Children's Home run by 1848 Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2491059 1 Registered provider: 1848 Ltd 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 with emotional or behavioural difficulties. The previous registered manager left in February 2025 after nearly two years in post. An experienced manager from within the provider group transferred into the role immediately and has been registered with Ofsted since May 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

There are currently three children living in the home. Two children have remained living in the home since the previous inspection, and one child moved in a week before this inspection. Since the last inspection one child has had a planned move from the home, and one child has moved in and out.

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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: 3 September 2024

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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: 2491059 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/08/2023 Full Good 13/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2491059 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector met with all the children living in the home. The children enjoy living there and talked about the support and care they receive from the staff. The children enjoy positive, individualised experiences that make the most of the local area. Children regularly enjoy trips to the seaside and the cinema and go out for meals. One child attended a concert of their favourite band. Although children have varied experiences, they do not currently have a memory book to capture their experiences and time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with children, offering warm, nurturing care. The manager supports staff to reflect on their practice, helping them to adapt their support and improving their relationship with one child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and promote this for children. One child has achieved positive exam results that were celebrated by everyone, including their peers. Support for another child has focused on their return to education. Staff understand the impact of their specific support needs and ensure that the relevant assessments are in place to offer the child the best opportunity in the right provision. Staff hold high aspirations for children’s achievement and advocate for them with other professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their family members, including those who live at a distance. Staff develop positive relationships with families, helping to remove anxiety or uncertainty about their role to support time together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff maintain a homely and welcoming environment for children. They ensure that repairs are carried out in a timely way. Bedrooms are individualised to reflect children’s interests and favourite colours, and display photos and pictures that express their personality and items that bring them joy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are plans for one child to move out of the home. The manager ensures that they understand the decisions being made and that they are included. Staff support them to visit their new home and to form new relationships. Staff provide support to the child, recognising the emotional and practical impact of this change. The child had a garden party to celebrate and for staff to commemorate this positive ending.

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

Children say that they feel safe in the home and are listened to by staff when they are worried. The experiences for one child were difficult for staff to manage and created periods in the home when the other children were worried about their safety. Leaders and managers reviewed the needs of all children and the support that could be provided. This led to one child moving on from the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2491059 4 Staff adopt a relationship-based, nurturing approach to supporting children, which contributes to a reduction in incidents within the home, aligned to the home’s statement of purpose. Restraint is understood by both staff and managers as a measure of last resort. Since the last inspection, one child who lived in the home for a short period experienced three incidents involving physical restraint. These incidents included a total of 16 interventions, primarily involving the safe removal of items from the child’s hands.

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

The actions taken were assessed as proportionate and necessary to prevent harm to the child or others.

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

The manager demonstrates effective oversight of incidents, ensuring that each event is used as an opportunity for learning and development. They engage in critical reflection to assess whether alternative actions could have prevented the incident and provide clear guidance to staff on how their responses might be improved. This reflective approach fosters a culture of continuous improvement and supports staff in developing their practice to better meet the needs of children.

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

Staff understand safeguarding arrangements and ensure that children are safe. At times, it has been necessary for staff to restrict access to particular items around the home in order to keep children safe. These restrictions are now kept under regular review and reduced when appropriate.

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

The manager has ensured that staff are provided with appropriate guidance and support to manage incidents of children going missing from the home, in line with statutory and regulatory requirements. Each child has an individualised plan that outlines the actions to be taken should they go missing. Since the last inspection, there have been four incidents of children going missing from the home, three involving the same child. The responses to these incidents were appropriate and included timely referrals to relevant agencies and a review of the child’s plan to ensure it remained effective and fit for purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the responsible individual are ambitious for children to achieve and succeed. They lead the home with a clear ethos of inclusive leadership and empathetic, nurturing care, building effectively on the home’s established therapeutic model. The manager fosters an open and transparent culture, encouraging staff to reflect on their practice and to feel confident in raising concerns. The manager has taken proactive steps to ensure robust oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Both the responsible individual and the manager are ambitious for staff to grow and develop within the organisation, promoting progression opportunities and a culture of learning. They encourage staff to learn from experience. Staff are supported to understand, contribute to and use risk assessments effectively, creating a safer and more responsive environment for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2491059 5 Staff say that they enjoy working in the home and feel empowered in their roles. The manager strikes a positive balance between enabling staff autonomy and providing support and assurance when needed. This contributes to high staff morale and a relaxed, nurturing environment for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the responsible individual demonstrate a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. They are committed to improving the consistency and quality of recording, ensuring that the language used in documentation is respectful and considerate, particularly with regard to children accessing their records in the future. They take pride in the progress staff have made in addressing previous shortfalls and accept full responsibility for the oversight of the home. As a result, children benefit from living in a more cohesive, nurturing and responsive environment. Inspection report for children’s home: 2491059 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff capture children’s memories of their time in the home, to support their future understanding of their life story. (‘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: 2491059 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Ashley Arkless, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2491059 8 to 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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