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 experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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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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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: 4 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: during the full inspection on 4 and 5 February 2025, Ofsted identified serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care and protection of the children living in the home. The judgement was inadequate, and Ofsted issued a compliance notice under Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard). A monitoring visit was carried out on 19 February 2025, and the compliance notice was deemed to have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2025 Full Inadequate 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: good

Both children spoke with the inspector during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they like living in their home and would not change anything about it. One child commented that it is ‘the best’ place that they have lived. The children are noticeably more confident and self-assured, as demonstrated by their positive and relaxed interactions with staff and their ability to express their thoughts and feelings. Both children are making notable progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children are attending formal education. For one child, their educational plan focuses on helping them to develop employability and future life skills. Another child is attending a specialist provision on a reduced-hours timetable. This represents progress for both children, as they have previously been out of education for some time. Staff help both children to think about their career aspirations and support them in applying for further education courses.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children in accessing appropriate medical and emotional healthcare services. The guidance provided by professionals helps staff to ensure that children’s healthcare needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans are reflective of their needs and outline the support that they require well. Information about children’s histories and identities provides a personalised overview of who they are, where they have come from, and what their experiences have been. This helps staff to understand children and to build connections with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s engagement in the home is variable. One child enjoys spending time with the staff and has participated in various enjoyable activities, including going to the cinema, playing games and having pamper nights. However, another child is anxious about leaving the home and often opts to spend prolonged time in their bedroom, playing on their games console. There are concerns that the child could become increasingly isolated, particularly as they are reluctant to engage in communal activities. Staff are continuing to encourage the child to participate, although the strategies that staff are using are mostly ineffective. As a result, the child is not benefiting from a sense of togetherness.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create memory books for children, which serve as a keepsake of their time at the home. However, memory books provide little descriptive context, which means that children may struggle to remember where they were, what they were doing, and who they were with when they look back on the photos later in life. Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 4

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

Children are supported by staff to withdraw from harmful relationships in the community. There have been no recent concerns that children have been exposed to child criminal exploitation, nor have they misused cannabis. Staff have worked closely with external agencies to share information and reduce risk. This has resulted in positive outcomes for children.

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

When children are missing from home or they miss their curfew, staff follow the agreed procedures, including trying to contact the child, searching the local area, and reporting their concerns about children’s welfare to the police. When the response from external professionals has been poor and children have been exposed to increased risk, leaders and managers have escalated their concerns as necessary. The robust responses from staff have resulted in children being better protected from harm.

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

Staff are helped to consider and manage risks. The support that staff offer children when they are upset or frustrated is non-confrontational; it focuses on de-escalation and helps them express themselves in safer ways. As a result, restraint has not been used in this home.

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

Medication is stored securely and administered safely. When children decline to take their medication, staff seek advice from medical professionals. Leaders and managers are considering how to support children in taking more responsibility for their medication, in line with their age and needs. In addition, leaders and managers are reviewing their medication administration procedures to encourage children to take their medication regularly and to reduce any unintentional barriers.

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

Leaders and managers have increased their oversight of the care provided to children. This includes monitoring the behaviours that challenge staff and how they respond to support children. These systems are in their infancy, but there are early indications that increased oversight is positively impacting the quality of care. Although leaders and managers routinely evaluate the effectiveness of the support that staff offer children, there remains a lack of critical analysis. As a result, some learning opportunities for staff are missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have taken action to address the vulnerabilities that were identified at the last inspection. Leaders and managers have implemented development plans to help staff improve their practice and the quality of care that is offered to children. The registered manager acknowledges how well the staff have ‘pulled together’ and shown commitment to the care of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers challenge external professionals when their responses to children’s care planning result in delays to children accessing the support that they need. Consequently, children benefit from multi-agency support and guidance from a range of professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 5 Children are offered continuity of care from staff who know them well. Despite the use of some non-permanent staff members in the home, the staff team has maintained consistency. Three of the four non-permanent members of staff in the home are transferring to the permanent team. Staff say they enjoy working in the home and speak proudly of the positive difference they make to children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All members of staff benefit from regular supervision sessions. This provides staff with the opportunity to reflect on the care and support that they provide to children. Similarly, regular staff team meetings play a central role in the recent developments in the home. Staff can identify the recent improvements that have been made to the care that they provide to children. They say that they feel supported by leaders and managers in helping the children achieve their potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have carefully reviewed staff training needs and provided opportunities for them to improve their knowledge and understanding of the children in their care. Staff training completion is high, and training is promptly sought as children’s needs change. This helps staff to develop the necessary skills to meet the children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have reviewed safer recruitment procedures. Systems have been implemented to ensure that safer recruitment checks are clearly evidenced and that records are compliant with Schedule 2 of The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. 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 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

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 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)(b) (2)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must use monitoring and review systems to critically analyse staff’s responses to challenging situations. Review and analysis should be used to help staff identify learning and what they could do differently in the future to respond to children more effectively.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that staff promote nurturing routines for children and provide them with opportunities to expand their interests and engage with their community. Children should be supported so they feel a sense of belonging and togetherness inside and outside the home. 29 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2724045 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff keep appropriate memorabilia about children’s time living in the home. In particular, staff should provide context for the photos in memory books so that children can remember where they were, what they were doing, and who they were with when they look back on them later in life. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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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: 2724045 8

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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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Inspector

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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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