Children's Home run by Gloucestershire County Council in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2831035 1 Registered provider: Gloucestershire County Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to 2 children with emotional and social difficulties. One child is currently living in the home, who the inspector spent time with. The inspector spent time with the child.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

This the first inspection since the home registered in August 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be 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: 2831035 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made considerable progress since moving into the home, supported by the positive relationships they have built with staff. Staff use a nurturing and therapeutic approach to support the child to feel settled in the home and able to express their feelings and emotions in a positive way. On moving into the home, the child struggled to sleep in their bedroom. They now benefit from a positive bedtime routine and a good sleep. One professional stated that the child has made ‘meaningful and observable progress’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before the child moved into the home, staff completed outreach work, so they were familiar to the child. Staff created a video of the home, so the child was prepared for moving in, which helped alleviate any anxiety, and so they felt welcome.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child receives regular education mentoring. Leaders and managers work closely with other professionals to explore suitable options for educational activities. Professionals said that the manager has been proactive and collaborated well with the team around the child to try to secure the right education setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to participate in a regular sporting event, and the child enjoys being active and going to the park regularly. Staff help the child maintain family relationships so they can enjoy quality time with the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefits from regular play therapy sessions to support their emotional wellbeing. However, despite encouragement the child does not attend appointments for their physical health needs. Staff have regular conversations with the child to promote positive personal hygiene, however there is not a clear plan in place to support the child with this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Professional feedback is excellent, and they do not have any concerns about the home. One professional said that they ‘believe they are doing an incredible job, and they can see the child is feeling more settled as time goes on. The child can struggle to leave the house, but staff are consistent in their approach and persevere in helping the child achieve small steps.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Clear plans for the child’s future are not in place. Leaders and managers have escalated their concerns within the local authority to be able to prepare the child for their next steps.

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improvement to be good

Inspection report for children’s home: 2831035 3 Staff support the child to be increasingly safe in the home and safeguarding concerns are infrequent. There have been a high number of incidents in the home, many of which have required the child to be physically restrained. The use of restraint has significantly reduced since the child moved into the home. This reflects the positive and caring relationships that staff develop with the child. When staff use restraint, it is necessary and proportionate to keep the child safe. The child has left the home, but staff always follow and support them to return before they can go missing.

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improvement to be good

Staff identify that they are still getting to know the child and at times they do not implement firm boundaries because they worry about how the child might respond. Leaders and managers say the clear focus is on developing relationships which will in time support staff to be more consistent.

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improvement to be good

The child spends a significant amount of their day watching the TV or gaming. Staff supervise the child’s time online and there are suitable parental controls in place to provide an additional layer of safety. Staff have begun to have conversations with the child about how to be safe online.

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improvement to be good

There have been three concerns raised about staff practice. There was a delayed investigation into one concern. This was not reported to the manager swiftly, and the manager did not consult with safeguarding partners until a significant time after the incident. While the investigation found no harm to the child, the manager did not have a good enough understanding of the situation to know this at the time. On two occasions staff did not uphold their duty and support colleagues in challenging situations. Leaders and managers have not implemented training and learning to better support staff following these incidents.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers ensure that all staff working with children are safe. The manager has oversight of recruitment checks, so he can ensure they are thorough and in line with safer recruitment guidance.

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good

The manager is a good advocate for the child. He challenges professionals appropriately in the best interests of the child. The manager recognises that staff development is ongoing. He supports staff to reflect and learn from incidents to widen their skills and expertise.

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good

Staff said that they like working in the home and enjoying supporting the child. They said the manager is supportive and approachable, and they have regular supervision, which they find beneficial. Staff benefit from group clinical advice and guidance each month, however team meetings are inconsistent.

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good

Although staff complete training, they do not always receive specific training to better meet the child’s needs. Some staff said they do not feel equipped for their Inspection report for children’s home: 2831035 4 role. Furthermore, training records are disorganised, unclear, and are out of date. This limits the managers oversight of staff knowledge and how to develop the team.

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good

The manager understands the needs of the child well and has clearly advocated for them when discussing other children moving into the home. The manager understands the importance of a clear and considered plan and has made decisions that prioritise the child’s emotional safety and placement stability.

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good

The home is fully staffed. When additional staff are required, familiar staff from other homes provide support, providing consistency and stability for the child. Several staff have no previous experience of working with children, but they are working towards obtaining their qualification.

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good

Leaders and managers have good oversight of the home, and the manager reviews all incidents involving the child. Reflective sessions take place with staff. While there is some monitoring and quality assurance of standards, the manager does not complete this regularly. Inspection report for children’s home: 2831035 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 protection of 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— that staff—

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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; help each child to understand how to keep safe; 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; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when a child raises a concern against a member of staff, that he takes appropriate action to investigate and explore concerns. Furthermore, he must ensure he seeks external professional advice from the local safeguarding agency and consults with them on what action to take, to ensure there is a robust plan to address concerns and ensure that the child is safe in the home. 1 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2831035 6 In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child is supported in recognising online risks and understand how to stay safe online. Additionally, staff must have the knowledge and skills to understand online safety risks so they can monitor and protect the child when using devices with internet access.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the experience, training, and skills necessary so they can manage complex needs and ensure that they provide appropriate support in line with the child’s needs. The registered manager must ensure that staff complete all training that is specific to the child, and to support staff confidence, so they can manage all situations effectively and safely for the child.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff training records are clear and up to date and reflect what training staff have completed and when they are due for renewal. 1 May 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered manager must ensure that staff encourage the child to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being needs. Where children have specific health needs, they should be supported to manage these Inspection report for children’s home: 2831035 7 subject to their age and understanding. Furthermore, staff should support the child to learn effective self-care skills and participate in a morning and evening routine, so they have good personal hygiene. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.10)  The registered manager must ensure that staff provide the child a nurturing environment that is welcoming, supportive, and which provides appropriate boundaries in relation to their behaviour. In particular, the registered manager should ensure that all staff provide consistent boundaries so the expectations for

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Recommendations

the child are clear, and so that they feel a sense of security. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person is responsible for leading a team which provides high quality care for the child living in the home. The registered person should complete regular internal monitoring to ensure that the child receives a high level of care and that there is continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)

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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: 2831035 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Gloucestershire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Shire Hall, Westgate Street, Gloucester GL1 2TP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Isabel da Costa Santos

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Inspector

Emma Fryer, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2831035 9 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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