Children's Home run by Impact For Change Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 1 Registered provider: Impact For Change Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home has been registered with Ofsted since August 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in the home. Since the previous inspection, one child has moved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 26 November 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/11/2024 Full Good 08/08/2023 Full Good 27/09/2022 Full Good 19/01/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 3

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improvement to be good

During this inspection, the inspector observed all three children and spent time with one child who talked about their lived experience in the home. At the time of inspection, two of the children were at home and not in education.

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improvement to be good

The overall experiences of children in this home are mixed. Up until April 2025, children were making positive progress in all aspects of their lives. Staff built caring relationships with children, ensuring positive experiences through shared activities and important celebrations. The decision to admit a third child coincided with the decision to recruit several inexperienced team members. Despite thorough care planning, this decision adversely impacted on the staff team’s ability to provide a consistent, therapeutic and child-centred approach when faced with unknown and unpredictable circumstances. Staff have been focused on managing crisis situations, which has limited their capacity to meet children’s broader developmental needs. While one child is preparing to move into foster care, overall progress across the home has slowed and the quality and consistency of care have been affected.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress in education has been limited. At the time of the inspection, two children were not in formal education. While there are signs of improvement for one child, overall, educational outcomes remain low. The registered manager has appropriately escalated concerns to the local authority and virtual school, but the impact of this is yet to be seen.

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improvement to be good

The home environment feels unloved and is not nurturing. The house is sparsely furnished and poorly maintained, with broken furniture and visibly unclean areas. Bedrooms are untidy, with inadequate storage and makeshift solutions for storing clothes. The children’s bathroom lacks basic hygiene items, and the staff bedrooms were cluttered and unkempt. There are limited toys and books in the home, and the garden has limited play equipment.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have recognised these shortfalls and are implementing actions to improve children’s experiences and progress. They have considered the capacity and skills of the staff team alongside the needs of the children, and are currently working with the placing authority of one child to ensure that they receive care and support in a setting that is more suited to their needs.

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improvement to be good

Children do not consistently experience safe, stable or nurturing care. Since the admission of a new child, the frequency and intensity of incidents have significantly increased. Staff have worked hard to understand the antecedents of incidents, to disrupt Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 4 them. However, their inexperience and staff shortages have hindered their ability to always manage these situations safely and therapeutically. This has now been recognised by leaders and managers, who have helped staff to start implementing a trauma-informed and relational approach. However, this has yet to be fully embedded into practice.

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improvement to be good

Children feel confident in sharing their worries with staff. This includes one child saying that they do not feel safe around another child in the home. In response, staff are talking with children about their relationships and, when needed, are managing the risk by keeping the children apart. However, at times, this has created an atmosphere of tension and apprehension for children and staff in the home.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and manager’s assessment of risk has not always considered the staff’s training and ability to keep children safe. In one safeguarding incident, a staff member who had not received the required restraint training supervised a child alone in a public setting. The situation escalated, resulting in injuries to members of the public. The registered manager’s review has identified learning, which is being implemented to prevent similar incidents occurring.

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improvement to be good

Restraint has been used with two children, and records indicate that these interventions were appropriate and proportionate. However, the registered manager has not always ensured that debriefs with both staff and children are completed and recorded in a timely manner. Conversations with children have not been conducted by a staff member who was not directly involved in the incident. This does not always help to provide a safe and trusting environment where children feel able to reflect.

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improvement to be good

There has been an occasion where the whereabouts of at least one child were not known. A child disclosed that they left the premises during the early morning while staff were asleep. Their absence went unnoticed until after the event and was not recorded as a formal missing-from-home incident. In response, leaders and managers have completed an assessment of risk and introduced environmental safety measures, including door alarms to alert staff if a child leaves their room at night.

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improvement to be good

Children’s individual plans are not consistently updated to reflect the most recent local authority care plans. This means that staff do not always work in line with the current aims and objectives for each child. As a result, there is a risk that children’s care and support are not fully informed by their most up-to-date needs and circumstances. This limits the home’s ability to deliver coordinated and effective care.

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improvement to be good

Managers’ and staff’s responses to the risk of children going missing from the home requires improvement. While protocols exist to provide staff with some information on what they should do, missing-from-home plans are not tailored to each child’s specific needs and vulnerabilities. This does not help staff to find the child quickly and return them safely to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has demonstrated some commitment to addressing concerns through audit activity and revisions to documentation. While efforts have been made to improve recording systems, learning from serious incidents is not yet consistently embedded in practice. The team shows strength in building individual relationships and responding to children’s immediate needs. However, significant improvements are required to ensure children’s safety, strengthen managerial oversight and deliver consistent therapeutic support across the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staffing arrangements have recently stabilised. However, previous staffing shortfalls required the team to regularly work double shifts to maintain safe care levels. This prolonged reliance on extended hours and the redeployment of staff from other homes led to widespread fatigue and emotional exhaustion within the team. Supervision sessions and team meetings have not occurred regularly, and opportunities for reflective practice have been limited and have not helped to improve the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although the home is now fully staffed, several team members are newly appointed and lack the experience required to confidently manage the complex and challenging needs of some of the children. This continues to place pressure on more-experienced staff and affects the consistency of care provided. Although training is in place, it is not yet embedded through regular supervision sessions or tailored to children’s specific needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers demonstrate a developing understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for improvement. The registered manager has taken steps to strengthen oversight, including auditing systems, updating documentation and introducing environmental safety measures. There is evidence of a growing commitment to trauma- informed and relational practice. However, these improvements are not yet embedded or consistently applied across the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is continuing to develop in their role and benefits from ongoing support and guidance. While senior managers have acknowledged the challenges within the home, the actions taken have not always been timely or fully effective. Additionally, there have been instances where serious incidents were not reported to Ofsted, hindering the regulators oversight of incidents and practice within the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 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. 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

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

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have a clear understanding of how to keep children safe and reduce the risk of harm. In addition, staff should be supported to identify and respond effectively to concerns about children’s safety. 26 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 26 June 2025

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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; 31 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 7 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

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. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that care plans reflect the needs of the child. The registered person should ensure that staff are provided with a clear understanding of how to support children’s individual needs from the moment they move into the home.

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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

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

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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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

meet the needs of each child; and 31 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 8 enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(viii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children are supported to tidy their bedrooms so that their rooms are maintained to a high standard of cleanliness.

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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

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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff have the necessary skills to deliver individualised care to children, as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. Specifically, staff should be supported to develop a sound understanding of therapeutic parenting and the importance of nurturing care and healthy routines for children. 31 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 9

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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: 2484443 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Impact For Change Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Canns Down Press, Beaford, Winkleigh, Devon EX19 8LZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Scribbins

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Inspector

Karen Hallam, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 11 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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