Children's Home run by Serenity Care Homes Ltd in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC487165 1 SC487165 Registered provider: Serenity Care Homes Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to two children.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2021.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 21 January 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC487165 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2025 Full Good 14/03/2024 Full Outstanding 29/03/2023 Full Good 30/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC487165 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a relaxed feel and is decorated in line with children’s preferences. Children feel at home and enjoy the time and support they receive from staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

New children are sensitively welcomed into the home, and staff ensure that children experience positive endings when they move out, including when their departure is unplanned. For example, a goodbye visit was organised for a child who moved out of the home unexpectedly. The child and the child’s parent appreciated this.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed positive relationships with staff. Both children say they feel comfortable around staff who can meet their needs. Children can identify staff members they can approach when upset, and they feel they can express their views when they disagree with staff. Children feel that staff consider their views about the day-to-day running of the home and when planning for their futures. The communication between staff and children is nurturing and playful, following the provider’s therapeutic ethos. This helps new children settle and develop trusting relationships with staff, and it helps children make progress and thrive. A child who moved on from the home said, ‘You leave the home without trauma, just nice memories.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. Staff support children who are new to the home in registering with local health services and receiving their initial health checks swiftly. Staff have a good working relationship with health professionals and are efficient in following up appointments, including when children move from a different area. A social worker provided positive feedback about staff’s efficiency in this respect.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s educational needs and support creative educational activities when children are not in school. One child attends college, and staff maintain a good working relationship with the college staff to support the child’s complex needs. Another child is in the process of enrolling in education. A teacher gave positive feedback about staff’s effective communication with the virtual school to ensure that the best educational setting is identified for the child in accordance with their needs and wishes. In the interim, staff are encouraging the child to follow their interests and undertake online courses that will help them later in their career.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support family time, including when children live away from home. Staff advocate for children’s wishes about seeing their friends and relatives and offer to supervise spending time arrangements when necessary. Children’s identity needs are promoted, including their ethnic and religious identity and celebrations. Staff facilitate individual age-appropriate activities in accordance with children’s interests.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Preparation for independence starts early and is well planned. Children are helped to develop independence skills in practical ways that are tailored to their needs. Children say this is a helpful way to learn. However, when children experience emotional Inspection report for children’s home: SC487165 4 difficulties, the independence plan is paused, and staff take over most of the tasks for them, such as cooking, laundry and food shopping. Although this approach provides a nurturing environment for children, it does not help them develop the resilience needed to cope with hardship without the intensive assistance of staff when they eventually live independently.

p.3

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

Staff keep the children safe, and children say they feel safe at the home. One child said that living at the home makes them feel the safest they have felt.

p.4

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

Children know how to raise complaints, and their allegations are taken seriously by the staff and managers. Children are encouraged to express their worries, and clear information is provided to them in relation to the outcome of complaints and the next steps.

p.4

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

The risk assessments and behaviour support plans are live documents that staff update regularly and use to inform behavioural responses. They are individualised documents that reflect clear risks, protective factors and realistic strategies to address children’s behaviours. Staff take time to understand the reasons behind children’s behaviours, and children’s views related to risks are included in the risk assessments.

p.4

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

Staff address children’s behaviour with proportionate responses and a focus on promoting positive behaviour using incentives and natural consequences. Specialist support is sought when needed. This helps children to reflect on their behaviour and empowers them to identify alternative ways to better manage their difficulties. For example, a child was helped to access specialist support around substance misuse, and staff continued to support the child with their reflections. This helped the child understand how their choices affected their well-being.

p.4

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

Room searches are limited. When they take place, they are justified, and children’s dignity is respected. There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection. The provider’s ethos is that such intervention is used as a last resort when addressing children’s behaviour. All staff are trained in the provider’s preferred de-escalation techniques.

p.4

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

Missing-from-home incidents are rare. Staff are supporting the children in identifying safer solutions that meet their needs and wishes. For example, one child felt comfortable discussing their intention to leave the home on a specific date, and staff are working with the child and the local authority to ensure that the child can safely see the people who are important to them.

p.4

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

When children are missing from home, there is a good working relationship with partner agencies, such as the local authority and the police, to identify the child’s whereabouts and return them home safely. Following incidents, return home interviews are arranged for children to ensure their well-being. The manager and staff identify child-centred solutions to reducing and preventing the risks that lead to children going missing from Inspection report for children’s home: SC487165 5 the home. A social worker and an exploitation worker gave positive feedback about the provider’s insight into a child’s needs and the solutions identified with the child to prevent missing-from-home incidents.

p.4

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

Children are supported in understanding the risks of browsing online and how to keep themselves safe. The key-work sessions address internet safety and provide a realistic approach and real-life examples that are easy for the children to understand.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the deputy manager have provided the children and staff with stability. There is clear guidance to ensure that children receive good-quality care, including promoting a healthy lifestyle for them.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high expectations for the children and passionately advocates for their needs, both with senior management and partner agencies, to ensure that the children benefit from resources that support their full potential. When children are involved with the criminal justice system, the manager advocates for the least criminalised intervention and the most emotional support possible for them.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is suitably staffed to meet the children’s needs, including when they need one-to-one support. The safer recruitment process includes additional checks on references, which reassures the manager of the staff’s suitability to work with children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an effective induction in place, and new staff say that the mandatory training helps them enhance their skills to meet children’s needs from the onset. Additional training is provided to support staff in meeting children’s individual needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are comfortable saying when they need help, and they feel supported and valued by the management team. Staff supervision takes place regularly, in line with the provider’s policy. Staff work well together and have a sense of shared ownership about their practice. The manager and staff have a good understanding of the safeguarding procedures, including the whistle-blowing policy, and they are confident to put this into practice if necessary.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager can identify the service’s strengths and areas for improvement. The manager has clear plans in place to continually enhance the children’s experiences while living at the home. The manager and staff are reflective and use learning from feedback and incidents to improve the care they provide to children. For example, the management team is in the process of reviewing the monitoring systems, as advised by the monthly independent visitor, to ensure that there is a better review of children’s progress, taking into account their starting points and goals.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The recommendations from the last inspection are met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC487165 6

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or living independently. This includes helping the child develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the support of the home, as well as teaching practical skills, such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care, when the child is moving to live independently. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

p.6

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: SC487165 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Serenity Care Homes Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Wild at Heart, Forest Road, Thorney Hill, Bransgore, Christchurch BH23 8DZ

p.7

Inspector

Claudia Poienar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC487165 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8