Children's home run by Empower Residentials Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2779972 1 Registered provider: Empower Residentials Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is part of a private organisation and offers care for up to three children. The provider states in the home’s statement of purpose that care is provided for children with social, emotional and learning difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2779972 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2779972 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has recently been supported to move back home with their family having made positive progress since arriving at the home. The move was well planned to help ensure its success. Staff were flexible and adapted the plan as the child’s expressed wishes changed and they wanted to move home sooner than planned. Staff had supported the child to attend fulltime education and learn valuable life skills to promote their independence. Staff take pride in what the child achieved during their time in the home and remain in contact with them. A parent said that staff supported the move well and their child ‘loved’ living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A new child has been welcomed into the home. Staff were quick to build trusted relationships with the child which helped the child to quickly feel settled. Staff spend time with the child listening to them to develop an in-depth understanding of their wishes and needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to improve the child’s health and emotional well-being. For example, staff identified through conversations with the child that they would benefit from some professional support to help with the loss the child had recently experienced. As this was taking time to arrange through the local authority, leaders and managers agreed to privately fund a 12-week package of counselling for the child to quickly provide the therapy they needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been helped to set up a car cleaning and valet service, which supports the child’s expressed aspirations for their future career. The child created posters for his business and a full price list. Staff from other homes bring their cars along to the home and get a full car wash experience from the child. They commented that the child does a great job and gets a lot of pride and enjoyment from his work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage the child to take part in, and enjoy, a range of activities. Staff encourage the child to explore new interests and take part in new experiences to support their development. Staff promote this, understanding the positive impact that this can have on the child’s emotional well-being. Staff sometimes take the child’s friends with them on activities and invite them to have sleepovers in the home knowing this further enhances the experience for the child.

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

Clear boundaries are set to support the child’s needs, keep them safe and encourage positive behaviour. Staff ensure that they all maintain the important boundaries to provide consistency to the child and help protect them from harm. Staff know when the child needs support and when they need to respect the child’s privacy and personal space. When incidents occur inside or outside of the home staff respond promptly and effectively to protect the child and support them to manage their own behaviour safely. Inspection report for children’s home: 2779972 4 When a child has made a complaint, they are listened to, and their complaint is thoroughly investigated, and the child is given a response that is timely child friendly and addresses their concerns.

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

Restraint has been used to safeguard the child from harming themselves or others and causing damage to the property. Records were detailed and clearly described what led to the incident and the de-escalation techniques staff used prior to using physical intervention. There was good and effective managerial oversight and evaluation. Lessons learned are shared, identified shortfalls in practice addressed and additional training sourced to help staff improve their knowledge and skills. The records evidence that physical intervention was proportionate and only used as a last resort and for a minimal amount of time. When damage has been caused to the property this has been instantly repaired by the home’s maintenance staff so that the home remains safe and homely for the child.

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

Staff follow a clear protocol when the child goes missing from the home. Staff take prompt action to implement a well-coordinated response to help protect the child, reduce their risk of harm and ensure a safe return home. Due to staff actions, the child was supported to return home very quickly on the only time they have gone missing. The child’s family and relevant professionals are informed in a timely manner. Records are of a good standard, with good managerial oversight. There is a thorough, reflective debrief with the staff involved and an in-depth conversation with the child to seek their views and feelings around the incident.

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

Staff help the child to safely attend school trips when required. If support is requested by school staff for the child to take part, staff will attend the event but stay in the background, so that they are close by and can be called upon in the event of the child being involved in an adverse incident. This helps to keep the child safe and promotes their right to attend the trips. A professional from the school commented that staff do everything they can for the child and go above and beyond.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have had a positive impact and provided staff with the structure and support that had previously been lacking. Staff said that they welcomed and value this and are happy and content in their roles. The managers have set out their vision for the home and have been influential in quickly creating a culture of focusing on children’s aspirations and helping them to make progress from their starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers take time to listen to the child, respect their wishes and involve the child in everything they do and the decisions they make. The child’s voice shines through in their records and is used to inform staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they enjoy their role, and they are trained, supported and receive formal and informal supervision sessions. Staff are clear on the management structure within the organisation. Staff know the child well. They spoke with passion about their Inspection report for children’s home: 2779972 5 role and were able to explain clearly how they carry out bespoke work to improve the lives of the children they support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is adequately staffed to care for the child in home. Managers have well- considered plans for filling vacancies when they arise. Managers follow a robust safe recruitment process to ensure that staff are safe to work with vulnerable children. New staff are welcomed to the home, receive good support and complete comprehensive training during their probation period to fully prepare them for their role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work proactively with external agencies and have developed positive, effective relationships with professionals. Managers and staff advocate for the child and challenge agencies when poor practice is identified, to ensure that the child’s rights are upheld and their needs met. This helps to ensure that positive outcomes are achieved. A social worker stated that the home’s managers are fantastic to work with and are outstandingly nurturing, creative and resilient in their approach in supporting the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations have been raised at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2779972 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: 2779972 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Empower Residentials Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 2, Prockters Farm, West Monkton, Taunton, Somerset TA2 8QN

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Inspector

Gary Turney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2779972 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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