Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1259734 1 Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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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 care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, there was one child living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspections, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1259734 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified serious concerns in relation to the care and protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not taken effective action to meet previous regulatory shortfalls. Consequently, care planning decisions have not supported children to make positive progress. In addition, children are not always kept safe or protected from harm.

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Findings from the inspection

Since moving to the home, the child has been persistently missing from care and continues to be at risk from unsafe individuals while out in the community.

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Findings from the inspection

The care plan for the child outlines restrictions on the child to promote their safety and protect them from harm. Despite this, staff are not providing the support required to meet the child’s identified needs. Risk reduction strategies are not consistently implemented and the actions that staff take do not always keep the child safe.

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Findings from the inspection

There are several examples of poor safeguarding practice from staff. These include avoidable delays before room searches take place, failing to follow the child’s missing-from-home protocol and staff not taking effective action to minimise the likelihood of the child leaving the home. This means that identified risks are not fully understood or well managed.

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Findings from the inspection

Communication between leaders, managers and other professionals is not wholly effective. In one example, there was not enough consideration given to the capacity of the staff team to carry out agreed actions to restrict the child’s liberty when this was needed to keep them safe. This has undermined staff confidence and led to significant discrepancies between the care that the child requires and the care that they receive.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff have built effective relationships with the local police and good communication sharing has helped to provide a clearer understanding of the child’s whereabouts when they are missing from home. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1259734 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/11/2022 Full Good 20/07/2022 Full Inadequate 16/08/2021 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1259734 4

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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 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation (12) (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff act immediately when children may be at risk of harm, and consistently carry out the actions required of them to keep children safe, in accordance with the children’s individual plans.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 24 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. 8 May 2025 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1259734 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home.

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(e)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1259734 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hampshire County Council, The Castle, Winchester SO23 8UG

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Inspector

Ashley Edwards, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1259734 7 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 children looked after, 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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