Children's Home run by Imagine Mentoring and Support Limited in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 1 Registered provider: Imagine Mentoring and Support (IMS) Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and offers care for up to three children who have experienced social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home and they all spoke with the inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in August 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected, their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2024

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Due to serious and widespread concerns that mean children are not protected from harm, their welfare is not promoted and their care and experiences are poor, Ofsted issued a compliance notice under regulation 12 on 7 February 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not attend full-time education. Instead, some children spend lots of time in their bedroom, often choosing to sleep in late and/or smoke cannabis. There are no structured plans for these children to help them to increase their confidence in education or to integrate back into a school setting. Although professionals are exploring educational provisions for children, the interim plans to promote learning are inadequate. One child is being supported to develop their ‘independence and employment skills.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Some children’s health needs are being met and appropriate referrals to external services have been made. One child who previously found it difficult to attend their health appointments has been supported to visit the dentist. However, not all children have been helped to develop healthy routines and substance misuse is continuing, with minimal and ineffective intervention. The strategies that staff use to promote positive routines and boundaries are not regularly reviewed, which results in little progress being made for these children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not always pursue opportunities for children to participate in enjoyable activities that they have shown an interest in. Further, when children’s behaviour does not meet staff’s expectations, planned activities for children are cancelled as a consequence. This significantly impacts staff’s ability to build positive relationships with children and results in opportunities to disrupt unhealthy routines and habits being missed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Most children are being helped to build positive relationships and set healthy boundaries with their family members. However, not all children benefit from robust plans to ensure that their time with their family is positive. This impacts their ability to feel a sense of belonging in the home and it is detrimental to their progress. Leaders and managers have not robustly challenged some unhelpful care arrangements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is mostly clean and tidy. However, it smells strongly of cannabis both inside and outside of the property, as some children regularly smoke in their bedrooms. One child who does not smoke has complained about the unpleasant smell. The current environment does not engender feelings of security or safety.

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

Staff have not robustly responded to the increased risk of fire that is posed by some children regularly smoking in their bedrooms. In one child’s bedroom, scorch marks, burnt matches and cigarette ends have been found on their windowsill. Despite the increased risk of fire, staff have not taken sufficient action to enhance fire safety Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 4 precautions. Risk management has been inadequate, with little input from specialist services. This has resulted in all children and staff being exposed to significant and repeated risk of harm.

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

Staff do not have the necessary skills or experience to support children to safely withdraw from substance misuse. When children misuse substances, staff do not always follow the procedures that are outlined in children’s plans. Important input from specialist services is not always sought and some safety plans lack detail to help staff to respond to risk effectively. Training opportunities to help staff to develop their skills are not always provided.

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

Risks to children are not well understood or managed. Staff do not respond effectively to keep children safe. Staff do not demonstrate a good understanding of contextual safeguarding or how to help children to keep safe when they are away from the home. When children become upset and walk away from the home, staff do not always follow them and encourage them to return home. When children are in the community, staff do not know who children are spending their time with or what they are doing. There is a lack of curiosity and poor information sharing, which means that opportunities to help keep children safe are missed.

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

Staff do not always share concerns about children’s safety with the relevant professionals. Staff do not always listen to or believe children when they raise safety concerns. On one occasion, despite a child reporting that they were being followed when they were out in the community at night, staff did not go to collect the child until they received instruction from the police. Staff’s response to the child was passive and uncaring.

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

Staff use key-work sessions to try and provide children with advice and guidance. However, these conversations are often reactive and poorly planned. Children do not always engage positively, as their relationships with staff are fractured. The use of consequences for behaviours that staff consider to be unacceptable are sometimes counterproductive and can be perceived to demonstrate a lack of care from staff. This further contributes to the barriers that children experience when they are offered help and support.

