Children's Home run by Brighton and Hove City Council in Brighton and Hove

Inspection report for children's home: 2847441 1 Registered provider: Brighton and Hove City Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority children’s home provides care for up to 5 children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, learning disabilities and physical disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home was registered in September 2025. This was the home’s first inspection.

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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: 2847441 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making good progress in many areas. They attend college full time and are doing well. Staff stay in regular contact with the college, and a clear transition plan was put in place before the child’s move. This is supporting the child’s ongoing educational progress and they enjoy attending.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is generally healthy. Staff are attentive to their health needs and understand the impact that their health can have on their behaviour. Staff support the child to attend appointments and encourage a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage the child to build and maintain positive relationships with their family. Staff work closely with the child’s parents to help strengthen these relationships and make sure that the child has positive experiences when they spend time together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys a wide range of creative, active and sensory activities that help them to express themselves. Staff support them to choose activities that match their interests. These include colouring, foot massages, trampolining, visiting a local aquarium, bowling, spending time at the park and trying a dance club.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child’s care is personalised to their communication needs, sensory needs, routines and emotional development. Staff use tools with pictures and simple language to help the child to express themselves. As a result, they are increasingly able to verbalise their thoughts and feelings. However, the registered manager acknowledges that these tools need be developed further so that the child can understand how to make a complaint.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is clean and safe. The child’s bedroom is personalised to their tastes and reflects their identity. However, the communal areas are less personalised and are not homely.

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

There is a positive culture of safeguarding in the home. Managers and staff understand their roles and responsibilities and the importance of working with other professionals to keep children safe. They communicate regularly and well with relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer (LADO) when required.

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

Staff record incidents clearly and managers review the incidents to be assured that practice is safe and of good quality. Managers also provide guidance and support when this is needed to promote staff development. Inspection report for children's home: 2847441 3 Physical interventions are rarely used and only as a last resort. The manager takes a proactive, child-focused approach when reviewing these incidents. However, not all staff have received physical intervention training, which is necessary to ensure that the approach is used consistently.

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

Managers take a learning approach to any incidents of concern. When issues arise, they review the systems in place and strengthen them when needed to reduce the risk of similar incidents happening again. For example, after medication errors occurred, monitoring systems were reviewed and staff received additional training and support.

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

Staff and managers review the use of consequences. They make changes when needed to ensure that consequences used are effective in supporting the child. For example, they have moved towards a rewards-based approach to encourage positive behaviour. As a result, there is a continued focus on positive reinforcement.

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

Staff use helpful strategies to support the child. This includes giving the child time to process information and using ‘I wonder’ statements, which supports them to stay calm. Staff are responsive to the child’s needs and actively review how they support the child. They provide consistent support to help ensure that the child receives safe and predictable care.

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

The child is supported by staff, who have built positive and trusting relationships with them. This is shown through the warm and caring interactions that they share. Staff encourage the child in a calm and consistent way, using tools like a timer to help them move between planned activities. When the child finds transitions difficult, staff guide them patiently.

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

Staff help the child to build their independence at a level in line with their development. They adapt routines and instructions so that the child can understand and follow them. Because of this support, the child is getting better at self-care skills like showering, and they are starting to make food. They are also using their phone less. These improvements have helped them feel more confident and more engaged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a registered manager who is committed to ensuring that the child receives good-quality care. They know the child well and are proud of the progress that they are making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in September 2025. Despite the short time that the home has been operating, the manager has developed a good understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. They are reflective about the challenges in the home and are considering ways to make continued improvements that will benefit the child and any children who move into the home in future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and report feeling supported by managers. A new staff member said the team is supportive, therefore they feel comfortable asking for help. Inspection report for children's home: 2847441 4 However, the monitoring systems in place for tracking supervision and training are not fully effective. Consequently, the registered manager cannot be consistently assured that these sessions take place for all staff in line with the organisation’s policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and deputy manager maintain effective working relationships with external professionals and partner agencies. Feedback from other professionals is positive. Communication with the home is reported to be excellent and professionals attribute the progress that the child has been making to the personalised and calm approach from staff. One professional said, ‘I have been really impressed by the child- centred approach from staff and how well they have supported their transition to the new home and new education placement.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2847441 5

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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 leadership and management standard 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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive mandatory training in a timely manner and ensure that the mechanisms in place to monitor supervision and training are effective. 2 August 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children and is a homely, domestic environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure children who cannot or choose not to verbalise have the right to have their views, wishes and feelings heard and respected in the same way as other children. In particular, ensure that an explanation is given to each child about how to make a complaint and how any complaint will be dealt with. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.24) Inspection report for children's home: 2847441 6

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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: 2847441 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brighton and Hove City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Brighton and Hove City Council, Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove BN3 3BQ

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Inspectors

Chido Mangava, Social Care Inspector Sheniz Hudaverdi, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2847441 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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