Children's Home run by New Forest Care Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC363268 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

p.1

SC363268 Registered provider: New Forest Care Limited

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 3 children with social, emotional and/or mental health difficulties. There were 3 children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025.

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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC363268 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/05/2025 Full Good 04/03/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/01/2024 Full Outstanding 21/03/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC363268 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

p.2

Summary of findings

Children in this home make good progress and have positive experiences. Staff know them well and children’s care is tailored to their individual needs and preferences. Children feel safe. Staff enable children to explore their feelings and emotions following any incidents, through thorough discussions. Managers and staff value children’s education. They ensure that children receive educational support and have developed positive and collaborative relationships with education professionals. This supports consistency of care between the staff and education providers. Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have worked hard to improve the culture in the home. This has led to staff feeling better supported and has in turn improved consistency of care for children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are cared for by committed staff who support them and have a good understanding of their needs, likes and dislikes. Staff know children well and have positive relationships with them. Interactions between staff and children are warm and affectionate.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children said that they are happy in the home and they know who they can talk to if they have worries. Talking about their experience of living in the home, one child said, ‘We have the best staff ever.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean, well decorated and has a genuine homely feel. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their own individual interests. The garden has recently been redeveloped, giving the children a large and safe outside area to enjoy.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care in line with their personalised plans and targets. This has contributed to the positive progress that children make. One child has been supported to make their own way to their education provision by public transport, helping to prepare them for independence. Another child is supported to understand and name their emotions, helping them to develop self-regulation and resilience skills.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to spend time with their families in a way that is accessible and enjoyable for them. Children share their views about seeing their family members, and staff have supported changes to family time in line with these views. This helps children to maintain relationships with those who matter to them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children are engaging in their education. Staff have frequent communication with education professionals to ensure that care between home and school is consistent. This is because children’s educational needs are valued by staff. Inspection report for children's home: SC363268 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s equality and diversity are considered and supported, and any inappropriate use of language is appropriately challenged by staff. Children are helped to understand the impact of this on others. Staff use children’s preferred pronouns; this supports children to feel able to express themselves openly and to understand and develop their identities.

p.4

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

The relationships and interactions between staff and children show that children feel safe with those who care for them. Children are able to speak openly and honestly with staff about their thoughts and feelings.

p.4

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

Physical intervention is used as a last resort and always at the lowest level required. Records of these interventions are clear and well written, and children are appropriately spoken to after any incident.

p.4

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

Children’s internet use in the home is well monitored and individualised to their age and understanding of online risks. This has led to children being able to safely navigate the internet, providing them with age-appropriate independence online while still receiving support and guidance from staff.

p.4

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

Door and window alarms are used. While this is an appropriate safety measure for some children, this is used in practice for all children. The relevant policy has not been regularly reviewed and is not in line with all children’s specific needs and plans.

p.4

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

At times, staff use consequences when children show behaviours that challenge. However, the consequences used are not always proportionate and have sometimes been punitive. Information in records relating to consequences is sparse in places and lacks detail and the reason for the consequence is not always captured.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high aspirations for children and is dedicated to their work. Staff say that there has been a positive shift in the culture of the home and that the management team has worked hard to achieve this. The commitment, focus and collaborative working of the registered manager and the deputy have helped to achieve this.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feedback is positive. They said that the home feels like a happy and safe place to work. Staff have positive and collaborative relationships with each other. They work well together to ensure that children have consistency in the care that they receive.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision takes place frequently and is of good quality, covering staff wellbeing, safeguarding and opportunities for reflection. Staff speak positively about their experience of supervision and feel well supported by those who supervise them.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a comprehensive training package for staff from induction onwards. This includes regular refreshers, both face to face and online. The training provided also Inspection report for children's home: SC363268 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

focuses on the specific needs of the children in the home. For example, staff received specific training after a child received a diagnosis, and further training was carried out in relation to self-harm to help them to understand the needs of another child.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management arrangements for monitoring and reviewing the quality of care for children needs strengthening. The registered manager has not had consistent oversight of children’s records. For instance, some children’s records have not been reviewed and updated for some time and details of meetings relating to children are not always included. Furthermore, feedback from children, their families and external professionals is not always sought to inform the day-to-day running of the home. This hinders leaders and managers’ ability to fully assess and identify the home’s strengths and areas for development. Inspection report for children's home: SC363268 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and

p.6

Requirement Due date

delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.6

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the monitoring systems are effective and that feedback from children, their families and external professionals is sought and used to inform leaders and managers’ understanding of the quality of care that children receive. 4 June 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which— 4 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC363268 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

p.6

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have access to children’s care plans, which are regularly reviewed and followed.

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address behaviours that challenge are restorative in nature and help children to recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that the use of electronic door and window alarms is regularly reviewed, involves parents, children (where possible) and social workers to consider if it continues to be necessary for safeguarding purposes, in accordance with regulation 24. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

p.7

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: SC363268 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Forest Care Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Shore House, West Street, Hythe, Southampton, Hampshire SO45 6AA

p.8

Inspectors

Sheniz Hudaverdi, Social Care Inspector Sharron Dormand, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC363268 9 OFSTED USE ONLY

p.8

Inspectors

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.9

Inspectors

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.9

Inspectors

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

p.9

Inspectors

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

p.9