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

Safer recruitment checks are in place. However, leaders and managers do not have robust oversight of these checks. As a result, discrepancies resulting from checks are not identified or resolved. Leaders and managers are not able to demonstrate that full and satisfactory checks have been performed to determine that staff are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The arrangements for the leadership and management of the home are ineffective. There is a lack of robust review of the effectiveness of the care that children are provided with. As a result, children are not receiving good-quality care. When Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 5 vulnerabilities are identified in the way that children are cared for, the actions that are taken to improve the care are often inadequate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some children have moved to the home on an ‘emergency’ basis. Although children’s needs and their associated risks are identified, considerations about how staff will meet these needs and help children to keep safe have been insufficient. Due regard is not given to how children’s individual vulnerabilities may interact to increase risk, nor whether staff have the necessary skills and experience to support children effectively. This has resulted in children moving out of the home swiftly and experiencing a sense of destabilisation and rejection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not always meaningfully reflect and learn from their experiences, which results in repeated failings. This has led to three children moving to the home without appropriate support or safety plans. Staff have not been able to keep these children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are two vacancies in the staff team. This has resulted in some staff and managers working overtime. Staff say that there are not enough members of the team to care for the children. Further, the requirement for managers to regularly cover shifts has impacted their ability to maintain oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Concerns raised by children about staff are not always responded to appropriately. At times, responses from staff appear to be dismissive and judgemental. Leaders and managers explained that this was a recording issue rather than a practice issue. Leaders and managers had failed to recognise this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not maintain effective oversight of the consequences that are issued to children by staff. Consequences are not always recorded and are described as ‘arbitrary.’ This results in the repeated use of ineffective consequences, without reflection or learning for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff team meetings provide staff with the opportunity to reflect on children’s needs. However, these reflections are not thorough. They do not always identify important actions for staff to help ensure that children’s needs are met. Further, it does not always appear that decisions are made in the best interests of children. Again, the manager explained that this was a recording issue, which had not been identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Feedback from children is mixed. Two children say that they like living in the home, although one feels as though the staff rush around and do not have enough time for them. A third child said that they do not like living in the home. They explained that they do not know why they are living in the home and do not know what to expect from staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers are receptive of the feedback that has been provided and are taking immediate action to address the safety concerns that have been highlighted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 14 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to identify, understand and respond to mediate risk to children effectively. The registered person should review children’s plans to ensure that the actions to safeguard children are current, practical and easily followed. Staff must be supported to understand the actions that they must take to help to keep children safe. Staff must follow the agreed procedures when children are exposed to risk, including when children misuse substances, are missing from the home and/or are out in the community.

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Requirement Due date

Further, staff must take immediate action to prevent children from smoking in their bedrooms. The registered person should review the fire safety arrangements and take action to mitigate the current increased risk of fire.

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Requirement Due date

Staff must have a sound understanding of contextual safeguarding and help children to keep themselves safe when they are out of the home.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must review the home’s admissions procedures to ensure that they include a robust assessment of whether staff can meet children’s needs individually and alongside those who already live in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Finally, leaders and managers must review the skills of the team to identify where staff need additional support to enable them to meet children’s needs and help them to keep safe effectively.

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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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 8 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; 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)(c)(d)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must use monitoring and review systems to evaluate the quality of care that is being provided to children. Leaders and managers must use this assessment to improve the care that is being provided to ensure that children’s needs are met. Secondly, monitoring and review systems must be used to ensure that written records are accurate and reflective of the support that staff provide. Thirdly, leaders and managers must use monitoring systems to robustly review the recruitment checks that are completed for staff. Leaders and managers must use these reviews to identify any discrepancies in recruitment records so that they are resolved before staff start working with children.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers should also ensure that there are sufficient numbers of suitably skilled and experienced staff to look after children effectively.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 9 communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vii)(viii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must help staff to build positive relationships with children. Any consequences that are issued to children following behaviours that staff find unacceptable should be well thought out and restorative in nature. The use of consequences should not damage staff’s relationships with children, as children should be helped to reflect on their behaviour and understand the purpose of the consequence. As positive relationships between staff and children grow, staff should use their connections with children to provide helpful advice and guidance to them to help them to make healthier and safer choices.

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Requirement Due date

When children’s relationships with other people become strained or are of concern, staff must help children to recognise these harmful relationships and withdraw and/or make plans to help mediate the risk of harm.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff— 31 March 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 10 understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(vii)(ix)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are provided with healthy routines and boundaries that supports them to engage in the structure of the home and develop a sense of belonging.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that the home is a nice environment for children to spend time in. This specifically relates to preventing children from smoking in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 30 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 11 support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff support children to attend suitable educational provisions. When children are not able to attend school, staff must support children to participate in structured learning opportunities so that they are helped to develop their confidence and the skills that they will need to reintegrate into the classroom environment in the future.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Due to the significant concerns about children’s safety, the date of completion for the actions attached to the compliance notice was short. The compliance notice was issued to the provider prior to this report.

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 12 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: 2724045 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Imagine Mentoring and Support (IMS)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1, City Works, Alfred Street, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL1 4DF

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Inspectors

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Sally Shakespeare, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 14 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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