Hampshire council's inadequate children's home must improve

Hampshire County Council says staff at the home are "working hard" to make improvements

A children's home given an inadequate rating must make further improvements, inspectors have said.

The Hampshire County Council-run home cares for three vulnerable children and was first told it needed to improve after an Ofsted inspection in August.

A child smokes cannabis in the home, Ofsted said, and although it is happening less often than in the summer it is not "consistently managed".

The council said staff are "working hard" to make improvements at the home.

It was rated outstanding in 2018 but slumped to the bottom grading earlier this year.

Following a visit last month inspectors said risk management "remains weak" and staff are not provided with "detailed strategies to reduce risk".

'Rapidly making progress'

They found children "engage well" and recording is good but no follow-up action means any progress "drifts and is short-term".

The home has not had a registered manager since June 2021.

"Managers and staff at the home have been working hard to ensure full compliance with Ofsted's requirements and are rapidly making progress to address the particular issues highlighted by the inspector following the most recent visit," a Hampshire County Council spokesperson said.

"Our priority is to provide a settled and stable home for young people who, through no fault of their own, often have quite challenging behaviours.

"We are confident that on the Inspector's return visit, the improvements will be clear to see, and the home's grading will return to good."