Children's Home run by Park Blue Homes Limited in Wiltshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2712284 1 Registered provider: Park Blue Homes Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and may also have learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2026 and is due to leave the organisation in July 2026.

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 requires improvement to be 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: 2712284 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/07/2025 Full Good 19/11/2024 Full Good 14/06/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2712284 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children receive warm care and make progress, with positive feedback from families and professionals. Children benefit from stable routines, meaningful relationships and support to develop independence. Leaders provide support and oversight, and staff understand children’s needs well. However, safeguarding practice is not consistently effective. Gaps in the supervision of children, inconsistent implementation of plans and weaknesses in managing identified risks mean that children have not always been kept safe. While leaders recognise these issues and have begun to take action, improvements are not yet fully embedded.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm, nurturing home, where they report feeling safe and settled. One child who is new to the home is beginning to build positive relationships with staff, helping them to feel more confident in seeking support from staff and managers when needed.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from consistent support, encouragement and clear expectations from staff. As a result, individual progress is evident, including one child improving their college attendance, obtaining employment and significantly reducing incidents of going missing from home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain relationships with those who are important to them by facilitating family time, ensuring arrangements are followed and providing support before, during and after visits. This helps children manage their emotions and maintain positive relationships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from families and professionals is positive. They describe the home as welcoming and feel that children are well supported by staff, who know them well. Families report good communication and say they are kept informed about their child’s care and progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean, tidy and well maintained. Improvements have been made to support children’s comfort and ensure that the environment remains safe. Bedrooms are personalised and reflect children’s identities. Photos around the home capture shared experiences and activities.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop the skills and confidence they will need for adulthood, such as cooking and managing money. While children do not always choose to engage in this support, staff provide encouragement and opportunities to support children’s development over time. Staff provide structure and meaningful activity, including for a child who is currently not in education, to maintain their engagement. Inspection report for children's home: 2712284 4 Children’s health needs are appropriately met. They are registered with relevant health services and attend routine appointments, including GP, dental and optician checks.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s achievements and milestones are recognised and celebrated in ways that are meaningful to them. They are involved in decisions about how to mark important occasions. These are often celebrated through shared activities, such as meals or time together. Staff capture these moments, providing children with a record of their experiences.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children’s plans are clear, providing practical guidance for staff on how to identify, manage and respond to concerns. They set out expected actions in different scenarios and are regularly reviewed following incidents. However, these are not always followed in practice. There have been gaps in the supervision of one child and inconsistencies in staff practice, resulting in incidents where a child has not been kept safe. Leaders and managers have reflected on these areas and have begun to put strategies in place to strengthen practice.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff talk with children about staying safe, relationships and boundaries, and this work is generally effective. Children engage in these conversations and are able to share their views. However, work relating to online safety is less developed. As a result, practice in this area is not consistently robust, and children are not fully supported to recognise and manage potential risks when online.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently manage risks appropriately. A lighter was found in one child’s bedroom and vaping in the home is not always challenged. While items that could pose harm are sometimes removed, this is not done consistently, which compromises children’s safety.

p.4

improvement to be good

Safer recruitment practices are followed to reduce the risk of unsuitable people working in the home. Required pre-employment checks are completed, and recruitment records demonstrate that appropriate vetting processes, including identity verification and references, are undertaken.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel well supported by leaders and managers. They receive regular supervision sessions and opportunities to reflect on their practice. Leaders are approachable and responsive, particularly following incidents, which helps staff feel more confident in managing complex situations.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable, which helps to provide children with consistency and continuity of care. When additional staffing is required, managers use the same bank staff Inspection report for children's home: 2712284 5 wherever possible. These staff know the children well, understand their individual needs and routines, and are able to provide consistent care and support. This helps to minimise disruption for children and maintain positive relationships.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly and include the whole staff team. These provide opportunities to share views, review practice and consider areas for improvement, helping to support a more consistent approach to care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a range of mandatory and specialist training that helps them meet children’s individual needs. In addition to safeguarding and core training, staff have completed training in aerosol misuse and substance misuse, delivered by specialist organisations. Further specialist training is planned, to strengthen staff's understanding of children’s needs and risks and how to respond effectively.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. They maintain effective oversight and provide consistent support to the manager, helping to ensure that priorities are identified and there is a continued focus on improving practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager identifies strengths within the team, particularly their commitment to children. However, the manager’s evaluation of staff practice and safeguarding is not sufficiently detailed. It lacks critical analysis and does not clearly consider the impact on children’s day-to-day experiences and safety. Managers have recognised that this is a shortfall and are acting to address these gaps.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems are in place, including regular oversight of incidents. However, these are not yet fully effective. Although learning is identified, it is not consistently translated into changes in practice or used to fully understand patterns. As a result, improvements are not always embedded and opportunities to reduce risks for children are missed.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders advocate for children and challenge partner agencies, when concerns arise. However, stronger and more persistent escalation is sometimes required, to ensure that children’s needs are met without unnecessary delay. For example, where there are delays in education provision or uncertainties regarding transition planning.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2026 and is due to leave the organisation in July 2026. Leaders have recognised the importance of maintaining stability during this period of change and are taking steps to support a smooth transition in leadership. Inspection report for children's home: 2712284 6

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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, that staff are clear about their responsibilities when caring for children and the levels of supervision required to manage risks. In addition, actions taken following incidents must be consistently applied in practice, and identified learning must be embedded in the day-to-day care of children to reduce risk.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that children are supported to understand how to keep themselves safe. This includes undertaking direct work with children to promote their 28 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2712284 7 awareness of online safety risks and to develop their skills in managing these effectively.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.7

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.7

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child's relevant plans;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the child's health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child's health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child's age and understanding;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child's well-being;

p.7

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should support staff to be consistent with children and help children not to vape, smoke or misuse substances. 28 August 2026

p.7

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they are proactively advocating for a child and be forceful in their challenge to the relevant person so that a child’s voice is heard in relation to care planning. ('Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 11, paragraph 2.4) Inspection report for children's home: 2712284 8

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: 2712284 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Park Blue Homes Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 38 Freemans Way, Harrogate HG3 1DH

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Tashinga Muchapondwa

p.9

Inspector

Karen Hallam, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2712284 10 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

Inspector

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 .

p.10

Inspector

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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10