Children's Home run by Hampshire County Council in Hampshire

Inspection report for children's home: 1255823 1 Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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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, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager has recently been appointed but has not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The inspection started on 17 June 2026. An inspector returned on 15 July 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 1255823 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/07/2025 Full Good 23/07/2024 Full Good 22/08/2023 Full Good 14/06/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1255823 3

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Summary of findings

The home’s last registered manager has retired since the last inspection. An interim manager from within the organisation has been overseeing the home. A new manager has recently been appointed and is planning to apply to register with Ofsted.

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Summary of findings

Children say they feel cared for by staff. Trusting relationships have meant that children are achieving in education and their overall wellbeing has improved.

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Summary of findings

There have been changes to the staff team and the leadership of the home. Gaps in experience have meant that staff do not always feel confident in responding to incidents. The culture in the home is not consistently positive and there are inconsistencies in how staff approach challenging situations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has a welcoming and fun atmosphere. Both children and staff describe it as like living in a family home. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to their own individual tastes and are decorated to a high standard. When areas need upgrading, leaders have plans to implement this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to try new things and pursue their hobbies and interests. One child wrote a short story which is going to be published. Staff take a non-judgemental approach and help children to enjoy themselves and make personal achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in education, with one child successfully moving on to university. The child speaks positively about the support provided by staff, which helped make their transition to university successful. One child who recently moved in had been out of education for a period of time. They are now engaging in tutoring for maths and English. This targeted support is contributing positively to the child’s progress and re- engagement in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to learn age-appropriate life skills. For one child, this has meant that they can manage part-time employment. Staff support the child to understand expectations of the workplace, maintain attendance and develop a positive work ethic. The child’s confidence and self-esteem are increasing due to this approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. Staff work effectively with agencies such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to ensure that children have ongoing support that meets their specific needs. Staff supported one child to understand their diagnosis of diabetes and were attentive to how it impacted their mental wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A period of instability in the home led to one child temporarily moving to another home in the organisation. Staff maintained regular contact with the child by visiting them, Inspection report for children's home: 1255823 4 helping to preserve established relationships and connections. Although this move was a significant change for the child, staff ensured that the child had ongoing support, by staying in touch throughout their time away from the home.

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

Staff support children effectively when they go missing from home. They follow the agreed protocols and collaborate closely with police to help children return quickly. Staff take proactive steps to locate children; they communicate effectively with others and work diligently to reduce the risk of children being subject to exploitation.

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

Safeguards are in place which keep children safe online. Children take part in interactive activities which help them to learn about online safety. As a result, children understand the reasons that safeguards are in place and follow the agreed safety plans when using their devices and accessing the internet.

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

Managers ensure that allegations made by children are investigated thoroughly. They notify relevant professionals and explore concerns in a child-focused way. Children are provided with updates and are helped to understand the reasons for any actions taken. This approach helps to ensure that children feel safe and listened to.

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

There was an unsettled period when behavioural incidents increased, and police were called to support staff on some occasions. A high presence of new and inexperienced staff meant that some staff lacked the confidence or skills to manage difficult situations or intervene appropriately to ensure that children remained calm and safe. Leaders are taking steps to address staff practice issues and ensure they are confident to respond should similar situations arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Changes in the staff team have created some instability and less experienced staff have at times found it challenging to manage complex situations effectively. Leaders have not consistently ensured that staff have the confidence, knowledge and skills required to respond appropriately to challenging incidents. As a result, responses have not always been effective or child focused.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The culture among, and interactions between, staff are not consistently positive. Staff reported differing views about practice. This has contributed to inconsistencies in the responses provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff speak positively about the support they receive through team meetings. These meetings are reflective and include discussions about incidents and practice. This promotes a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders follow safe recruitment practices to help ensure that suitable individuals are employed to work in the home. However, staff vacancies and turnover have resulted in the use of agency staff. While leaders maintain oversight of preferred agency staff, they Inspection report for children's home: 1255823 5 do not consistently ensure that all agency staff hold the relevant qualifications for their roles. Inspection report for children's home: 1255823 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 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 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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff feel confident and skilled to manage challenging situations. 1 October 2026

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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

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(x)) 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 1255823 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff respond to children and to their colleagues in a professional and kind manner.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any external agency staff should meet the requirements in regulation 32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications. The registered person should consider their skills, qualifications and any induction necessary before they start work in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.16)

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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: 1255823 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hampshire County Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Stephanie McDonald, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1255823 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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