Children's Home run by New Forest Care Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2793601 1 Registered provider: New Forest Care Limited

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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 privately run and was registered in October 2024. It can provide care for up to six children. The home usually offers short stays of around three months for children in crisis or while a more permanent home is identified.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since December 2024. A new manager has been appointed and is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2793601 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The dedication and resilience of the staff help the children in crisis to reset their lives. The children are very positive about the relationships they have with staff. One child said, ‘The best bit about being here is the staff, they make everything fun. When I’m feeling down, I just talk to them, then everything is fine.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to try new activities, such as horse-riding, sand art and team- building exercises. They share in new experiences together and have been on group holidays and climbed mountains, as rewards for engagement and positive behaviour. This gives the children a sense of achievement and helps to build their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are regularly sought, and group meetings are designed to amplify the voice of the child. Managers listen to the children and act on their suggestions to improve their care. The children know their opinions are important.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

As the children will only live in the home for a short period, they are not enrolled in permanent school placements locally. Instead, they access a bespoke and creative activity-based education offer which is complemented with remote education, in collaboration with the virtual school. This focuses on engaging the children in a structured routine while developing useful skills. One child has gained useful certified qualifications, despite having previously been out of formal education for many years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to become more independent. Staff help the children to better understand how to look after their own health and self-care needs and encourage them to take more responsibility. As a result, some children have started to make healthier choices, participate in regular exercise and attend medical appointments more frequently. This has had a positive impact on the children’s physical and emotional well- being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children regularly move into the home at short notice. The managers seek to understand the children’s needs as fully as possible before placement is offered. Strong suitability assessments demonstrate managers’ consideration of the needs of the children already living in the home, which minimises any potential impact to their progress. The children speak positively about their experiences of moving into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and the children say they are happy with their spaces. However, one child had been living in the home for two weeks and had not yet been able to fully unpack their suitcase and other belongings owing to a lack of suitable furniture. Leaders took action to correct this during the inspection. Inspection report for children's home: 2793601 3

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how to keep children safe. Their care is informed by individualised plans which are regularly reviewed and updated following behavioural incidents. The children are involved in creating their own risk management plans, which help staff to better understand them.

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

When physical intervention is used to manage the children’s behaviour, this is done in a proportionate way. Managers critically review incidents involving the use of restraint and seek further scrutiny of high-risk restraints from professionals with specialist training.

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

Children know how to make a complaint. Their concerns are investigated without delay, and they receive a sensitive response from managers which considers their perspective. Managers work effectively with safeguarding professionals and ensure the children have opportunities to speak to others outside the organisation, including independent advocates, about their concerns. As a result, the children know their views are taken seriously.

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

When the children experience difficult feelings that lead them to harm themselves, staff respond with care, to help them feel safe and get them the support they need. They work effectively with other specialist professionals such as the organisation’s mental health nurses. This ensures the children have effectively planned care and their needs are better understood by staff.

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

Leaders have not ensured that all relevant checks on new staff are fully carried out and well documented. The reasons for one member of staff leaving a previous place of employment with vulnerable adults had not been fully explored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the registration of the home, there have been changes in the leadership team. The manager is new in post and an experienced responsible individual has recently been appointed. Despite these changes, staff say they feel well supported by managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular practice-related supervision which they say is useful. New staff receive a good induction which prepares them with the skills, training and knowledge required to start their roles. This ensures that the children receive consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has strong oversight of the children’s care. Managers use a range of systems to identify areas for development and recognise trends in the children’s behaviour. This information is used to make changes to the children’s care and to seek further staff training or resources if required. As a result, the manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from external professionals is positive. Social workers say communication from the staff is good and that managers are responsive when changes to procedures are suggested. Inspection report for children's home: 2793601 4 Managers keep the children’s placements under constant review. When they have identified that the children’s needs cannot be met safely, they take action to work with placing authorities to find children more suitable homes. Managers are also open to extending the children’s stays, if this is in their best interests when looking for their next home. Inspection report for children's home: 2793601 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. Specifically, the manager must ensure that all relevant checks on new staff are fully carried out and well documented. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that the children are provided with appropriate furniture to store personal items and clothing when moving into the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)

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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: 2793601 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Forest Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 6AA

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Inspector

Glen Strowbridge, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2793601 7 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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