Children's Home run by Highlands Care Solutions in Hampshire

Inspection report children's home: 2871462 1 Registered provider: Highlands Care Solutions

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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 home is owned by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to 2 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children's home

The manager is dual registered with another home from within the same organisation. They registered for this home in February 2026.

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Information about this children's home

This is the home’s first inspection since registration.

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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 requires improvement to be 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2871462 2

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Summary of findings

Children make progress from their individual starting points. Staff actively listen to children's views and advocate effectively on their behalf, including supporting important family relationships and challenging professionals when educational needs are not being met. Children benefit from a skilled and developing staff team whose practice is strengthened through reflective learning and therapeutic training. Safeguarding arrangements are generally effective, with clear risk management plans, prompt responses when a child goes missing from home and robust safer recruitment practices. However, safeguarding practice requires improvement. This is because measures to reduce one child's vulnerability to criminalisation have not yet been effective. Work with family members has been limited and this has reduced opportunities for a consistent approach. The manager provides strong leadership, maintains effective oversight of the

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Summary of findings

home and is a proactive advocate for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made positive progress from their individual starting points despite only recently moving into the home. They have developed trusting relationships with staff and are beginning to build positive relationships with each other. Staff support children to understand and respect each another's needs, creating a positive living environment where children feel safe, settled and well supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children experienced well-planned and carefully managed moves into the home. The moves were completed at each child's pace, ensuring that they felt supported, reassured and able to settle in according to their individual needs. Children were provided with appropriate information about their move, their views and wishes were actively sought, and they were supported to contribute to decisions affecting them. This child-centred approach helped children to settle quickly, feel valued and develop a positive sense of belonging within the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively listen to children’s views, wishes and preferences and take meaningful action in response. Children are provided with regular opportunities to share their thoughts through individual sessions, children's meetings and everyday conversations with staff. Their views are valued and routinely influence day-to-day living arrangements and decisions within the home. Staff respond promptly to children’s requests and work proactively to support outcomes that are important to them. This includes helping children rebuild and maintain important relationships and spend time with people who matter to them. As a result, children develop confidence in expressing their views and feel valued, listened to and empowered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place a strong emphasis on education. One child has been successfully supported to return to education following a significant period of absence, helping them to re- establish routines and make progress. Staff also provide tailored support to the other Inspection report children's home: 2871462 3 child through an in-house education plan that complements their part-time timetable and promotes continued learning and development. When children’s educational needs have not been met, the manager has provided effective challenge to professionals and advocated strongly for appropriate educational provision. This means children receive the support they need to access education.

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improvement to be good

Although staff have implemented strategies to safeguard one child and reduce the risk of criminalisation, are ineffective in achieving the intended outcomes. Additional support has been identified and is planned. However, this has not yet been implemented. Staff have not undertaken work with family members to help them understand the therapeutic model of care being used to support the child. This has limited family members' understanding of the approaches being taken by staff and has contributed to some strained relationships between staff and family members. Consequently, opportunities to promote a consistent and shared approach to supporting the child have not yet been fully realised. As a result, the risks for the child have not reduced.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions are rarely required. However, on one occasion staff used an unapproved restraint technique for which they had not received training. While this matter was subsequently addressed through reflective discussions and follow-up action, there were shortfalls in the management of the incident. The child was not offered medical assessment following the intervention and the incident record lacked sufficient detail regarding the nature of the hold used and how the child was restrained. These omissions reduce management oversight and do not provide clear assurance that the intervention was in the child's best interests. Consequently, the child was placed at unnecessary risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

One child is missing from the home frequently. When this occurs, staff take effective action to reduce risks for the child. They respond promptly and take appropriate action to locate them. Staff work effectively with the police and other professionals to support the child's safe return and minimise risks. Detailed records are maintained of each incident and the actions taken by staff. The child is also offered opportunities to speak with independent professionals to explore the reasons for going missing and identify strategies to reduce the likelihood of future incidents.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans are clear, comprehensive and regularly updated This ensures staff have a detailed understanding of each child’s needs, risks, strengths and progress. Planning documents reflect children’s changing circumstances and ensure that support remains responsive and relevant. The plans are well organised which enables staff to quickly develop an understanding of the child’s circumstances and deliver consistent, individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children's home: 2871462 4 The manager’s monitoring and oversight systems are mostly effective. These enable her to maintain a clear understanding of the home's strengths and identify areas for further development. She demonstrates a realistic and reflective approach to service improvement with clear plans in place to address identified shortfalls and enhance practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes good use of resources across the organisation. As the staff team are a new team, she is utilising the skills and experience of staff from the wider organisation to support the development of the team and strengthen areas of practice. This proactive approach not only enhances staff knowledge and confidence but also promotes effective partnership working and the sharing of best practice across the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed warm, trusting and positive relationships with the children and demonstrates a genuine commitment to their care and well-being. She knows the children well, understands their individual needs and consistently shows kindness, empathy and care in her interactions with them. Children are comfortable approaching the manager to discuss any worries, challenges or concerns and have confidence that she will listen to them and take appropriate action to support them. As a result, children benefit from strong, nurturing leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is an effective advocate for children and consistently challenges decisions made by professionals when these are not in children’s best interests. She maintains open and effective communication with partner agencies, ensuring that professionals have a clear understanding of the support and resources required for the staff team to meet children’s needs successfully. She also maintains high expectations of staff and addresses practice promptly when it falls below the required standard, providing guidance and support to drive improvement. This effective leadership helps to ensure that children receive high-quality care and that their needs remain at the centre of practice and decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a thorough induction process and receive regular, reflective supervision that provides opportunities for learning, professional development and discussion of practice. Good practice is recognised and celebrated which helps to promote a positive team culture and encourages continued high standards of care for children. Staff speak highly of the support and leadership provided by the manager. One member of staff commented, 'She inspires us to bring our best selves every day,' reflecting the positive effect of her leadership on team morale and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are part of a well-trained and developing workforce. In addition to mandatory training, staff take part in reflective practice sessions with a clinical consultant. These sessions provide valuable opportunities to explore children's needs, reflect on practice and develop effective strategies to respond to challenges. Staff are also receiving ongoing training in the organisation's therapeutic model of care. This is strengthening staff's knowledge, skills and confidence and enables them to provide more consistent and effective support to children. Inspection report children's home: 2871462 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, 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— that staff—

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(vii)) 1 November 2026

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

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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 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. 1 November 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2871462 6 (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(ii)(vii)(viii)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that records of restraint clearly record the measure used, how the child was held and any consequence of using the measure.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure staff effectively monitor children after the use of restraint and seek medical attention where necessary.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure they do not sign records of restraint if they are not clear and accurate.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should seek to develop the home's working relationships with each child's parents. This includes supporting parents to understand the home's model of care and how this support care for children. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 52, paragraph 10.3)

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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 children's home: 2871462 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Highlands Care Solutions

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 4 Jasmine Court, London Road, West Kingsdown, Sevenoaks TN15 6BW

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Inspector

Louise Webling, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2871462 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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