Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 1 Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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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 owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, there were 3 children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since April 2026.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/01/2026 Full Good 27/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/11/2022 Full Good 20/07/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making progress and are developing their independence skills. However, relationships between children remain challenging, and staff do not consistently have the confidence or skills to intervene effectively when children’s relationships with each other break down.

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Summary of findings

Staff make efforts to de-escalate incidents. However, there are limitations to the conversations and learning that occurs following significant incidents. This means that opportunities to improve practice are often missed.

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Summary of findings

Staff feel anxious and, at times, fearful of one child’s behaviour. This, alongside inconsistent supervision and support, has affected staff wellbeing and confidence. Leadership oversight is not effective in ensuring that learning from significant events is consistently embedded into practice.

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improvement to be good

Due to a lack of confidence and skill within the staff team, there has been inconsistency in the care provided to children. This has resulted in unrest and instability in the home. Staff have been ineffective at supporting one child with the boundaries that they need to flourish, which has adversely affected the child’s lived experience.

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improvement to be good

Staff have found it increasingly challenging to meet one child’s needs. As a result, there has been disharmony between children that has not been successfully resolved. Staff are unable to intervene effectively when children exert control over each other, and have been unable to help children sustain positive communication and relationships with each other. This has created an unsettled and unpredictable living environment.

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improvement to be good

The home lacks the warmth, nurture and sense of belonging that children should experience. Furniture and toys have been broken during incidents and not routinely replaced. One child shared that they would like items to be replaced in the home. At times, the home feels institutionalised, with one door to a communal education room locked without a rationale for restricting children’s access.

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improvement to be good

Significant incidents have occurred, resulting in damage to the environment and furnishings. For example, egg residue remained on one child’s bedroom window for a number of weeks, and graffiti is present on walls within communal areas. While some attempts have been made to repaint these areas, the graffiti remains visible. In addition, several areas of the home are in need of repair and redecoration. The delay in restoration following incidents is impacting on children’s sense of belonging and feelings of safety. Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 4 One child attends education and has good attendance. Staff support another child to engage with an alternative education plan. Staff share information with other agencies and have advocated for the child to receive the support and education that they need. This has provided the child with a routine and a sense of achievement.

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improvement to be good

Children have developed positive and trusting relationships with staff. Staff speak about the children with warmth, compassion and genuine enthusiasm, demonstrating a clear commitment to their care. This commitment is reflected in the positive feedback received from social workers and other professionals involved in the children’s lives.

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improvement to be good

There are inconsistencies in how staff respond to children’s behaviours and implement consequences. Some actions taken by staff are not clearly linked to the behaviour displayed or aligned with the child’s agreed care plan. For example, as a consequence following a behavioural incident, one child was prohibited from being taken out for a drive with staff. However, this activity had been identified as an effective strategy to help the child regulate their emotions. This means that children do not have clear expectations about the consequences they may receive or how to make restorative amends.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to become more independent and develop new skills, depending on their age and understanding. They are encouraged to complete chores around the house and learn about budgeting. This helps the children to learn the skills they will need as they become adults.

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improvement to be good

Staff use physical intervention appropriately and attempts are made to de-escalate situations before using physical intervention. However, staff do not capture children’s views effectively or consistently after physical intervention is used. This means that children are not always given the opportunity to reflect on what has happened or express their feelings. Similarly, staff are not routinely given the opportunity to reflect meaningfully after incidents occur. This limits the opportunities to consider what could be done to develop staff practice and better support children in future.

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improvement to be good

Children are not routinely supported to understand the impact and consequences of their behaviour. One child’s experiences have led to them feeling unconfident without staff support at night, and another child feels anxious due to the incidents that have taken place. While staff are taking steps to reassure children and implement strategies to make improvements, their responses following disharmony between children have not restored children’s relationships effectively or created sufficient stability for children to feel consistently safe.

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improvement to be good

When children make allegations, staff listen to their views and take them seriously. Staff inform the local authority designated officer and social workers in a timely manner. Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 5 When children go missing from home, staff follow missing-from-home protocols and co- ordinate responses to ensure that children are supported to return home safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of the home is ineffective. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the registered manager has been absent from the home for some significant periods. Arrangements for interim leadership have been inconsistent, resulting in a lack of effective oversight and direction. Staff report that they do not have confidence in the leadership of the home and described a home that lacks clear guidance and stability. Consequently, children have experienced inconsistent care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Ongoing staffing shortfalls have resulted in the deputy manager undertaking tasks and working shifts to support staff. This has reduced management capacity and, in some cases, prevented effective oversight of practice. Monitoring, review and quality assurance systems are incomplete. Leaders have failed to identify and address shortfalls, resulting in missed opportunities to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite the commitment of individual staff members, leaders and managers have failed to ensure that staff have the skills, confidence and support necessary to manage challenging situations effectively. One child said that they feel staff do not have control over situations when they escalate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff report feeling frightened of one child’s behaviours and that their concerns have not been appropriately acknowledged or addressed by managers. Staff do not receive regular reflective supervision or debriefs following significant incidents. As a result, opportunities for learning, reflection and professional development are missed, leaving staff unsupported and increasing the risk of poor practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Fortnightly team meetings take place. However, the attendance at these is variable. These are all missed opportunities to improve standards and develop staff knowledge and experience within their role. Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 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 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;

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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.

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that repairs and maintenance in the home are carried out without delay. 21 September2026

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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— 21 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 7 help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that bullying or unkind behaviours are addressed effectively.

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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

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff supervision takes place at the intervals stated in the home’s policy.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that staff have the confidence to manage challenging incidents. 21 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out— 21 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 8 how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children can access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the capacity and competence to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, which provides the foundations for managing any negative behaviour. Staff should have the skills to respond to each child’s individual behaviour. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)

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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: 1259734 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hampshire County Council, The Castle, Winchester SO23 8UG

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Inspectors

Stephanie McDonald, Social Care Inspector Rubina Gani, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1259734 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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