Children's home run by Hillcrest Children’s Services Ltd in Havant

Inspection report for children’s home: SC011972 1 SC011972 Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to 6 children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. It is owned and run by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were 4 children living at the home. The inspector spoke with 3 of the children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2012.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 25 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC011972 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/02/2025 Full Good 05/10/2023 Full Good 03/01/2023 Full Good 13/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC011972 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children were seen to have positive relationships with staff; however, they report mixed experiences of living at the home. One child described having good relationships with staff, although they were not clear about some boundaries. One child did not speak to the inspector due to feeling unwell. However, their family member reported that the child is happy, settled and has developed positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their individual starting points. Some children are developing a better understanding of their emotions and are developing their confidence. All children are making progress in their engagement with education and their willingness to participate in new activities. One child who has previously been out of education for an extended period is now engaging with mainstream education. Another child is attending school full time and receives additional tutoring outside of school hours to further support their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a range of enriching activities that help build confidence and self- esteem. These include football, gymnastics and martial arts. Staff have been creative with finding ways to support children to develop confidence and engage with activities that are in line with their interests. For example, one child was supported to attend individual boxing lessons before being encouraged to join a group boxing class, which they now attend regularly. During school holidays, staff make efforts to provide children with opportunities to participate in a variety of activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

While children are offered opportunities to spend time with staff and engage in activities, there are occasions when some children spend long periods in their bedrooms after school. Staff recognise that further encouragement could be provided to support these children to spend more time with staff and strengthen relationships in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children shared some concerns regarding changes in staffing arrangements. The children commented that staff changes can make it difficult to build close relationships. Leaders and managers recognise the impact that the turnover of staff has had over the past year, and efforts have been aimed at recruiting a full staff team, which has now been achieved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved into and out of the home in a short period of time as a result of staff being unable to safely manage incidents. Once it became apparent that the staff team was unable to meet the needs of the child, the decision was made quickly that an alternative home was needed. The manager has reflected on this and recognises that they did not make all possible efforts to speak to relevant professionals to ensure that the home could fully meet the child’s needs. It is expected that this learning will be embedded into future practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC011972 4

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, staff do not always apply the procedures that are in place to safeguard children. At times, staff actions have inflamed incidents; on one occasion, this resulted in a child leaving the home. Staff hold nurturing conversations with children following incidents, and managers provide oversight of these events. However, greater reflection is needed on the impact of staff actions in the lead up to incidents. In addition, return home conversations with children are not consistently taking place when children return from being missing from home, which limits opportunities to understand the reasons for children leaving and to identify potential safeguarding risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff sometimes use physical intervention to manage children’s behaviour. While these interventions are recorded and reviewed by managers, there are occasions when staff lack the skills to de-escalate situations effectively before they escalate. One child reported that these incidents occur frequently and that they make him feel sad. Management oversight identifies some concerns in staff practice. However, more could be done to ensure that learning from incidents is promoted and that staff practice continues to improve.

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improvement to be good

Consequences are used to promote children’s positive behaviour in the home that are not always restorative. One child has lost a personal item as a result of an incident, while Key-work sessions have been undertaken with the child to help them learn about online safety and the impact of their behaviour, there is no clear plan for when the item will be returned.

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improvement to be good

The home’s statement of purpose outlines that therapeutic care is provided to the children. However, it is not evident that staff are drawing on therapeutic approaches when managing incidents. Leaders and managers have recognised this shortfall and are implementing additional training to support staff with their development.

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improvement to be good

When concerns are raised about staff practice, immediate safeguards are put in place and investigations are undertaken appropriately, with information being shared with external safeguarding agencies appropriately. On one occasion, more could have been done to ensure that concerns were followed up with an external agency to ensure that they had been acted on. Overall, the response from leaders and managers has been clear and decisive, at times resulting in staff dismissal where this was appropriate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides good oversight of practice in the home. Leaders and managers recognise the strengths and weaknesses of the home and have implemented plans to support the continued improvement of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC011972 5 Since the last inspection, the home has experienced a period of instability with several new members of staff joining the team over the previous 6 months. This has had some impact on children. Leaders and managers recognise the impact that instability can have on children’s experiences. There is now a full staff team in place, and leaders are focused on developing staff skills and strengthening consistency in the team before considering further children moving into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they are supported well. They speak positively of the manager and feel that they can raise concerns as needed. External professionals say that they have good communication with the staff team and that the manager advocates well for the children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and supervision sessions take place regularly and include good reflection on how children are feeling and how staff work with them. When concerns emerge about staff practice, these are addressed thoroughly during supervision, and staff are also encouraged to reflect on how their relationships with children can improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Family members feel that they have good communication with staff from the home and that children have good relationships with some of the staff. They feel that children are making good progress, with one family member commenting that this is the most settled their child has ever been. Inspection report for children’s home: SC011972 6

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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 for 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are knowledgeable about the home protocols to keep children safe and act in accordance with these. In addition, staff should be skilled in de-escalation techniques and able to implement these in response to significant incidents. 27 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; 27 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC011972 7 use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are knowledgeable about the therapeutic approaches that they are to use, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose, and that these are routinely used to support children when they are distressed.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 27 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC011972 8 In particular the registered person must ensure that staff help children to learn healthy behaviours through positive means. Where personal items are removed from children as a consequence, there must be clear planning with regards to how and when items will be returned, and this must be clearly communicated to the child.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the workforce provides stability to the children in the home and that staff have the skills and experience necessary to respond to the safeguarding concerns in the home. In addition, the registered person must ensure that following significant incidents, there is robust, critical analysis of staff practice to ensure that learning is identified and can be embedded into practice. 27 March 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are engaged in positive routines and activities, throughout the week. This includes children being engaged in activities in and outside of the home when they return home from school to ensure that they are not spending long periods in their bedrooms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5) Inspection report for children’s home: SC011972 9

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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: SC011972 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hillcrest Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Keys Group, Maybrook House, Third Floor, Queensway, Halesowen B63 4AH

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Inspector

Minnette Sims, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC011972 11 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 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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