Children's Home run by Brighter-Futures-Cymru Limited in South Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2701401 1 Registered provider: Brighter-Futures-Cymru Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and provides care for up to three children who have experienced trauma and have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025 and has worked for the company since October 2021.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2701401 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2024 Full Good 12/07/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2701401 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children were present during the inspection, and they spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show children that they love and value them through their words and actions. Staff are respectful, nurturing and caring towards children. They offer children consistent care, and consequently, children trust staff and have close bonds with them. There are lots of energetic interactions between children and staff; they enjoy joking around and playing games together. Staff encourage children to be creative and to use their imagination.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children respond well to the care delivered by staff. Two children have made considerable progress since the last inspection. One child has increased self-esteem, has recently completed her GCSEs, and aspires to attend college. Another child has improved communication and social skills. She has 100% school attendance. Both children are settled, content and happy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A third child recently moved into the home, and she has made good progress from her starting point. For example, she is demonstrating improved self-care and establishing positive relationships with staff who help her to feel safe and relaxed. Staff built rapport with the child before she moved into the home, and her transition went smoothly because she was keen to spend more time with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There has been a shift in dynamics since the third child moved into the home, and staff are supporting children in developing kind and healthy relationships. They are teaching children to play nicely together and to accept each other’s differences and characteristics. While this has challenged the staff team’s resilience, the children are making steady progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Families and professionals have positive views of the registered manager and the staff team. They are happy with the quality of care and commitment they show towards children. They also appreciate staff’s efforts to keep children connected with the people who are important to them. Families and professionals highlighted notable areas of progress for children and expressed feeling proud of them and their achievements.

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

Children trust the staff and seek support when they feel upset, distressed or confused. They speak with staff about their feelings and mistakes, knowing that they will comfort them and provide guidance. Staff support children in processing their lived experiences in different ways that suit their needs. For example, staff use storytelling to help one child understand when their behaviour is inappropriate and reflect on what they could do differently in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701401 4 Staff set clear expectations and boundaries for behaviour. When children become emotionally unsettled, staff use de-escalation strategies to help them calm down. For example, they give children clear instructions, offer them choices and encourage them to make good decisions. The use of physical interventions is modest. Staff talk with children following incidents, showing empathy and curiosity. However, conversations with children

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

and staff following incidents are not always timely.

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

Staff have a thorough understanding of children’s lived experiences and how they affect their emotional well-being and behaviour. They also have a good understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and how they make them susceptible to specific risks. Staff are mindful of this in practice; however, pertinent information was missing from one child’s risk assessment. At the time of the inspection, this oversight had not negatively affected the child.

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

Sometimes, children accuse staff members of harm when they are in crisis and distress. The registered manager escalates concerns to senior leaders, explores incidents with staff and liaises with children’s social workers. However, he does not always consult with the local authority designated officer, and the rationale for this is not documented.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are very fond of the registered manager, who is approachable and keen to help them develop their skills. He is compassionate and conscious of staff’s individual characteristics and how children’s behaviour affects them personally. The manager provides space for staff to reflect on their experiences and express their feelings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager uses supervision sessions to praise staff and discuss any shortfalls in practice, helping them get back on track. When necessary, the manager carries out internal investigations and makes appropriate decisions to prioritise the children’s safety. He also organises specialist training for staff to ensure that they can meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is well liked by the children and makes himself present and available in the home. Children approach him for chats when they need help or if they want to play. The manager advocates for children and escalates concerns when he sees professionals failing to fulfil their responsibilities to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the home; he recognises that staff practice is a strength. However, he also acknowledges that record-keeping needs some attention and has devised a plan to address it moving forward. Inspection report for children’s home: 2701401 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, 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, the registered manager must ensure that risk assessments take full account of the children’s lived experiences and how these might make them susceptible to specific risks. Furthermore, when concerns are raised about adults, decisions made by the leadership team must be clearly documented. 23 August 2025

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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

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager should ensure that conversations with children and staff take place within specified time frames following physical interventions. 23 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2701401 6

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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: 2701401 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brighter-Futures-Cymru Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Malthouse Business Centre, Malthouse, Regent Street, Llangollen LL20 8HS

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Inspector

Tara Webb, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2701401 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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