Children's Home run by Haven Children’s Services in DoncasterOfsted inspection, 10 Sept 2026

Inspection report for children’s home: 2832842 1 Registered provider: Haven Children’s Services

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider manages and runs the home. It offers care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. Both children were observed during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

One child has moved on from the home since the last inspection.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2832842 2

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Summary of findings

This was the first full inspection of the home since registration, following the children moving in.

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Summary of findings

Children are developing positive and trusting relationships with staff who spend meaningful time with them, listen to their views and feelings and act as strong advocates on their behalf. Staff place a strong emphasis on learning and development, providing children with opportunities to participate in new experiences, develop interests and acquire new skills.

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Summary of findings

Children have a good relationship with staff and are able to share any concerns or worries they may have. Staff set clear and consistent boundaries; this helps the children to manage their own behaviour. Staff put strategies in place to help children feel calm and supported.

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Summary of findings

The home has experienced significant instability in its management arrangements since opening. There has been no registered manager in post since 15 April 2026, and frequent changes in leadership have caused disruption for both children and staff. As a result of this, management oversight and monitoring arrangements have not been consistently effective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress and developing new skills. Education is recognised as a priority in the home, and staff actively promote and support learning opportunities while suitable full-time education placements are identified. Children’s achievements are celebrated. Children are encouraged to engage in activities that support their learning and personal development, helping them to continue making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work collaboratively to implement age-appropriate boundaries consistently. This provides children with clear expectations and supports them to understand acceptable behaviours in the home. As a result, children are helped to manage their emotions more effectively. Children are encouraged to express their views and feelings, and staff respond with warmth, care and sensitivity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving into the home benefit from planned transitions. Staff work hard to ensure that children feel welcomed, safe and valued from the outset. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms and contribute to the communal areas, creating a sense of belonging. Staff have created a warm, nurturing environment where thoughtful support helps children settle quickly and develop positive relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: 2832842 3 One child’s move from the home was not managed effectively and did not provide them with a positive ending to their placement. Leaders and staff have reviewed the circumstances surrounding the move and have identified learning to improve future practice and support better experiences for children leaving the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Before moving into the home, children are provided with written information about the home and the staff who will be caring for them. The children’s guide is informative and helps children understand what it is like to live in the home. However, the guide does not yet fully meet the needs of younger children. In addition, it does not currently include some key information, such as relevant contact numbers and details of the Children’s Commissioner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Case records and daily summaries provide an overview of children’s experiences and activities. Some records are not always written sensitively and occasionally contain inaccuracies. The manager has addressed this shortfall by delivering training to staff on the importance of maintaining accurate, respectful and age-appropriate records.

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

Children are cared for by staff who are appropriately trained and supported to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns. Staff understand the home’s safeguarding procedures and know how to take appropriate action when they have concerns about a child’s welfare. Children benefit from trusting relationships with staff and are encouraged to share their worries and concerns. Staff provide children with reassurance, guidance and emotional support, helping them to feel safe and secure.

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

Children experience care in an environment where their rights and freedoms are respected. There are no unnecessary restrictions placed on children, and they have access to all areas of the home and garden.

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

Physical intervention and restrictive practices are used only when necessary to keep children and others safe. Staff are trained in de-escalation strategies and support children to reflect on incidents, helping them to develop their understanding and manage their behaviours more effectively.

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

Risks to children are understood by staff. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that staff have the information they need to safeguard children effectively. Staff help children to understand and manage risks both in the home and the wider community. Children are encouraged to develop new skills, experiences and independence within carefully considered and supportive risk management plans.

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

On the occasions when children have gone missing from the home, records and actions have lacked effective management oversight and timely review. Children have not always been offered an independent return home interview. These shortfalls reduce opportunities to understand children’s experiences and vulnerabilities fully and to strengthen plans that promote their safety and wellbeing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2832842 4

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

The home has experienced significant instability in leadership and management arrangements. Since April 2026, there has been no permanent, suitably experienced registered manager in post. Frequent changes in leadership have undermined effective managerial oversight and accountability. Monitoring systems have lacked rigour and have failed to consistently identify and address shortcomings in practice. Leaders have not maintained sufficient oversight of the quality of care provided to children, limiting their ability to drive sustained improvement.

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

Weaknesses in management oversight have had a direct impact on children. When children have experienced difficulties settling into the home, leaders have not ensured that care plans and risk management arrangements were reviewed promptly with placing authorities. This lack of professional curiosity and timely intervention contributed to one child moving from the home in an unplanned way.

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

Safer recruitment practice has not been sufficiently robust. Shortfalls in recruitment processes have had the potential to compromise children’s safety and welfare. These weaknesses indicate a lack of effective management scrutiny and quality assurance.

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

Leaders have overseen some improvements to the physical environment, and children are meaningfully consulted about the decoration and development of their home. The use of the office as a sleeping area for overnight staff does not provide staff with suitable facilities.

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

There are emerging signs that the recently appointed manager and responsible individual are beginning to strengthen practice. The manager has quickly established constructive relationships with partner agencies, including social workers and education professionals, helping to improve the clarity and review of children’s plans.

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

Staff receive regular supervision that promotes reflection and accountability, and managers prioritise training that is increasingly tailored to the specific and emerging needs of children. These developments provide a foundation for improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2832842 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)(d)) 30 October 2026

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate; 27 November 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2832842 6 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(b)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority provides an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. The home should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27) Inspection report for children’s home: 2832842 7  The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide helps children understand the home’s day-to-day routines. It should also explain the home’s statement of purpose, including the care children can expect to receive while living

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Recommendations

there. In addition, the guide should set out how children can raise complaints in line with the home’s complaints procedure, how they can access advocacy support or independent advocacy if eligible, and how to contact the Office of the Children’s Commissioner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.22)  The registered person should ensure that the design of the home provides staff who sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.26)

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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: 2832842 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Haven Children’s Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 43 Twigg Crescent, Armthorpe, Doncaster DN3 2FP

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Inspector

Lisa Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2832842 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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