Children's Home run by Gloucestershire County Council in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2839800 1 Registered provider: Gloucestershire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This local authority home provides care for up to 8 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2025 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living in the home. Three children spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2839800 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/03/2026 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2839800 3

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Summary of findings

Children make progress in line with their respective starting points and assessed needs. Leaders, managers and staff work effectively with partner agencies to understand the children’s needs, vulnerabilities and the contextual safeguarding risks. However, some safeguarding systems are not always effective in reducing some children’s risks.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers understand the home’s strengths and areas for development well. They ensure that staff are child focused and receive support to provide individualised care for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to participate in meaningful discussions and activities to support their confidence and independence. One child said that they enjoy living in their home and rated the staff as ‘9 out of 10’. Staff also recognise when children need additional support. This helps to ensure that children’s individual needs are known and understood by all professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. The child’s move was organised and thoughtfully planned. This ensured that the child and the other children living in the home were consulted and understood the arrangements. Managers and staff recognise the importance of continually reviewing and developing their practice to support children to live together safely and effectively

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage with external professionals. This provides them with opportunities to share their views, wishes and feelings. Most professionals speak positively about the support provided to children. However, one professional identified communication and understanding one child’s needs as areas for development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortable with decor and furnishings of a good standard. Communal areas and the garden are spacious and provide children with opportunities to relax. Children’s bedrooms reflect their personal interests. Children are supported to have pets, and staff help them to learn about animal care. As a result, children are provided with a homely environment that supports their independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to maintain important relationships with their families and friends. However, feedback from one child’s family member is inconsistent. They stated the manager is ‘lovely’ and communicates well with them. However, they also said that they have not always been happy with the care their child receives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff work together with education professionals to devise bespoke education plans for children. However, despite this partnership working, staff experience Inspection report for children’s home: 2839800 4 difficulties consistently supporting children’s attendance and engagement. This affects children’s learning and has the potential to affect their future aspirations.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have established strong partnership working to understand the contextual safeguarding risks. This enables the managers, staff team and all external professionals supporting the children to understand their individual needs. Despite this partnership working, the bespoke support and specialist interventions are not effective in addressing the challenges in helping some children.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from their home, staff carry out searches and liaise with family members, friends and the police to locate them. The manager and staff team work together with specialist professionals to understand the risks associated with children going missing and being exploited. However, despite the extensive partnership working and bespoke support and care, some children remain vulnerable to risks in the community.

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improvement to be good

Children’s emotional wellbeing and physical safety are understood by the managers and staff team. Staff help children to learn about risks through meaningful discussions and by advocating for specialist support. A substance misuse practitioner stated that staff have a good understanding of one child’s needs. However, this support has not led to a reduction in some children’s risks and vulnerabilities.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers understand and apply safer recruitment practice. This ensures that children are cared for by suitable adults who have the necessary skills to support them. Children are encouraged to be involved in the recruitment process. This provides children with the opportunities to share their views, wishes and feelings and to be involved in making decisions about the operation of their home.

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improvement to be good

The clinical team supports the managers and staff team to understand children’s needs. Comprehensive assessments are carried out by the clinical team that provides guidance to staff. All children have support and risk plans that are reviewed by the management team in consultation with external professionals. This ensures that staff and external professionals understand the children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been no complaints, allegations or incidents requiring physical intervention. Staff are resilient and committed to developing positive and trusting relationships with children. Staff have received training and support to help children understand the risks associated with using the internet. However, managers and staff recognise that routines and boundaries for children are ongoing areas for development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2839800 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about advocating for children and developing staff practice. Staff speak positively about the support they receive from the manager. Together, they are committed to supporting children and achieving positive outcomes for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are proactive in developing strong partnership working to understand children’s contextual safeguarding risks. Overall, external professionals speak positively about the quality of communication and the exploration of different strategies to reduce the harm to children in their community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have devised a detailed training programme for staff. Staff have either achieved the required qualification or are enrolled to complete it within the necessary timescales. This helps to ensure that children are cared for by suitably qualified staff. Staff value the quality of supervision and team meetings, which support the development of reflective practice and emotional resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and responsible individual have monitoring systems in place to review children’s experiences and progress, safeguarding practice and staff development. This enables children’s needs and vulnerabilities to be reviewed and, where required, their support and risk plans to be adapted accordingly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff raised some concerns about staffing sufficiency, the availability of resources and the assessment of whether children can live together safely. These areas have also been identified through the independent monitoring of the home carried out by the independent visitor. Leaders and managers recognise these areas for development and are taking action to address them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2839800 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

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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day to day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff understand how to balance children’s risks and vulnerabilities to enable them to live safely together in the home. In addition, they must ensure that staff continue to receive the appropriate support to proactively respond to children’s risks and vulnerabilities. 21 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 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2839800 7 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are sufficient staff with the necessary skills to provide consistent care for children and protect them from harm. In addition, monitoring systems must be used to review and, where necessary, adapt the support provided to children and evaluate staffing sufficiency to ensure that it reflects the children’s risks and vulnerabilities.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2839800 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as rec- orded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and support needed to help children develop their independence skills, including how to safely manage risks in the community.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(ix)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the necessary skills to support children to participate in their bespoke education programmes. 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2839800 9 This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2839800 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Gloucestershire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Shire Hall, Westgate Street, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL1 2TP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Isabel da Costa Santos

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Inspector

Siân Heffey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2839800 11 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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