Children's Home run by Heartwood RSW Ltd in Redbridge

Inspection report children's home: SC461865 1 SC461865 Registered provider: Heartwood RSW 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 five children with social and emotional difficulties. The home registered with Ofsted on 8 November 2013.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 12 April 2025.

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Information about this children's home

There was one child living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children's home

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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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC461865 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/06/2025 Full Good 26/11/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/08/2024 Full Inadequate 20/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: SC461865 3

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Summary of findings

Staff understand the child's needs. However, the child's overall progress has been inconsistent, which has affected areas such as behaviour, daily routines and education. Instability in leadership and management has impacted the consistency and quality of care provided. Staff have often been required to work within an environment of uncertainty and without sufficiently clear guidance. As a result, some records have not been kept up to date, which has in turn had a negative impact on the planning, monitoring, and delivery of care for the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the child's complex needs and are supported by good care plans that align with the local authority's pathway plan. This ensures that staff have clear guidance regarding the child's needs, aspirations and vulnerabilities.

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improvement to be good

Staff regularly consult with the child to understand their interests and support their participation in a range of activities. These include visits to museums, fashion markets and the theatre.

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improvement to be good

Staff have developed a meaningful relationship with the child through consistent engagement. However, this has not yet been sufficiently impactful in bringing about positive changes in the child's behaviour. The child continues to experience difficulties with maintaining routines and engaging in education.

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improvement to be good

The home is suitably furnished and maintained. However, despite regular bedroom checks and cleaning rotas, the child's bedroom remains in a poor condition. Managers have not been sufficiently proactive in recognising and addressing these concerns.

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improvement to be good

The child commented that they like living in the home and feel safe. The child's family spoke positively about the placement, stating, 'This is the best home they have been in; this is the most stability that they have had.'

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improvement to be good

Managers have not provided adequate resources to enable the child and the staff to eat meals together. Inspection report children's home: SC461865 4

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff report safeguarding concerns and complete detailed incident records. However, these records have not always been subject to sufficient management oversight. As a result, there has been at least one occasion where a safeguarding incident was not reported in line with regulatory requirements.

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improvement to be good

There has been a period of instability in the management of the home, which has had a negative impact on several key areas of practice. Staff reported feeling "adrift" during the manager's absence, resulting in reduced confidence when managing incidents and responding to challenging situations.

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improvement to be good

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of the risks in the community that may affect children. They follow the home's risk assessments and protocols when a child goes missing and understand their responsibilities in safeguarding the child during these incidents. Staff provide effective support to the child on their return home and take appropriate action to help promote their safety and wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Staff have access to a wide range of training opportunities, including specialist courses tailored to the needs of the child. Managers have commissioned bereavement training, which has enhanced staff knowledge and skills, enabling them to provide more informed and sensitive support to the child living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, managers have recruited additional permanent staff members, which has improved the stability of the workforce.

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

The Responsible Individual has not provided consistent supervision to the manager. In addition, insufficient consideration was given to leadership arrangements during the manager's absence, which has contributed to a decline in oversight across the home. For example, oversight of incidents has not been sufficiently robust, and staff have not always received the guidance and support needed to manage situations that may place children and others at risk effectively. Managers have begun to address these shortfalls by introducing a review system designed to strengthen their understanding of children's behaviours, risks and individual needs. However, this is in its infancy.

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

Managers have not updated the home's Statement of Purpose for over a year. As a result, the document does not accurately reflect the current staff team, including their qualifications, skills and experience.

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

Despite the absence of consistent leadership, staff have continued to receive regular supervision and have had access to ongoing learning and development opportunities. This has supported their professional development and enhanced their knowledge and understanding of the child's individual needs. Inspection report children's home: SC461865 5 Monitoring and review activities, including Regulation 45 reports, do not consistently capture the views of children, parents, and professionals. This represents a missed opportunity to gather valuable feedback, learn from stakeholders' experiences and use this information to drive improvements in the quality of care provided. Inspection report children's home: SC461865 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them 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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders, managers and staff must support children to keep their bedrooms suitability clean, tidy and safe. 6 October 2026

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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

help each child to achieve the child's education and training targets, as recorded in the child's relevant plans; 6 October 2026 Inspection report children's home: SC461865 7 support each child's learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders, managers and staff must ensure that children are supported to have daytime routines that will support them to access education. The registered person must compile in relation to the children's home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI and make a copy of it available upon request to—

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Requirement Due date

a child, or a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered;

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Requirement Due date

a parent of a child, or a parent of a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered;

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 6 October 2026 Inspection report children's home: SC461865 8 notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 16 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the statement of purpose is updated and revised copies are shared with HMCI. 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children's records include all incident information including management oversight of these incidents. 6 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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or 6 October 2026 Inspection report children's home: SC461865 9 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

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that significant incidents including children missing from home for prolonged periods are reported to Ofsted. An individual may only carry on a children's home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the leaders and managers must ensure that the responsible individual is active in their role and supports and supervises the manager. To support the management structure, accountability and oversight in the leadership team, in particular, when the registered manager is absent from the home. 6 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 45(1)(2)(a)(b)(5) 6 October 2026 Inspection report children's home: SC461865 10 In particular the Leaders and managers must ensure that they include feedback from children, parents and professionals in the review.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are provided with nutritious meals suitable for each child's needs. Where appropriate, children should be involved in choosing and preparing meals and opportunities to sit together and eat should be promoted. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.8).

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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 children's home: SC461865 11

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 416 Green Lane, Ilford, Essex IG3 9JX

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Inspector

Helen Daniel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC461865 12 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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