Children's Home run by Verity Shores LTD in Hampshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2876785 1 Registered provider: Verity Shores LTD

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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 registered with Ofsted in April 2026 and is owned and operated by a small private company. It provides care for up to 2 children who experience social and emotional difficulties as well as potentially associated learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2026.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2876785 2

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Summary of findings

This is the first inspection for this provider. There was one child present during the inspection, with another currently receiving health-related support away from the home. It is anticipated that the second child will return in the coming weeks following a transition period.

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Summary of findings

Children are receiving consistent care by committed staff who are developing their roles in this newly opened home. Training and support plans are in place to continue to build their knowledge and skills.

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Summary of findings

Staff safeguard children well and collaborate with other professionals to ensure that children can be supported to manage and reduce risks.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers do not have fully effective oversight of the home. This has led to shortfalls in some areas, including records, recruitment and the monitoring of children using CCTV.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with their wellbeing and to develop their independence skills. One child has made measurable progress since coming to live at the home and now benefits from a positive sleep pattern, an increase in independence skills and better emotional regulation. Their progress is evaluated on a regular basis. The child currently away from the home continues to have regular contact with staff to ensure that positive relationships are maintained.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with their education. They explore opportunities with children to attend educational placements through identifying their interests and seeking ways to overcome barriers to attendance. This approach helps children to engage and make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s wishes and feelings are responded to. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, promoting a sense of autonomy and inclusion for them. There is personal artwork on their bedroom walls and favoured photos. However, one child’s bedroom was not sufficiently tidy and hygienic.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are child centred in their approach. However, the use of a monitoring and surveillance system that has recently been installed is excessive and it is not clear why this is required. This impacts on the homeliness of the environment and the child’s experiences. Inspection report for children's home: 2876785 3 Staff have positive relationships with other professionals. One social worker highlighted the progress made by a child and staff’s insight into their needs. They were also complimentary of leaders and managers in terms of sharing information and their positive relationship with the child.

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

The child said that they could identify trusted adults at the home that they can talk to for support and advice. Managers are thoughtful in their approach and responses to children and carefully plan how to share sensitive information in a child-focused manner. This helps children to build positive relationships with the staff who care for them. Managers use their relationships with children to better understand the challenges that they face and provide more personalised and supportive responses. As a result, children have more positive experiences.

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

Staff support children to manage their behaviour well and use effective techniques to avoid situations escalating. Consequently, there has only been one physical restraint, which was appropriately used. However, the recording of this incident lacked a full account of what had happened or any follow-up actions for the staff.

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

The manager and staff have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and can act confidently when this is necessary. Children rarely go missing from home. On the one occasion this occurred, staff and managers worked with other professionals to locate the child and ensure their safe return. Relevant information was shared with other professionals and appropriate support provided.

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

Recruitment practices are generally good and follow safer recruitment processes. However, there are gaps in the verification of some references that have not been identified by the manager’s monitoring systems.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The home is led by a registered manager who has built trusting relationships with the children and wants the best for them. The manager speaks warmly about children, and they are passionate about delivering good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The management team is still embedding systems and processes in this new home. While this has not significantly impacted on the overall quality of care provided to children, the oversight of surveillance systems, recruitment processes and records, including physical intervention and staff training, is not sufficiently robust. In addition, children’s information is not always readily accessible to the manager and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The home is suitably staffed to meet the children’s needs, including when they need one-to-one support. Staff receive training to enable them to provide emotional support to children and to help children express their emotions constructively. A training Inspection report for children's home: 2876785 4 programme with care-experienced trainers provides staff with helpful insights that inform their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Staff say that they feel supported and valued by the management team. Staff supervision takes place regularly in line with the provider’s policy. Staff work well together and have a sense of shared ownership about their practice. One member of staff stated, ‘I have felt nothing but support in my role by all members of staff, and I am proud to be a part of this team.’ Inspection report for children's home: 2876785 5

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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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 31 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 24 (1)(a)(d)) 31 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

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. 30 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2876785 6 The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) Inspection report for children's home: 2876785 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s bedrooms meet the children’s basic day-to-day needs and physical necessities. This includes ensuring that the bedrooms are clean and tidy. Staff should seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met. Doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child and value them as an individual. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2876785 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 85 Rycroft Meadow, Beggarwood, Basingstoke RG22 4QE

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Inspector

Maria Calway-Kennedy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2876785 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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