Children's Home run by Blue Valley Care Ltd in Leicester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2795704 1 Registered provider: Blue Valley Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. The inspector spoke with both children.

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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 outstanding

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 14 October 2025

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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: 2795704 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/10/2025 Full Good 28/01/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2795704 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive nurturing, individualised care from staff who know them well and understand their needs. As a result, children are making good progress in their relationships, education, emotional wellbeing and independence. Safeguarding practice is generally effective, with staff responding appropriately to incidents and emerging risks to promote children’s safety. Managers are ambitious for children, advocate strongly on their behalf and work effectively with partner agencies to secure positive outcomes. Reflective practice is well embedded, and leaders use learning from experiences to improve care. However, some notifications to Ofsted have not been submitted within the required timescales.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide consistent, individualised support that helps children make meaningful progress from their starting points. They understand children’s emotional needs and carefully plan support to build confidence, resilience and independence. Relationship- based practice helps children to feel secure and understood. One child spoke positively about feeling safe, happy and loved. The other child increasingly seeks out adults for support and is becoming more confident in expressing their views and discussing education, relationships and future plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults support children to pursue their interests, take part in community activities, maintain important family relationships and develop friendships. They celebrate children’s achievements and memorable experiences through memory books and other personalised records, helping children to recognise their progress and reflect positively on their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults promote family relationships sensitively and thoughtfully, recognising their importance to children’s identity and emotional wellbeing while supporting children to manage any associated challenges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are valued and influence their day-to-day experiences and important decisions. Adults adapt their communication and approaches to ensure that children can express their wishes and feelings in ways that work best for them. As a result, children develop trusting relationships with adults, feel listened to and supported, and gain confidence in making decisions about their lives, education, independence and future aspirations.

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

Adults have a good understanding of the individual risks faced by children and use their knowledge of children’s behaviours, experiences and circumstances to inform safeguarding practice. Risk management plans are regularly reviewed and updated in Inspection report for children’s home: 2795704 4 response to incidents, direct work, observations and changes in children’s needs. Adults recognise known triggers and respond proactively, using reassurance, consistent boundaries, opportunities for reflection and other de-escalation strategies to reduce risk and support children to regulate their emotions.

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

Staff respond effectively when children are exposed to increased safeguarding risks. When a child has gone missing from home, staff have carried out extensive searches, maintained contact with relevant individuals, worked closely with the police and kept professionals informed until the child was located safely. Following the child’s return, staff reviewed risks and carried out direct work to help the child understand relationships, sexual health, exploitation, independence and safer decision-making.

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

Adults approach sensitive subjects with care and without judgement, enabling children to maintain trusting relationships and feel able to share concerns. When an allegation was made about an adult, leaders followed safeguarding procedures appropriately, supported the child to share their account and ensured that the matter was escalated to the relevant agencies.

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

Managers demonstrate an appropriate balance between protecting children and respecting their rights. They carefully consider whether restrictive measures are necessary and proportionate and seek the least restrictive options available to keep children safe. For example, when additional environmental restrictions were proposed for one child, managers challenged whether these were justified and instead explored alternative arrangements through increased staffing. This approach reflects leaders’ commitment to promoting children’s dignity, rights and emotional wellbeing while managing risks effectively.

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

Adults respond appropriately to incidents and support children to reflect on what has happened, repair relationships and consider safer ways of managing future situations. Managers review incidents to identify learning and improve practice, recognising the importance of responding to early warning signs and implementing preventative strategies at the earliest opportunity. This helps to ensure that safeguarding practice evolves in response to children’s changing needs and experiences. However, there have been occasions when notifications of serious incidents to Ofsted were delayed. While leaders respond appropriately to significant incidents, these delays limit external oversight and do not meet regulatory requirements for the timely reporting of notifiable incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are highly ambitious for children and have a significant positive influence on their lives. They know children exceptionally well and use their understanding of children’s histories, strengths, vulnerabilities and developmental needs to shape care and support. Their strong leadership is reflected in the progress children make. One child has developed a greater sense of safety, stability and trust following a period of significant placement instability. Another child is growing in confidence, developing independence and making progress towards their educational and career Inspection report for children’s home: 2795704 5 aspirations. Children clearly benefit from this nurturing and purposeful leadership, evidenced by the relaxed, affectionate and trusting relationships they have with adults in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders have high expectations of staff and are relentless in addressing barriers that prevent children from reaching their potential. They advocate strongly on behalf of children and work persistently with partner agencies to secure the services and support that children need. This includes successfully promoting access to specialist education, supporting carefully planned educational moves and challenging professionals when provision does not fully meet children’s needs. Leaders also advocate for appropriate health, therapeutic and family support, ensuring that delays and gaps in services are addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders promote a reflective, relationship-based culture in which adults are encouraged to understand the experiences behind children’s behaviour and respond using therapeutic approaches. Through regular supervision, team meetings, training and reflective discussions, adults review children’s progress, learn from incidents and identify improvements to practice. Leaders are supportive and approachable, encouraging professional development and providing opportunities for progression. Staff feel valued, listened to and confident to seek guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders actively identify strengths and areas for development in the home and take prompt action when practice falls short. They welcome professional challenge, reflect on incidents and use learning to improve practice. Managers carry out detailed reviews that explore triggers, staff responses, environmental factors and preventative strategies, helping staff to better understand and meet children’s needs. They also challenge potentially restrictive practices and seek less-restrictive alternatives that promote children’s rights, independence and wellbeing. As a result, children benefit from thoughtful and responsive leadership that continually improves the quality of care, safeguards their welfare and supports positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Overall, leadership is a significant strength of the home. Leaders set high expectations, lead by example and maintain ambitious aspirations for children. They work proactively with partner agencies, challenge barriers and advocate strongly to ensure that children receive the support and opportunities they need. Leaders promote a reflective culture in which staff continually develop their practice and adapt support to meet children’s changing needs. As a result, children experience consistent, nurturing care that promotes their safety, strengthens their sense of belonging and emotional wellbeing, and helps them make meaningful progress across all areas of their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2795704 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 30 September 2026

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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: 2795704 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Blue Valley Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 34 Wiltshire Crescent, Basingstoke RG22 5FE

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Inspector

Theresa Kambani, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2795704 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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