Children's Home run by Cherry Trees Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2875690 1 Registered provider: Cherry Trees Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is owned by a charitable organisation and provides overnight short- break stays. It is registered to care for up to 6 children at any one time who have a wide range of learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities, as well as sensory impairments. At the time of the inspection, one child was staying in the home, and 2 children were receiving daytime support.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in December 2025.

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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: 2875690 2

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Summary of findings

Children who attend this short break service benefit from care that is kind and responsive. They enjoy a range of activities and are helped to make positive progress. Managers and staff know children well and support their individual communication needs. Parents say that they highly value the support and feel their children are well looked after. Any complaints or concerns about staff practice are responded to and investigated by managers. The environment is homely and medication systems are well managed.

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Summary of findings

There is inconsistent manager oversight of incidents and implementation of risk assessments. Children’s needs are not all assessed to understand risks and how they should be supported. Restraint incidents are not accurately recorded and evaluated to review their effectiveness and to help improve staff practice. Managers are actively working on making continuous improvements to the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from care that is attentive, kind and responsive. Staff have a calm, natural approach. They ensure that children’s needs are met while giving them space to play and explore. Children are helped to settle quickly. They show through their behaviour that they are happy coming to stay in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff are proud of progress being made by children. Children’s achievements are widely celebrated and recognised though rewards and special certificates. Some children have made significant progress, with self-care and communication skills. For example, one child who was non-verbal is now able to tell staff what they want and join in singing activities. Another child has been helped to vary their diet which is a huge step forward for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Supporting children’s individual communication needs is strength of the home. There are a range of communication tools available, set up in an inviting and educational way. This helps children express their feelings and get involved in every aspect of their day. Staff know children well. They are committed to continuously learning more about children’s individual needs and help them learn new communication skills. This means that children can contribute their ideas, their voices are heard, and they have their rights promoted and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a range of creative and fun activities when they come to stay for a short break. Joint activities with another home means children can also meet new friends and feel part of the bigger community. Children are offered new experiences in the home, including monthly theme boards that all the children can contribute to. Inspection report for children’s home: 2875690 3 Parents give positive feedback about how well managers and staff look after children. Parents say that children love coming in, communication is good and the care provided has far exceed their expectations. Parents notice that their children have made progress and had the opportunity to try a range of activities. One parent said, ‘we feel relaxed and happy knowing they are safe and well looked after.’

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

Staff quickly learn about, and adapt to, each child’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. They are supported by managers to understand and respond to children’s emotional needs. As a result, children are better able to regulate their emotions. For example, one parent reported their child is calmer and more settled. Another child who is staying in the home following an emergency placement, has a reduced number of self-harm behaviours. The overall significant progress made by this child shows that they have developed trusting relationships with staff and managers, and they feel safe.

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

Complaints are managed well. Any concerns raised by parents are listened to and explored. Action is taken to make improvements or to explain about the service position on why actions needed to be taken. A new complaints system has been implemented for children to enable them to raise concerns when they are unhappy.

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

Medication systems are in place to ensure that children’s health needs are met. There have been improvements made to recording systems. As a result, information about children’s medication is clear and easy to monitor for children coming in and out of the service.

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

Concerns around staff practice are thoroughly investigated. When issues are identified, managers are clear with staff about the expectations of their role, and additional guidance is issued. Follow up action is taken to monitor practice to ensure performance has improved. However, on one occasion the local authority designated officer was not consulted following an allegation about the practice of a member of staff.

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

Staff understand how to restrain children when needed as a last resort, however not all incidents have been fully recorded or evaluated by managers. On one occasion there was a significant incident that resulted in child being carried in a physical hold that was not an approved technique. The reason and proportionality for this hold was not reviewed by managers, and there were no follow up discussions with staff about what happened. As a result, there has been no oversight or understanding of whether physical hold was appropriate, no reflective learning on practice and no follow up support with the child.

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

The registered manager is registered to manage two homes. They work with several managers to oversee the home while they make improvements and focus on creating new opportunities for children. The number of managers involved has led to inconsistencies in oversight and gaps in children’s care planning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2875690 4 Managers have made considerable efforts to quickly accommodate a child in an emergency, to meet an urgent need identified by the local authority. However, the impact of a new child joining the home has not been considered. This means the potential risks posed between children have not been assessed to understand how they will affect each other and how this should be managed.

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

The short break service is a precious resource for children and families, however, there have been no care plans, risk assessments or behaviour plans created for children. This means that staff do not have the information they need to effectively support children and keep them safe. For example, for one child with a nut allergy, there was no detail about what food they can eat, or what to do if they had an allergic reaction. There have been no incidents that have impacted on children.

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

Incidents are not effectively reviewed and evaluated by managers. Children and staff do not have appropriate de-briefs and follow up action to reduce the risk of incidents happening again do not always take place. For example, after an incident on the trampoline, no risk assessment was put in place to inform staff how this activity can be safely managed in future. The means the organisations trampoline management policy was not followed.

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

Staff say they feel supported and that managers listen to them. Staff would like to see improvements in how the team works together, communicates and opportunities for professional development. The registered manager is aware of these concerns and is actively working on further development of the staff structure alongside ongoing training and upskilling for staff.

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

Managers have worked hard to enhance the quality of care provided to children and have been reflective about the challenges faced since the home re-opened. Managers are knowledgeable, deeply dedicated and passionate about providing positive experiences and outcomes for disabled children. The team have made progress in a short period of time. There is more investment in resources, and a greater focus on putting children at the centre of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2875690 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(d)(e)(g)(i)(ii)(h)) 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2875690 6 In particular, ensure that written records of incidents in the home are thorough and accurate and that there is consistent management oversight to identify any required actions, learning and support needs of staff. This includes ensuring follow up risk assessments are completed in a way that makes it clear what action staff need to take to keep children safe and that de-briefs with staff and children take place.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the needs of the children who come to stay at the home are fully assessed to understand if there will be any impact on other children living in the home. This should be considered before a new child comes into the service.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are plans for individual children that comprehensively identify their needs and guide staff in how to meet children’s needs.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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; 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2875690 7 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. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)(b)) 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2875690 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the Local Authority Designated Officer is informed when there are allegations against staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.18)

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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: 2875690 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: School Lane, East Clandon, Guildford GU4 7RS

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Inspector

Shirin White, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2875690 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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