Children's Home run by Highlands Care Solutions in Southampton

Inspection report children's home: 2864589 1 Registered provider: Highlands Care Solutions

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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 owned by a private organisation and is one of its three registered children's homes. The home provides care for up to 3 children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children's home

The home was registered with Ofsted in January 2026. Tis is the home's first inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2026.

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Inspection dates: 26 May, 27 May and 11 June 2026

The full inspection took place on 26 and 27 May 2026. An inspector returned on 11 June 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. The 2 children living at the home were spoken with at the full inspection and were at school and not seen during the additional visit.

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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 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: none Inspection report children's home: 2864589 2

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Summary of findings

Children make good progress and have positive experiences. They are cared for by staff who want the best for them and who support them to achieve their goals. Staff build strong, nurturing relationships that help children feel valued and secure. Safeguarding practice is effective, and incidents are addressed promptly to ensure children’s safety. However, management oversight requires further development so leaders can clearly identify and track areas for improvement. Leaders recognise these shortfalls, and while progress has been made, the actions taken now need to be fully embedded to ensure sustained improvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a safe, spacious and well-decorated home that is warm and inviting. They are actively involved in decisions about their home and bedrooms, which are personalised to reflect their interests and identities. This creates a homely atmos- phere that promotes their sense of security, belonging and self-expression. The envi- ronment is warm, welcoming and reflective of a family home. The children appear happy and well supported, and they have made progress in a short period.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff interactions with children are kind, caring and fun. Staff join in activities with children that the children enjoy, such as football, visiting the beach and going for walks. Children engage in conversations with staff and benefit from positive encour- agement and friendly/good humoured interactions. Staff have quickly built positive relationships with the children, which means that the children enjoy spending time with them and feel relaxed and comfortable in their presence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's wishes and feelings are actively sought and acted on. Staff have been creative in finding opportunities to engage with children, and car journeys have become a good time for group conversations. Children have a voice regarding food choices, activities they would like to participate in, and any changes they wish to see in the home. As a result, children have become more open and feel able to share their wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported in education, including being transported to schools at a distance to maintain links in their family home community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to have positive experiences with their families. Family time is organised sensitively and in collaboration with external professionals. As a result, Inspection report children's home: 2864589 3 children are helped to see family and are supported in spending positive time with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are well managed. The manager ensures that com- prehensive information is collected before children arrive. This is achieved through in-depth assessments of the children's needs and abilities, which helps staff under- stand their lived experiences. As a result, children settle in quickly and begin to build positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to explore and understand their own identities and are given the freedom to express themselves. However, there is currently no structured approach to help them develop a deeper understanding of inclusivity or to celebrate differences. This is a missed opportunity to fully promote the development of inclu- sive, respectful interactions and relationships.

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

Managers and staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. They build positive relationships with partner agencies to ensure that effective communication is in place to support children.

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

Staff use a range of effective de-escalation techniques and creative alternative strategies to support children when they are distressed. They draw on the positive, trusting relationships they have built with the children to intervene early and minimise risk during periods of conflict. Physical intervention is used only as a last resort, after other approaches have been attempted. These incidents are proportionate, well recorded and children are offered the opportunity to reflect afterwards. This helps children to understand what happened and how they can be supported going forward.

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

Promoting positive behaviour is a clear focus in the home, with staff recognising and rewarding children’s good choices. However, children’s support and risk management plans do not clearly outline their current behaviours or provide staff with the detailed guidance needed to manage behaviour effectively and consistently. Managers acted during the inspection to update all plans and brief staff. Between the full inspection and the additional visit, staff have also received comprehensive training to help them respond to children’s emerging needs.

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

Managers and staff take effective action when responding to safeguarding concerns. Allegations made by children are thoroughly investigated, and the relevant authorities are notified. Children are supported throughout the process. However, they are not consistently informed of the outcomes. Furthermore, some staff have not received the agreed follow-up actions and support from managers consistently. Inspection report children's home: 2864589 4

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good

Monitoring and reviewing systems are in place but are not always effective. Recording systems lack consistency, making navigation challenging for staff. Different online recording systems complicate the process, and records are often hard for managers to locate. Some recording and incident records are inaccurate or lack detail, making it unclear how events were experienced by the child or how staff responses supported learning and emotional wellbeing. As a result, leaders do not always have a clear oversight of the home, incidents nor the impact these have on children’s experiences.

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good

Staff are provided with regular supervision and training that focuses on their welfare and supports their practice. Additionally, there are regular team meetings and clinical child-focused meetings supported by a therapist. This provides opportunities for staff to come together and discuss the children's needs, as well as their own support needs. Staff receive supervision and training and speak positively about this support

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good

The manager is actively involved in the children’s day-to-day care and is identified by the children as a trusted adult. The manager has high aspirations for each child and helps them enjoy their childhoods. His enthusiasm is woven throughout the home and influences how the staff respond and care for the children.

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good

External professionals report positive relationships with the home. They feel that the staff communicate regularly with them and believe the team provides strong support for the children. Additionally, they have praised the team for the decrease in incidents and for the progress each child has made in the short time they have been living in the home.

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good

Despite the shortfalls identified during this inspection, the manager demonstrates a strong understanding and commitment to improving the service. He has developed trusting relationships with children and gained respect from the staff. Inspection report children's home: 2864589 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, 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—

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Requirement Due date

that staff 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that plans for children are clear, include all the required information and enable staff to provide safe and effective care to each child.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that debriefs for children and staff are consistent, and follow-up actions are completed and any learning identified is actioned. 01 August 2026

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 01 August 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2864589 6 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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have full and consistent management oversight in order to ensure accurate recording, evaluate patterns and trends, and identify areas of learning in order to make continuous improvements.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all children receive age appropriate support and guidance that helps them understand difference, diversity and the importance of forming respectful relationships. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 38, paragraph 8.6) Inspection report children's home: 2864589 7

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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 children's home: 2864589 8 Unique reference number: 2864589

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Information about this inspection

Registered provider: Highlands Care Solutions

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Information about this inspection

Registered provider address: 4 Jasmine Court, London Road, West Kingsdown, Sevenoaks TN15 6BW

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Inspectors

Sharron Dormand, Social Care Inspector Steve De Souza, Social Care Inspector

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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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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