health is improving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has a well-established routine and attends education regularly. During the school holidays, staff supported the child to take part in a range of activities, including attending a summer camp during the day and youth clubs in the evenings. Staff planned a 6-week programme of activities, with each week focusing on a different area of development, including family relationships and community involvement. Staff encourage the child to pursue their interests and aspirations. For example, they are supporting the child's ambition to become a professional basketball player by arranging opportunities to develop their skills, including attending a basketball sports day and regularly practising basketball with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to understand and value their culture and identity, while helping them to develop important life skills. They talk with the child about hair care and prepare cultural foods that reflect the child's heritage. Staff also help the child to develop budgeting skills and increase their independence. In addition, staff support the child to attend church, which the child enjoys. Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 4 Family relationships are important to the child. Staff support the child to maintain safe communication with their brother. This helps the child maintain an important family connection, supports their sense of identity and promotes their emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders ensure that the child's plans and risk assessments are kept up to date. However, the language used in these records is not always child friendly and, at times, includes terminology that may be perceived as stigmatising. This does not promote a balanced and respectful understanding of the child's experiences, needs and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professionals and staff agree that the home would benefit from redecoration so that it better reflects the child living there. The garden is also not an inviting space, and the fence remains damaged following external works. This limits the extent to which the home provides a welcoming and personalised environment for the child. Leaders are aware of these issues.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child's vulnerabilities and provide thoughtful, proactive support that promotes their safety and wellbeing. Professionals describe staff as 'creative and determined' in their approach. Staff are skilled at recognising early signs of distress and work effectively together to provide reassurance and support. They use restorative approaches and reflective conversations to help the child explore their feelings, understand risks and develop strategies for managing challenges.

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

The child does not go missing from the home. Some restrictions are in place to help keep them safe, and staff provide continuous supervision and support. These arrangements are reviewed regularly with the child's professional network to ensure they remain appropriate to the child's needs. The child is making progress as a result of the support they receive.

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

The manager ensures that an up-to-date external fire risk assessment is in place. This helps to ensure that the home complies with fire safety legislation and provides a safe environment for the child and staff.

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

The manager maintains effective oversight of the child's medication. This helps to ensure that medication is administered safely, reduces the risk of errors and ensures that medication records are clear, accurate and up to date.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a new home manager who is committed to achieving positive outcomes for the child. The responsible individual describes the new leadership team as 'dynamic with great ideas'. Early indications are that the manager is bringing energy and direction to the home, with a clear focus on further developing practice and improving the experiences of the child. Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 5 Staff speak positively about working in the home and benefit from opportunities to progress in their careers. This is reflected in the promotion of a senior staff member to deputy manager. One staff member described the new manager as introducing effective ways of working. The manager is visible in the home and works alongside staff, including providing support during some evenings. This strengthens practice, provides staff with guidance and helps to ensure that the child receives consistent care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective systems in place to support staff in their roles. Staff receive a structured induction and regular supervision, helping them to develop their knowledge and skills. Annual appraisals provide opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice and identify areas for further development. Team meetings encourage collective reflection on the child's progress and staff responsibilities. As a result, staff have opportunities to learn, develop and continually improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professional feedback is positive. The placing authority describes the manager as 'very responsive' and said they provide 'daily responses when needed'. The drama therapist praised staff for providing detailed updates about the child's experiences and any emerging concerns. This demonstrates effective communication between professionals and staff, helping to ensure that the child receives well-informed and coordinated support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is strengthening oversight systems to ensure that the home is well organised. This includes ensuring consistent oversight of training records and ensuring that enough professionals references are sought during recruitment. The workforce plan does not yet contain all the information required about the skills, experience and development needs of the staff team. The manager recognises this and is taking steps to strengthen workforce planning. Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 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 registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children's records always use child-friendly language that is easy to understand, considering that the child will eventually have access to their records. This includes, but is not limited to, the child's care plan and their risk assessment. 7 December 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they continue to improve the interior and exterior of the home. The broken fence in the garden should be fixed without delay. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that there is effective oversight in the home. They should ensure that training records clearly reflect the training that staff complete, this includes the mandatory training. They should also ensure that when staff are recruited that the correct references are obtained. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 52, paragraph 10.2)  The registered person should ensure that the workforce plan includes the required information. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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 Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 7 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: SC038906 8

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Inspector

Chelsea Agyeman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC038906 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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