Children's Home run by Hestia Homes for Children in Reading

Inspection report for children’s home: 2816100 1 Registered provider: Hestia Homes for Children Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company and provides care for up to 7 children with learning disabilities. It is located next door to its sister home, and the 2 homes share a staff team.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living in the home. The inspector spent time with all the children, receiving support from staff to use their preferred methods of communication.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered for both homes. They were registered to manage this home when it registered in December 2024.

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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 good

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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: 25 September 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: 2816100 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/09/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2816100 3

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Summary of findings

Children experience positive outcomes in a warm, child-centred home where they feel safe, valued and confident.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand each child’s individual needs, communication methods and routines, enabling them to make choices, enjoy meaningful activities and maintain important family relationships.

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Summary of findings

Strong partnership working with education, health and social workers supports children’s learning, wellbeing and development.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff understanding risks, responding appropriately to concerns and promoting positive behaviour through consistent support.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers provide strong oversight, advocate effectively for children and support staff through training and supervision. Overall, children make good progress and benefit from nurturing, aspirational care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are at the centre of the running of the home. This is reflected in the warm and homely atmosphere, where children appear comfortable and confident in their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are child focused and responsive to each child’s needs. They understand each child’s communication approach, enabling children to take the lead in choosing how they spend their free time. At the same time, staff remain consistent in their approach to supporting children and their routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in a wide range of activities in the home and the community. During the summer, a large paddling pool and water play have been particular favourites, alongside holidays at the beach. Photo albums capture the many fun experiences children have and show the significant progress they have made through joining in and having new experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain contact with those who are important to them. This includes sending letters and photos to brothers and sisters using their preferred communication methods. Contact with families is carefully planned to ensure that it is a positive experience for all. This includes considering the most suitable place to meet and the activities that children and their families would like to do.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Close liaison with education partners, including the virtual school, means that all children are engaged in some form of education. Joint working with professionals in schools helps Inspection report for children’s home: 2816100 4 to maintain consistency across settings to support children’s communication and other specialist help they may need. The management team is proactive in identifying any concerns regarding education and challenges the lack of suitable education when required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s physical and emotional wellbeing is managed effectively. Children are helped to lead healthy and active lifestyles, including emotionally stimulating activities and trying new foods to broaden their palette and improve their diet. Children’s diagnosed health conditions are well managed, with staff actively seeking medical professional support should there be any changes in children’s physical or emotional health.

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

Children are happy and confident in the home and with the staff looking after them. Staff have a good understanding of each child’s vulnerabilities. The management team promotes appropriate risk-taking to ensure that children benefit from experiences that are appropriate to their age and stage of development.

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

Managers and staff understand the additional vulnerabilities of the children they care for as a result of their communication needs and learning disabilities. They clearly observe and monitor children’s interactions, highlighting any changes that are of concern. For example, joint communication with education staff, social workers and family members regarding a child who injures and bruises easily means there is oversight of any injuries, so investigations can take place if any are unexplained.

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

The staff, including those who are new to the home, know the processes to follow should they be concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing, including how to escalate this outside of the organisation. When concerns have arisen, they have been reported swiftly to appropriate partner agencies. On one occasion, there was a delay in reporting a safeguarding concern by a senior member of staff to managers. This has been addressed effectively; however, it led to a delay in reporting a safeguarding matter to the local authority designated officer.

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

Staff know that all actions and behaviours are a form of communication. They seek to understand what a child needs or wants when they are upset or distressed. Staff are consistent in their approach, and children’s plans are clear on how to help them at these times. Reflection and oversight following incidents mean that staff practice and plans are continually evaluated and adapted to ensure that children receive the best possible support. Physical interventions are rarely used and, when they are necessary, are thoroughly reviewed and monitored by managers.

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

Children are protected from avoidable risk through regular checks of the home and environment. The dedicated maintenance person ensures that the home is safe, and any damage is repaired quickly. There is a programme of maintenance in place when the children return to school after the summer holidays. Inspection report for children’s home: 2816100 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have excellent oversight of children’s progress through monitoring their targets and goals. The registered manager and responsible individual are based in the home, providing support and guidance to the recently appointed home manager and assistant manager. As a result, staff say they feel well supported and that there is always somebody senior they can go to should they need any advice or guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers and staff team are aspirational for the children, helping them to develop and learn new skills. There are many new staff working in the home. The team is still forming, and staff have not yet fully settled into their roles. However, the ethos and approach are threaded through how staff support children. Those who are new to working in the home feel well supported and are positive about the help and guidance they receive from the management team and others who work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers in the home constantly promote children’s views to partner agencies, advocating on their behalf effectively, when it is felt decisions are not necessarily in the child’s best interests. Additionally, joint working with education, health and the wider network around the child means that they all know children’s views and that there is consistency in approach. Social workers comment positively on the communication with staff and how well the management team keeps them and families updated on children’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a wide range of training opportunities, with specific focus on the needs of the children living in the home. Additionally, regular team meetings and supportive and reflective supervision sessions help staff to develop their skills and knowledge. Most staff either hold, or are working towards, a suitable residential childcare qualification and are supported to achieve this within the required timescales. However, there is a concern that one member of staff remains significantly beyond the timescale for achieving a suitable qualification, despite receiving additional support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2816100 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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)) 30 September 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff understand their responsibility to report safeguarding concerns to the designated safeguarding lead without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)

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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: 2816100 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hestia Homes for Children

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Cottage, Emerys Farm, Beckfords, Upper Basildon, Reading RG8 8PB

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Inspector

Jennie Christopher, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2816100 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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