Children's Home run by Juventes Homes Ltd in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2826172 1 Registered provider: Juventes Homes 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

This privately run children’s home provides care and support for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. All the children were spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 19 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: 11 November 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: 2826172 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/11/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2826172 3

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Summary of findings

Children in this home experience warm, nurturing care and support from staff and leaders. They feel safe and make good progress in education, health and emotional wellbeing. Children enjoy meaningful experiences, are able to have a say in how their home is decorated and are encouraged to achieve their goals. Children’s risks and vulnerabilities are understood well by staff and leaders. However, this understanding is not always reflected clearly in their plans to manage their individual needs and risks. While children understand their incentives and rewards well, there is no clear guidance for staff. This limits assurance that children are always supported in a fair and equitable manner and may lead to inconsistent responses from staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm, welcoming and nurturing home with a family feel. Staff have recently redecorated, and children have been involved in decisions about how communal areas and their bedrooms would look. As a result, children have developed a sense of belonging and pride in their home. The availability of a sensory-friendly den provides children with a calm and safe space when they feel overwhelmed and supports their emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from strong and meaningful relationships with staff. Staff know the children well and invest time in understanding their individual needs, interests and experiences. Children said that they feel safe living in the home and can speak to any member of staff when they are worried. Relationships between children are positive and are actively encouraged by staff. Children enjoy spending time together through shared activities, including gaming, holidays and community-based experiences. Staff celebrate children’s achievements and provide praise and encouragement that increases children’s confidence and self-esteem. Staff work hard to support children’s relationships with their families when this is safe and appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in education. Attendance has improved for all children, and education professionals recognise the significant difference that living in the home has made to children’s engagement and presentation. One professional described the change for a child as being ‘like night and day’. Staff are strong advocates for children’s educational achievement. For example, leaders funded additional mathematics tuition for one child following concerns about falling behind during the school holidays.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well supported. Staff ensure that children attend routine health appointments and access specialist services when required. Children receive support with emotional and mental health needs, including access to therapeutic services and opportunities to talk to trusted adults. Staff spend meaningful time with children through everyday routines and activities. For example, one child benefits Inspection report for children’s home: 2826172 4 from a daily ‘time to talk’ session with a staff member of their choosing before bedtime. This helps the child to settle by sharing their thoughts and feelings before sleeping.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have personalised incentives that are linked to manageable achievements, such as doing homework and keeping their rooms tidy. They are rewarded with special trips and items of their choosing, such as theme park trips and football t- shirts. There is no consistent approach for staff to respond to negative behaviours in place in the home. The language used to describe these behaviours with children and in their documents is not consistent. As a result, one child expressed they felt unfairly treated. Staff using consequences in different ways has the potential to impact on the relationships between children in the home and cause children anxiety about what happens when they make mistakes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has joined the home since the last inspection.. This child’s needs have been considered from a therapeutic perspective; however, the impact of their needs and vulnerabilities was not assessed against the children living in the home. This has the potential to negatively affect the behaviours and stability of the other children in the home. This has not prevented the children from making progress or enjoying positive experiences in the home.

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

Children say they are happy and feel safe living in the home. Children benefit from supportive relationships with staff, who respond to concerns with curiosity, care, understanding and reassurance.

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

When children are missing from home, staff take appropriate action to locate them and work with partner agencies to promote their safety. Following their return, staff provide opportunities for children to talk about their experiences and feelings. These discussions help staff to understand children’s views, experiences and vulnerabilities, and inform the support provided to them.

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

Staff use therapeutic approaches to help children understand and manage their feelings. Staff know children well and are able to recognise changes in their emotional wellbeing. When incidents happen, staff and leaders are reflective of learning to improve how they support children.

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

Physical intervention is rarely used and only when necessary to keep children safe. Following incidents, children and staff are supported to reflect on their experiences and receive emotional support where needed.

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

Risk assessments are in place for each child and are reviewed regularly. Staff receive consultation from a clinical psychologist, helping them to understand children’s needs, behaviours and vulnerabilities. However, this understanding is not consistently reflected in children’s plans and risk assessments, which are not always clear, up to date or inclusive of all known and potential risks. As a result, guidance on risks and Inspection report for children’s home: 2826172 5 required actions is not always sufficiently clear. While experienced staff currently mitigate the impact of these shortfalls, improvements are needed to ensure that records provide clear guidance and support safe, consistent practice, particularly for new, unfamiliar or agency staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from being cared for by a committed and experienced leadership team. The registered manager and deputy manager are visible within the home and have developed positive relationships with children and staff. Children spoke warmly about managers and valued the time they spend with them. Staff described leaders as approachable, supportive and invested in their wellbeing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders have created a positive and therapeutic culture in which staff are encouraged to reflect on children’s experiences and understand behaviour through a trauma-informed approach. Staff benefit from regular supervision, specialist training and consultation with the home’s clinical psychologist. Staff say that this support strengthens their confidence and ability to meet children’s needs effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff are enrolled on the appropriate qualifications and regularly review their progress. Appraisals and probation reviews provide opportunities for reflection and professional development and contribute to a stable and skilled workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders understand many of the service’s strengths and can identify areas for development. However, weaknesses in oversight and monitoring mean that shortfalls in practice have not been consistently identified or addressed. Children’s plans, risk assessments and key records are not always kept up to date, and leaders do not routinely gather and use feedback from children, families, staff and partner agencies to inform service improvement. In addition, policies and procedures have not been consistently reviewed to ensure alignment with practice and recording systems. As a result, leaders are not always able to effectively evaluate the quality of care or its impact on children’s experiences and outcomes. While leaders have recognised these issues and begun to plan improvements, these changes are not yet embedded in practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2826172 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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments for children consider all known and potential safeguarding risks for children and the specific steps staff need to take to keep them safe. Ensure that these are written clearly and concisely to support staff’s understanding. 18 October

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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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child 18 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2826172 7 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

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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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)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular that the home holds up to date documentation and records of children's care planning meetings.

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Requirement Due date

That managers challenge the relevant professionals when these not provided by agencies, fully reflected in the internal risk assessments and care planning documentation.

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Requirement Due date

That the home’s policies align with the Statement of Purpose and language used in Childrens documented and recording reflects the therapeutic approach of the home.

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Requirement Due date

That there is a clear and consistent policy and approach in place and used by staff when children make mistakes which is applied fairly and that children understand the approach and rationale, their wishes and feelings in response are recorded and that any sanctions or consequences imposed on children are scrutinised by leaders and manager's for effectiveness and reviewed regularly.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should only accept placements for children when they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home: 2826172 8 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: 2826172 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Juventes Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 50 Blenheim Drive, Oxford OX2 8DQ

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Inspector

Ruth Alexander, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2826172 10 and inspects to 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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