Children's Home run by Worcestershire County Council in Worcestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2812370 1 Registered provider: Worcestershire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a local authority and provides short breaks for up to 4 children with learning disabilities.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024. He holds a level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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 outstanding

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 28 October 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2812370 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/10/2025 Full Good 21/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2812370 3

p.2

Summary of findings

This short-breaks home provides children with planned respite stays that offer valuable support to both the children and their families. At the time of this inspection, 3 children were staying at the home, and 27 children were on roll. Since the last inspection, 3 children have left the service, and 3 children have been admitted.

p.3

Summary of findings

Most children have attended the home for several years. Children benefit from a consistent, stable, experienced and well-trained staff team that knows them well. The service has become an invaluable source of support for children and their families and promotes children’s wellbeing.

p.3

Summary of findings

Children benefit from a range of meaningful experiences and opportunities that they may not otherwise access. Feedback from children, families and professionals is consistently positive.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s stays are guided by their views and wishes. They spend time with adults planning their stay, sharing ideas and preferences, and reflecting on their experiences. This provides children with a sense of ownership and creates a more meaningful and child-centred experience.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Well-planned moves are central to children’s successful experiences. Before children commence their stays, staff invest time in getting to know them, building trusting relationships and gaining a detailed understanding of their individual needs. Children’s visits are introduced gradually and are increased at a pace that is right for them. This helps them to become familiar with the environment and staff before progressing to overnight stays.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to bring personal items with them for their short-break stays. Their bedrooms are prepared in advance of their arrival. This thoughtful approach helps give children a sense of belonging.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide opportunities for children to build practical life skills, including cooking, personal care and other household tasks. This helps promote children’s independence and personal responsibility.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with enjoyable and meaningful activities, and this is central to children’s experience of short breaks. They are committed to ensuring that children have regular opportunities to explore their local community and participate in a wide range of activities. Children enjoy going to parks, football matches, the cinema, beaches and the theatre. These opportunities promote social interaction and provide children with plenty Inspection report for children’s home: 2812370 4 of opportunities to have fun. When children do not go out into the community, there is a wide range of resources for them to enjoy, including a sensory room and soft-play area.

p.3

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

Safeguarding is at the heart of practice. Staff receive comprehensive safeguarding training and have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from harm. The manager supports safe practice by ensuring that plans are regularly reviewed and tailored to children’s individual risks and vulnerabilities.

p.4

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

Staff and leaders monitor changes in children’s behaviour and identify emerging patterns at an early stage, with the aim of preventing concerns from escalating into incidents. Staff are encouraged to identify potential triggers, patterns and effective strategies to support children. This approach promotes proactive planning and enables care to be adapted in response to children’s changing needs.

p.4

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

Staff use physical intervention only when necessary to protect children and others from harm. All incidents are reviewed by the manager, who maintains effective oversight to ensure that practice is safe, consistent and in line with children’s best interests.

p.4

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

When children present with injuries, staff undertake appropriate exploration to understand how they occurred. They ensure that children have not been harmed. Staff make appropriate enquiries and gather relevant information, which reviewed is by the manager. This enables professionals to monitor and identify any safeguarding concerns.

p.4

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

Managers follow safer recruitment procedures to help ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children. Appropriate pre-employment checks are carried out before staff commence their roles.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is highly experienced, dedicated and consistently goes above and beyond for the children who access the short-breaks service.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Through strong leadership, the manager has created a positive learning culture that enables staff to carry out their roles confidently. Furthermore, the manager supports staff to develop a thorough understanding of children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. He actively promotes professional development by networking with other professionals and services, encourages research-informed practice and ensures that staff have access to good-quality training. This has strengthened the team’s knowledge, skills and ability to provide high-quality care.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is ambitious in his efforts to remove barriers for disabled children. One example of this is when he secured a significant amount of funding to purchase commercial play equipment for the home. This has enhanced children’s experiences by enabling them to enjoy the outside environment and has reduced some of the challenges Inspection report for children’s home: 2812370 5 they face when accessing local parks and play areas. As a result, children have greater opportunities for high-quality physical play and fun.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager uses regular supervision and planning to set clear, child-focused objectives for staff. These targets are embedded into staff’s daily interactions and activities with children. These goals are reviewed frequently, ensuring that staff remain accountable and focused on improving children’s experiences and outcomes. As a result, children make measurable progress towards their individual goals.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

All staff either hold required qualifications for their roles or are actively working towards achieving them. Once qualified, staff work towards further qualifications that exceed the minimum legislative requirement. This reflects leaders’ commitment to developing a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff take an active role in children’s lives beyond the care provided during short break stays. They attend children’s meetings, work closely with professionals and families, and remain actively involved. On one occasion, leaders and managers provided practical support when a child was moving from their family home to a new home. One parent described the support provided during an emergency as ‘invaluable’.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are exceptionally effective at planning for children’s stays. They know the children well and use this knowledge to make well-informed decisions about their stays. Managers consider the needs of children joining the short breaks service alongside those of children who have been attending for some time. As a result, children have been able to develop strong bonds with one another.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home’s statement of purpose does not include all the information required by the regulations. Additionally, it has not been shared with the regulator, which may hinder regulatory oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812370 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 registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

p.6

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 1 September 2026

p.6

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: 2812370 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Worcestershire County Council

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester WR5 2NP

p.7

Inspector

Chrisoula Contoyianni, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2812370 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.

p.7

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 . 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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8