Children's Home run by The Serendipity Centre Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2605336 1 Registered provider: The Serendipity Centre Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The organisation operates a registered school in the local area.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2025.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2605336 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2024 Full Good 26/02/2024 Full Inadequate 01/12/2022 Full Good 15/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2605336 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in the home are settled and form positive relationships with staff. The staff offer the children a range of enjoyable activities both inside and outside the home, such as escape rooms, playing games on the television or attending martial arts clubs. Personalised memory books capture children's journeys while living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children's emotional wellbeing is a priority for staff. An experienced psychologist facilitates group discussions with staff. These sessions complement the trauma-informed practice training.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have focused and meaningful discussions with children to explore relevant topics. This gives children the necessary support and guidance to enhance their social skills and helps them to develop independence. An 'independence week' is an initiative that helps children to focus on their independence skills. This has been effective for children who were initially reluctant to develop their skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A child's transition to the home from another home in the organisation was well planned and sensitive to the child's needs. The child visited for meals and activities. Staff from their previous home cared for them until the child settled in. The manager completed a detailed assessment to ensure that this move was the right one for the child and for the children already living there.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children access education with the support of staff. Staff helped a child to gain a college place. They remained near to the college while the child attended to offer reassurance until they no longer needed this support. This has been effective in helping the child to maintain their place at college, which is a great achievement for them. The staff advocated for another child to complete their exams before moving on from the home to ensure continuity during the exam period.

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

Senior managers take effective action when safeguarding concerns arise. They share concerns appropriately with external professionals and work collaboratively with them to safeguard children. The children rarely go missing from the home, which is reflective of the positive relationships they have with each other and the staff.

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

Staff keep children safe. They set clear boundaries and educate the children to keep themselves safe, including when online. Additional safety measures are used to prevent children accessing unsafe sites.

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

Effective strategies are clearly set out in individual risk assessments, which are implemented by staff. Staff took appropriate action when a child was struggling with their mental health, and safety plans were put in place to safeguard the child. Staff work Inspection report for children's home: 2605336 4 with the wider professional network to ensure that the children have suitable support. One social worker said, 'My young person has experienced some mental health worries during their time at the home and I have been reassured by how promptly and appropriately staff have responded.'

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

Managers ensure that the environment is well maintained. The actions from the fire risk assessment have been addressed. Any restrictive practices, such as door alarms, are reviewed to ensure that they remain appropriate. Currently, the alarms are not needed and so remain deactivated, recognising that the children do not present a risk within the home.

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

There have not been any incidents needing physical intervention. Staff are trained in de- escalation methods to ensure that they can respond quickly to prevent any incidents developing. Staff receive training in emergency first aid. If staff are not up to date with this training, a risk assessment is in place. However, this is generic and does not adequately inform staff of how to manage this risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a change of leadership during the inspection period. Leaders and managers remain focused on ensuring that the children are not impacted by these changes. They have a good understanding of the strengths and areas to develop in the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring processes have improved since the last inspection. Senior managers undertake thorough audits to identify areas that need improvement. The manager's oversight has led to continued improvement. She responds positively to the independent visitor's recommendations and shares these with the staff. The staff meetings are used as an opportunity to learn, develop and improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children's plans are written to ensure that staff can care for children effectively. The staff know the children well. They listen to their views and encourage them to contribute to their care plans. However, the delegated authority document has not been updated since the time children moved in. This does not reflect the children's increased independence and ability to make decisions for themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Social workers are positive about the children's experiences at the home and attribute this to the skills and commitment of the staff. A social worker noted that a child used to be anxious but has grown in confidence with the support of the staff. Another social worker commented that the home had played a significant role in the child's positive progress, and they valued the thoughtful, consistent support of the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well maintained, and children take pride in the home. One child initiated improvements regarding the garden furniture, proudly demonstrating their competence in this area. Leaders and managers have a risk assessment in place for when external people visit the home. They also follow safer recruitment processes, ensuring that all Inspection report for children's home: 2605336 5 required checks are completed before staff start work. As a result, children are supported by suitable individuals. Inspection report for children's home: 2605336 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that each child's placement plan sets out the permissions that their placing authority has delegated to the registered person. This should provide clarity on the home's ability to give permission for school trips, sleepovers or the child's involvement in sporting, leisure and cultural activities. Wherever possible, the home should secure the appropriate authority to support children to be involved in the same positive activities as their peers. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 30, paragraph 6.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to respond to the health needs of children and administer basic first aid and minor illness treatment. If a staff member has not had the necessary training, a risk assessment specific to individual circumstances should give clear guidance about

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Recommendations

how this is to be managed. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 34, paragraph 7.12).

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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: 2605336 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: The Serendipity Centre Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 1st Floor, Goodlands House, St. Lukes Close, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2US

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Inspector

Suzy Lemmy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2605336 8 regulates 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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Inspector

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