Children's Home run by Idem Living Limited in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: SC489223 1 SC489223 Registered provider: Idem Living Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to two children who may have needs associated with social and emotional difficulties and/or have learning disabilities. At the time of the inspection, there was one child living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

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

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC489223 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2024 Full Good 03/05/2023 Full Good 06/12/2022 Full Good 16/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC489223 3

p.2

improvement to be good

One child has moved into the home, and one child has moved out of the home since the last inspection. The inspector spoke with both children during the inspection.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child who lives at the home has little structure to their day. The child is not regularly engaged with meaningful activities which would provide them with a rich variety of experiences, and this means that the quality of their day-to-day experiences is poor.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child engages with education on a part-time basis. There has been appropriate challenge from leaders and managers to the local authority around the lack of formal education provision. However, not enough is done to ensure that the child engages with planned and structured educational activities outside of time with their tutor. This impacts negatively on their ability to achieve.

p.3

improvement to be good

Despite having lived at the home for six months, the child does not spend time with peers. More could be done to ensure that staff are considering, and reconsidering, the approaches that they are using to encourage the child to engage in activities where they can socialise with peers and make friends.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child moved quickly into the home, as recommended by their social worker. The decision for the child to move in was informed by social care professionals only. Opportunities were missed to learn more about the child from a range of people involved in their life. This means that the risks that the child faced were not well understood prior to them moving into the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child’s health needs are met, staff and the manager support that the child to engage with therapy, so that they have opportunities to reflect on and discuss their feelings.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children make some progress with their ability to understand their emotions, and some of the risks that they face. The child who lives in the home, and the child who has moved on both say that they have good relationships with staff who care for them. The child who has moved on from the home said that the manager was like a ‘second mum’ to them, and they have never felt as cared for, or as safe, as when they were living in the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

When significant incidents happen in the home, the response from staff is not always consistent. At times, incidents have escalated because of staff’s actions. Physical interventions are frequently used by staff to respond to the child’s distressed behaviours. Not all of these are proportionate. The language used in records, and at times, towards Inspection report for children’s home: SC489223 4 the child, is blaming and shaming, which shows a lack of care and nurture. Follow-up conversations are not routinely taking place with the child. They are regularly attempted by staff, but it is too often accepted that the child does not want to engage. Further attempts to explore the child’s feelings following these incidents are limited which shows a lack of nurture.

p.3

improvement to be good

Significant conversations take place with the child, and some of these are meaningful and relevant to the child’s life. Some recorded conversations are descriptions of incidents which have been upsetting to the child or challenging conversations that have taken place with the child at inappropriate times. This means that opportunities to speak to the child about important themes are missed, and a lack of effective oversight means that concerns with staff practice have not been highlighted or addressed.

p.4

improvement to be good

Restrictions such a window restrictors are used within the home with the aim of keeping the child safe. The manager reviews these each week. However, it is not clear why some restrictions are being used and what they are intended to protect the child from.

p.4

improvement to be good

When the child goes missing from home, staff search for them and try to remain in contact with them. When the child has returned to the home, they are offered a meal. Although it is not clear that they receive a warm and nurturing welcome from staff.

p.4

improvement to be good

When the child has raised a concern around staff practice, this has been reported appropriately to external agencies and investigated as necessary. However, there is a lack of consistent follow-up conversations with the child to report the findings of investigations, which likely contributes to children not feeling listened to.

p.4

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

A lack of effective oversight from leaders and managers has meant that staff have not been supported to adapt their practice, or to try new approaches. This means that opportunities to help the child make further progress have been missed. Management oversight of significant incidents is also poor with a consistent lack of effective critical analysis around staff practice, which means that poor practice is not highlighted or addressed effectively.

p.4

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

The home’s statement of purpose outlines that staff use a therapeutic approach to support children. This is not effectively translated into the child’s care and support plans, which means that staff practice is not routinely lead by a therapeutic approach. This means that the child has received inconsistent approaches from staff.

p.4

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

Staff speak fondly of the child in the home and speak highly of the leaders and managers who support them in their roles. Education professionals view that members of the staff team have worked hard to support the child and recognize some of the difficulties with engaging the child in activities. Mental health professionals feel that while some staff show a therapeutic approach this is not consistent among the team. Inspection report for children’s home: SC489223 5 Team meetings and supervisions take place regularly, and some important details about the child are shared and considered. However, opportunities are missed to robustly explore how the team can further support the child to make good progress. Where it has been identified that there is a vulnerability with a member of staff’s practice, this has been repeated in three subsequent supervisions, without further support, monitoring or advice being provided.

p.4

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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC489223 6

p.6

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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

Understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

p.6

Requirement Due date

Use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

Understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

p.6

Requirement Due date

Understand and apply the homes statement of purpose;

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are knowledgeable about the therapeutic approaches that they are to use, as set out in the homes statement of purpose, and that these are routinely used to support children when they are distressed. Additionally, the registered person must ensure that staff support children to have good routines in the home, and that children have regular access to a variety of stimulating activities. 4 November 2025

p.6

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 4 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC489223 7 that staff—

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that where children are on part-time timetables, there are clear plans to structure their day when they are not in school, with activities and tasks which relate to their plans.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that where children present risk-taking behaviours, staff carry out relevant work with them to help children learn about their risks, in line with their plans. Additionally, when it is assessed that restrictions are needed to the environment to keep the child safe, these should be risk assessed and regularly reviewed. Any decision to implement a restriction needs to be clearly justified. 4 November 2025

p.7

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.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 4 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC489223 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.7

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)(h))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should have effective oversight of staff practice to ensure that they are adhering to children’s plans. Additionally, the registered person should have effective oversight of incidents occurring in the home so that they understand what causes them and how staff respond, allowing for learning and reflection.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.8

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

p.8

Requirement Due date

Have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that when children move into and out of the home this is carefully planned and that efforts are made to ensure that all information is known about children prior to them coming to live at the home. 4 November 2025

p.8

Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: SC489223 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Stable Court Business Centre, Water Lane, Tarbock Green, Prescot L35 1RD

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered manager: Lauren Williams-Carr

p.9

Inspector

Minnette Sims, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC489223 10 and inspects 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.

p.9

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.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10