Children's Home run by London Borough of Barnet in Barnet

Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 1 SC033805 Registered provider: London Borough of Barnet Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides short-term, long-term and emergency care for up to 6 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted on 6 Oct 2004, and the manager registered in March 2026.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 30 September 2025

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/09/2025 Full Good 21/05/2024 Full Good 13/06/2023 Full Good 21/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 3

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Summary of findings

Children have settled well in this home. They receive thoughtfully planned, individualised care and develop good relationships with the staff. They enjoy a range of fun activities, both in the home and in the community. Children benefit from having good routines and structure.

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Summary of findings

All children living in the home have full-time education placements, and school attendance has improved.

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Summary of findings

Children’s care plans are specific and relevant to them and include clear guidance to staff about how to keep children safe. Staff spoken with showed appropriate understanding of individual vulnerabilities and how to respond to them, and work well with external agencies to keep children safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making positive progress in both their emotional and physical health. Children said that they are happy in the home and have developed good relationships with the staff. Staff speak positively about the children, their achievements and their progress. Children are encouraged to share their views and opinions. Children who are new to the home are well supported to settle in and engage with the support staff offer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to play an active role in decisions about their care. One-to-one sessions take place following incidents or during periods of emotional difficulty, giving children the space to express themselves. Children report that staff listen to them and take their wishes into account when making decisions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have been supported effectively to re-engage with education. All children living in the home are in education and talk to staff about their future aspirations. Staff have introduced good routines and clearer boundaries around technology that have strengthened children’s daily routines. Staff talk to schools and advocate for children to ensure that they receive suitable support. Children speak positively about staff’s support and the difference it has made to improve their school attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain meaningful and safe family time. Four children have returned to live with their families, and feedback from parents is very positive about the support provided to prepare children to return to their families. Staff work closely with children and their parents to help them to understand risks and make informed choices when they visit. When children return to live with their families, staff provide ongoing support to assist the transition. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 4 The home’s physical environment is well maintained and safe for children. The home is warm and welcoming and has a family atmosphere. Children are supported to decorate their bedrooms. Staff complete bedroom searches and health and safety checks when concerns are raised; however, one child had a broken chest of drawers and some children had dirty linen. Staff took appropriate actions when this was raised at the

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

Staff know what to do in the event of a safeguarding incident. Staff keep children central to their response, ensure that they are safe and act in line with safeguarding procedures. Children have developed good relationships with staff and can raise issues with them. Children say that they feel safe and listened to and that their concerns are acted on.

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

Leaders and managers take allegations of harm seriously and act promptly when issues arise. There has been one allegation reported since the last inspection. Managers shared information with the relevant agencies and worked well with safeguarding professionals to ensure that children are safe in the home.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff respond promptly and take effective actions to safeguard them. Staff follow missing-from-home protocols and follow children in the community. Staff use return home interviews and individual sessions to understand children’s experiences and the reasons behind the episodes of going missing. They build trusting relationships that enable children to express their feelings and contribute to plans to reduce further risk. Staff work effectively with the local authority, families and the police to assess risks, and advocate for children to make proportionate, child-centred decisions that prioritise their welfare. Missing-from-home incidents have significantly reduced.

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

Incidents in the home are managed well. Staff work well with external professionals and refer children to specialist services. Staff are clear on what they need to do to keep children safe and are familiar with children’s plans. Strategies are followed with regard to bedroom searches, individual sessions and good multi-agency work, including referring children to specialist services.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides appropriate and timely challenge to partner agencies when their practice affects the children’s progress and welfare. Their proactive engagement with schools ensures that concerns are addressed promptly and that children’s needs remain central to decision-making. This effective challenge has strengthened partnership working and helped maintain children’s positive engagement in education, ensuring their progress and emotional wellbeing. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 5 Leaders and managers are aspirational and want the best for children. The registered manager and staff know children well and advocate well for them to ensure that their needs are met. Feedback from professionals and parents about leaders, managers and staff is overwhelmingly positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the home’s strengths and areas for development. There are effective monitoring systems in place to ensure that leaders and managers constantly review the quality of care provided to children. Leaders and managers work proactively with other professionals and build positive relationships with parents. Professionals and parents receive regular updates on the progress and experiences of their children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they feel well supported by leaders and managers. They are suitably qualified and receive regular training and development opportunities. Staff undertake more targeted training to meet the specific needs of individual children in addition to mandatory training. However, managers did not arrange training on epilepsy following an admission of a new child with this diagnosis. Although there was no incident while the child lived in the home, such a significant health condition requires staff to be fully aware of how to safely manage the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have weekly team meetings and can reflect on practice and the needs of children. They benefit from regular supervision that is reflective and that offers staff support and guidance when considering the needs and progress of children. This also demonstrates that leaders and managers have effective oversight of staff practice in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s bedrooms are maintained to a high standard, that repairs are completed promptly and that children are supported to keep a clean environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have access to specialist training to help them provide additional support to children with health needs or for any identified needs of children in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC033805 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: London Borough of Barnet

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Bristol Avenue, London NW9 4EW

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Inspector

Dorothy Thompstone, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC033805 8 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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