Children's Home run by 1848 Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report for children's home: 2592531 1 Registered provider: 1848 Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. Two children currently live in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager joined the home in April 2025 and has applied to register with Ofsted. Since the inspection, their application has been approved.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 22 October 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2592531 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/10/2024 Full Good 28/02/2024 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good 11/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2592531 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spent time being with and speaking to both the children living in the home. Children are supported to engage in age-appropriate and enjoyable activities that reflect their different ages and individual needs. One child enjoys shopping and beauty treatments, with staff demonstrating persistence and nurturing care to overcome barriers to participation. The younger child benefits from energetic and stimulating outings, including visits to parks, beaches and activity centres, as well as creative play in the home. However, children’s positive experiences are not captured in memory books, limiting opportunities for children and staff to reflect on and reconnect with meaningful moments in and outside of the home, both now and in the future.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to promoting children’s education. One child now attends a local specialist school full time, supported by effective collaboration and information-sharing between staff and the school. Another child was supported to return to their specialist school. Despite reintegration not being achieved, the staff supported the child to sit exams and achieve qualifications. The child is now supported to explore options for further education and employment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager promotes strong communication with health professionals, ensuring that children attend routine and specialist appointments. Emotional well-being is also supported by a therapeutic team delivering personalised interventions at the child’s pace. A youth worker also provides one-to-one support, building relationships creatively and sensitively. Children’s health needs are well understood and met.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain meaningful relationships with their families. Family time, including overnight visits, is facilitated effectively by staff, who ensure clear communication and the sharing of relevant information. For one child, communication between staff and a parent is increasing consistency in approach and behavioural guidance between their homes, supporting the child’s emotional well-being.

p.3

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

Staff deliver care through a relationship-based approach, creating a nurturing and child- focused environment. Children benefit from consistent care and continuity, which helps them feel safe and understood. Those currently living in the home, as well as a child who experienced a positive and planned move shortly after the last inspection, receive care that is responsive to their individual needs, including neurodivergence and adverse childhood experiences. Children are listened to, understood and supported to feel protected.

p.3

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

Managers take proactive actions to understand the needs of children before agreeing to moves into the home. They liaise with professionals and consider the needs of other children alongside staff skills, training needs and overall risks. Inspection report for children's home: 2592531 4 One child’s time in the home ended after one month and was unplanned. The decision to end the placement was appropriately made and based on the safety of the child and others in the home. However, decisions to continue staff support on a holiday break did not anticipate the impact of the rejection felt by the child. This resulted in further significant, and avoidable, incidents affecting both the child and staff.

p.3

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

Physical intervention is used as a last resort to ensure safety and prevent harm. Two children have been involved with physical restraint, with nine instances for the child who lived in the home for a short period and five with a child currently living in the home. These incidences of physical restraint are proportionate and necessary. The manager demonstrates effective oversight and identifies recording errors and opportunities for learning, taking swift action to address these.

p.4

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

Staff understand the risks associated with substance misuse and respond in line with the home’s policy. Expectations are communicated to children about acceptable behaviour. Individual plans outline supportive and risk-reducing actions, balancing engagement with the child with ensuring safety in the home. The manager models therapeutic and nurturing approaches, promoting safety and consistency. However, some plans lack specific, measurable actions and time frames, which can affect staff confidence and reduce the clarity of action.

p.4

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

Staff respond appropriately when children go missing from the home, following established procedures and working with family and external agencies to ensure the child’s safe return home. Since the last inspection, there have been three missing-from- home incidents involving one child. The manager provides effective oversight, encouraging reflective practice and learning from the circumstances leading up to each incident. Two return home interviews were completed, and the manager recognises the importance of ensuring that this support is externally facilitated to help identify any further needs.

p.4

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

Leaders are committed to staff development and maintaining a stable, skilled workforce. The responsible individual recognises sector-wide sufficiency challenges and the value of experienced managers. With support from the leadership team, there is a focus on internal progression opportunities. The manager has progressed through roles in the home, including deputy manager, before taking up the manager position. This continuity benefits both children and staff through established, trusted relationships and ongoing development support, including confidence in the role.

p.4

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

Staff feel well supported and benefit from regular supervision, appraisals and team meetings. Supervision records reflect a focus on reflective practice and scenario-based learning. Inspection report for children's home: 2592531 5 The manager uses tracking systems to monitor mandatory training compliance in line with the statement of purpose and takes proactive steps to address any gaps. Staff stability and sufficiency needs are well understood, and recruitment is ongoing to fill two vacancies.

p.4

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

The manager’s communication with professionals is well demonstrated and receives positive feedback. However, the manager has not adequately escalated the failure of one agency to provide a statutory plan for the child living in the home. The need to improve the consistency, quality and specific and measurable actions with and for staff was acknowledged by the manager.

p.5

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

The home is a welcoming and spacious environment for children and staff. Bedrooms are personalised to reflect children’s ages and interests. Outdoor improvements, such as a trampoline and summer house, enhance opportunities for play and relaxation. However, some internal damage remains unrepaired, and no repair work is scheduled. Some garden areas appear unkempt, and insufficient cleaning after activities affects the overall presentation and first impressions of the home.

p.5

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

Managers have high ambition and vision for children and know many of the strengths and development areas for the home. However, there are weaknesses that were not identified or responded to in a reasonable time frame as set out in the home’s aims and objectives. Despite the recognised commitment to address and learn from these issues, the impact for one child and staff is significant. Inspection report for children's home: 2592531 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

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; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home environment, including the garden, is maintained to an expectable standard that enables all areas as set out in the statement of purpose to be accessible to children. Additionally, the registered manager must ensure that recording by staff is of consistent quality and that plans are written in a way that supports staff by setting out specific and measurable actions. 6 October 2025

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff keep appropriate memorabilia of children’s time living in the home. In particular, staff should provide context to the photos that are included in memory books so that children are helped to remember where they were, what they were doing and who they were with when they look back at the photos in later life. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5) Inspection report for children's home: 2592531 7

p.6

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: 2592531 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Old Bank Buildings, East Street, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 0AJ

p.8

Inspector

Ashley Arkless, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2592531 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9