Articles

The article examines the UK government’s “Stable Homes Built on Love” children’s social care strategy and argues that the inclusion of “love” is less a deliberate distraction and more a sign of idealism that overlooks the realities of professional practice and policy history. It explores why the term can feel jarring in social work, where boundaries protect both children and staff, and questions whether “love” can be meaningfully embedded in frameworks like knowledge and skills statements, professional registration, and CPD. The piece concludes that without a clear definition, “love” risks becoming an empty slogan rather than a practical guide for improvement.

Registered managers are central to the safe, effective running of a children’s home, balancing legal compliance with day-to-day leadership and a nurturing culture for young people. This article outlines key challenges, including meeting the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and Quality Standards, maintaining a stable and skilled workforce, making high-stakes decisions, and sustaining emotional resilience under scrutiny. It emphasises that strong leadership and consistent care are essential to children’s outcomes.

This article provides guidance to registered managers on how to exercise professional curiosity in a children's home.

The article explores how positive performance management can create a supportive and nurturing environment for children in registered homes, enhancing their overall experience and development.

Exploring the benefits of coaching as a management approach for registered managers of children's homes.

This article explores the impact of positive performance management on creating a culture of resilience in children's homes.

Key work records should capture meaningful engagement and progress, not just confirm that a weekly session occurred. Drawing on consultancy experience, this article highlights how many records are so generic they reveal little about a child’s needs, decisions made, or impact achieved. It sets out the case for moving beyond compliance-led notes toward purposeful, child-centred key work that demonstrates reflection, outcomes, and next steps.

Inspectors expect an internal placement plan to show exactly how a children’s home will meet a young person’s needs day to day, and to evidence a clear “golden thread” from statutory planning into lived practice. This article explains why placement plans must be rooted in the child’s relevant plans-care plan, placement plan, PEP, health plan, pathway plan, EHCP, legal orders, and risk/behaviour strategies-so care is planned rather than improvised. It outlines what a compliant, usable plan should demonstrate, how Regulation 14 and Schedule 1 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 apply, and what managers must do to keep plans live, intelligible, and consistently updated in response to changes in the child and their statutory documents.

This article explores why children in residential care must be meaningfully involved in the plans that shape their lives-beyond tokenistic “wishes and feelings” exercises. It links good practice to the legal and regulatory framework (Children Act 1989, UNCRC Article 12, and Regulation 7), and argues that co-authored plans are more likely to be understood, trusted, and followed. Practical examples show how involvement should run through admission, daily routines, key work, and reviews, with formats tailored to the child. The piece also addresses the tension between a homely environment and heavy documentation, recommending transparency, recording after conversations (not during), and offering children real options to contribute in their own words.