Children's Home run by Portsmouth City Council in Portsmouth

Inspection report for children’s home: SC037588 1 SC037588 Registered provider: Portsmouth City Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides a short-breaks service for up to six children with learning and/or physical disabilities. The service operates from Tuesday to Sunday.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were staying overnight, and a total of 10 children were regularly accessing the service.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 16 November 2022

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The home’s registration was suspended after it was judged inadequate in November 2022. Following a monitoring visit in February 2023, the suspension was lifted, but a three-month condition was attached to the home’s registration. This meant that the Inspection report for children’s home: SC037588 2 home had to inform Ofsted three months in advance of admitting children to the home. This condition was imposed because of the provider’s decision to close the home for a period. During a monitoring visit in October 2024, the provider demonstrated that the home was ready to reopen, and children have been receiving short breaks since December 2024. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037588 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/11/2022 Full Inadequate 26/01/2022 Full Good 11/03/2020 Full Outstanding 14/02/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC037588 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children thrive during their stays at the home. This is due to staff’s exceptionally sound understanding of how to meet children’s individual needs and their commitment to providing children with positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are strong and effective advocates for all children who come to stay at the home. Staff ensure that children’s wishes and feelings are understood and acted on. This includes children who do not use speech to communicate. As a result, children make as many choices as possible regarding their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and staff have strong relationships that are built on trust and respect. Children are excited and happy when they come to stay at the home, and they receive nurturing, well-planned care. This was demonstrated when one child arrived during the inspection and knew exactly which bedroom they would be sleeping in and where to find the communication aids they use to interact with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff collaborate with children’s parents and other professionals. This ensures that children experience a consistent approach and that there is a shared understanding of their progress. Children’s parents say that they appreciate the inclusive nature of the care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children make remarkable progress because of the high-quality care that they receive. Examples include a child learning how to brush their teeth and children being willing to eat a greater variety of foods, which supports a healthier diet.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s cultural needs are understood, and diversity is valued. For example, there are many different faiths and languages represented in bedtime storybooks. This inclusive approach helps to ensure that every child feels valued and extremely well supported during their stay. One child’s parent said that staff provide a home-from-home experience for their child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from being offered a wide range of carefully planned activities at the home and in the wider community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff play an active role in preparing children to leave the home. They make excellent use of child-led activities and social stories to help children understand what is happening and to ensure that moves go smoothly.

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

Staff fully understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to keeping children safe. As a result, safeguarding incidents are rare. Nonetheless, staff remain vigilant to any indicators that children may be at risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037588 5 Effective measures are taken to ensure that children’s rights are protected, particularly in relation to ensuring that children experience privacy and respect when receiving personal care.

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

Staff receive bespoke training from specialist professionals to ensure that they can confidently and competently meet children’s health needs. The systems for administering and recording medication promote safe practice.

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

As a result of positive and trusting relationships between children and staff, it is rare for behavioural incidents to escalate to the point where physical restraint is required. However, when necessary, the fully trained staff can physically intervene to ensure children’s safety.

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

Children’s care and support plans are extremely thorough and provide staff with all the information that they need to care for children and keep them safe.

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

Careful consideration is given to ensuring that children receive short breaks alongside other children only when their needs are compatible. This is achieved through rigorous information gathering before children come to stay. Consequently, any risks that children may pose to each other are kept to a minimum and well managed.

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

Processes for managing health and safety matters and maintenance tasks are excellent. As a result, repairs are addressed promptly, and the physical environment is safe and secure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is a determined leader who has high expectations for the standard of care that staff provide to children. The registered manager and the staff also benefit from the support of a very child-focused deputy manager. The members of the management team take immense pride in their roles and are committed to improving outcomes for children. They are strong role models for the staff and lead by example.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager uses a range of highly effective monitoring and quality assurance systems to ensure that they have comprehensive oversight of the service. This means that any shortfalls in the quality of care that children receive are swiftly remedied.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The senior leadership team and responsible individual maintain strategic oversight of the service and provide effective support to the registered manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers advocate on behalf of children when they identify shortfalls in the service that they are receiving from other professionals. They escalate their concerns without delay when this is necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff receive regular practice-related supervision. The recording is concise, with actions clearly noted with time frames for their completion that avoid drift. Staff say that Inspection report for children’s home: SC037588 6 they feel well supported by the leadership team. They appreciate being included in decision-making and the development of the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers and leaders actively seek opportunities to learn to ensure continuous improvement. This approach enables managers to scrutinise their practices and ensures that children receive the best possible care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The independent person provides a rigorous level of scrutiny. All recommendations made are swiftly addressed, demonstrating the management team’s willingness to reflect and learn.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has a solid understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development, which enables them to gain a well-rounded view of the children’s experiences and the influence of the staff on their outcomes. This is reflected in the registered manager’s comprehensive quality of care review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive a wealth of information to help them maintain good physical and emotional health. As a result, staff describe the environment as ‘happy’. Staff are motivated to provide high-quality care for children because they feel valued and respected. Inspection report for children’s home: SC037588 7

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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: SC037588 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Portsmouth City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth PO1 2EA

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Inspector

Jill Sephton-Wright, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC037588 9 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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