Children's Home run by Vantage Children’s Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2812248 1 Registered provider: Vantage Children’s Services Limited

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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 2 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in December 2024. During the inspection period, 2 children have moved in, and 2 children have moved out of the home. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. The child was spoken with during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2026.

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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: 2812248 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/05/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2812248 3

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Summary of findings

There is one child living in the home, and they speak positively about living there. Children have made good progress and are supported with their educational and health needs. Children’s risk factors are well understood by managers and staff. When there are incidents, managers and staff respond quickly to keep children safe and try to reduce risk in a nurturing way. Managers and leaders provide good levels of support and oversight to staff. Staff and professionals’ feedback is positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home said, ‘I really like living here and would like to stay here for as long as I can.’ The child feels understood, likes the way the home looks and feels that they are the only child living in the home. The child also describes having good relationships with most staff and feels well supported by them. The manager and staff understand the child’s needs and challenges and know how to support them. The manager and staff speak warmly and positively about the child. This helps the child’s sense of self-worth, security and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress from their starting points. When children are not accessing any education, staff encourage them to engage with tutoring. One child has been successful in completing their English and mathematics GCSE exams. When the child was provided with study materials that were not suitable for their stage of development, staff were able to identify this and adapt the teaching material.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with attending their health appointments and specialist appointments such as child and adolescent mental health services. However, where there are specialist assessments being completed, managers and staff have not made every effort to obtain the reports in a timely manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to participate in interests and hobbies. One child attends the gym twice a week, as well as dance classes, and will be performing in front of an audience. Staff are aware of the child’s strengths and interests, and these are promoted and well supported. This helps with the child’s social skills and sense of self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to explore and learn about different cultures in a creative way. For example, every month, the child is supported to select a country from a pack of cards. The child then learns about that country and the culture, and they also cook a dish that originates from the country. This supports the child’s understanding and respect for different cultures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to continue to have positive relationships with people they value, such as a friend and family member who both visit the child in the home. This supports Inspection report for children's home: 2812248 4 the child’s sense of identity and belonging. The manager maintains contact with another family member that the child does not currently see. However, staff do not consistently speak with professionals to ensure that there are clear expectations around family time if it takes place.

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

The potential risks to children are well understood by managers and staff. Risk assessments are robust and identify clear guidance and strategies to support keeping the child safe. Staff understand the risks and what is expected of them. Staff and managers work closely with multi-agency professionals to regularly review risk management strategies and challenge decisions where appropriate. This practice helps ensure that children are protected from harm.

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

Staff have clear plans to respond to incidents when children have been missing from home. The manager and staff follow children and search for them. They have a good knowledge of the places and people the child will go to. Staff work collaboratively with professionals and family to locate children quickly. Managers and staff report children missing from home to the relevant authorities with the aim of finding and returning children to the home. For one child, there has been a reduction in these incidents, which has resulted in fewer restrictions.

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

Staff work as a team to provide consistency and appropriate boundaries for children. This gives children a sense of security. Staff try to reduce risks by using distraction techniques and encouraging positive engagement through activities. Staff apply a non- judgemental approach and respond to incidents with sensitivity. Children are supported with accessing therapeutic support and reflective sessions with staff to support children to understand triggers. This helps children to feel safe and to be able to talk about their feelings.

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

Staff use rewards for positive behaviours so that children learn through positive reinforcement and reflection. However, the child said that they were not clear about how the reward scheme works. Staff also use consequences to manage behaviour. Managers and staff do not always ensure that rewards and consequences are clear, consistent and proportionate so that children are clear about expectations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders show a commitment to the children they care for and have a child-focused approach. They know children well and understand their needs, history and past trauma. This understanding informs individualised care for each child. Managers and leaders speak passionately about children and are committed to their progress. This helps embed an ethos where children feel understood and valued.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is very positive and outlines clear communication from staff and the management team. Managers and staff advocate for children. Although Inspection report for children's home: 2812248 5 managers and leaders are proactive and have good relationships with professionals, they do not always challenge professionals in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide good oversight and supervision to staff. Staff praise the level of support they receive from managers. When correct procedures have not been followed by staff, there is good management oversight, which has helped to identify shortfalls. Staff performance is reviewed and supported with reflections and lessons learned from practice. Additional training is identified to support individual practice and development needs. This helps to develop a safe and consistent approach to the care children receive. Inspection report for children's home: 2812248 6

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met. (Regulation 5 (b)(c)) 3 August 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children 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 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2812248 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Vantage Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hasleworks Ltd, 2-4 Petworth Road, Haslemere GU27 2HR

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Inspectors

Nus Bibi, Social Care Inspector Mandy Wake, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2812248 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

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

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