Children's Home run by Changing Lives Care Group Ltd in Leicestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2490999 1 Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private provider and is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2024.

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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 outstanding

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2490999 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/03/2025 Full Good 05/12/2023 Full Good 08/03/2023 Full Good 10/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2490999 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home, having lived there for five months, and another child has recently moved in. Both children are subject to legal orders that deprive them of their liberty.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The provider decided to serve notice on one child’s placement due to increased risks and challenges in keeping the child safe. The manager and placing authority worked together hoping for a planned and supported move. However, immediate notice was served after a significant incident involving the police. The child’s social worker said, ‘I can’t fault the care and commitment of staff, especially under the extreme circumstances. The team didn’t want to give up on the child. Staff offered therapeutic care and support.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain consistent routines, boundaries and expectations of behaviour. Staff are dedicated and committed to helping improve outcomes for children. This has enabled one child to succeed in alternative educational support. The child had previously been sleeping during the day due to excessive phone use at night. Through collaboration with the social worker and the child, agreements for a structured routine with a mix of face-to-face tuition, online education and homework have been agreed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff praise, reward and acknowledge children’s positive contributions and behaviours. Staff use fair and proportionate sanctions to help children take accountability for their actions and make positive choices that benefit their learning and daily routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate creativity and determination in finding ways to encourage children to share their views. Staff have ensured effective safety planning for one child who is deprived of their liberty and is at high risk of going missing. This has enabled the child to safely access a range of activities and experiences that promote enjoyment and personal growth. Another child often refuses activities. However, staff continue to explore opportunities tailored to the child’s individual needs and continue to offer opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care planning is thorough, regularly reviewed and clearly guides staff to meet each child’s needs effectively. Children’s progress may be gradual, but it is meaningful and reflects the team’s dedication to providing structured, therapeutic and child-centred care. This has helped children to experience stability, periods of reduced incidents and measurable improvements in areas such as education, social interaction and personal care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2490999 4

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

Safeguarding practice is proactive, reflective and responsive. Children have detailed risk assessments and safety plans. These are regularly updated and used to guide care practice. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of each child’s vulnerabilities, behavioural triggers and emotional needs. This enables staff to respond appropriately during serious incidents and to any emerging safety concerns.

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

Staff are supported with well-planned training and reflection opportunities to understand children’s specific needs. This deeper understanding enables staff to deliver skilled and attuned care tailored to supporting children who are deprived of their liberty.

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

Staff help children to understand risks and make safer choices. They persist with good advice, even when children struggle to accept this guidance. Staff use a consistent approach and lots of reassurance to enable children to engage effectively in direct work and daily conversations.

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

Staff remain vigilant and committed to helping children stay safe, even during periods of heightened risk or times of crisis. The use of physical intervention to manage children’s behaviours is proportionate and only as a last resort to keep children safe. The manager reviews all interventions to assess their effectiveness and identify learning to improve future incident management.

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

Staff ensure a coordinated and multi-agency response to incidents of missing and self- harm. The manager’s oversight of safeguarding incidents, children’s behaviour and care practices ensures identified learning takes place. The manager actively seeks guidance from relevant professionals, including the in-house therapist and specialist child mental health services. This ensures practice improvement and specialist support for staff when managing complex needs and escalating behaviours.

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

The manager has updated the locality risk assessment. However, it does not currently include feedback from relevant local services. This limits staff’s understanding of contextual safeguarding concerns and, therefore, impacts their ability to keep children as safe as possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leadership is exceptional. Managers are passionate about their roles, child-focused and provide a clear vision that prioritises children’s safety, stability and long-term outcomes. The manager maintains effective quality assurance systems, ensuring children’s care plans, records and staff practice remain of a high standard. When safeguarding incidents increase or significant events occur, the manager responds promptly, balancing the needs of children with the safety and well-being of the staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2490999 5 The manager draws on their extensive experience in residential care, alongside theory and research, to guide and develop the staff team. Records acknowledge that staff have, at times, struggled to fully understand children’s needs and behaviours. In response, the manager has taken a proactive and reflective approach, facilitating targeted training in autism awareness, defence mechanisms and behavioural patterns,

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

attachment theory and attachment styles, therapeutic approaches, the drama triangle and the window of tolerance. This has enabled regular opportunities for staff to explore and understand the underlying reasons for children’s presentation and behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and team reflect on events, including a recent increase in safeguarding incidents that led to immediate notice being served for one child. Despite the child previously experiencing a sustained period of stability and progress, this could not be maintained safely. The team expressed understandable upset, and the situation had a notable impact on staff morale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides highly effective support during periods of crisis, immediately adapting staff rotas and flexibly adjusting their own working hours. This increased presence ensured the child received consistent care from a stable and familiar team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff describe the manager as approachable, supportive and deeply committed to both their well-being and the care afforded to children. Staff express pride in their work, describing a culture where they feel valued, listened to and encouraged to contribute ideas. This leadership approach supports a stable workforce and contributes significantly to the progress and safety of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff support systems, such as professional supervision, team meetings and reflective discussions, are of an excellent standard and offer staff meaningful opportunities to explore their practice, strengthen their confidence and consider new approaches to supporting children. However, although supervision records for one member of staff acknowledge difficulties in completing their residential care qualification, they do not clearly record the barriers, defined support or timescales for progression. This gap limits the manager’s ability to monitor progress and ensure the staff member receives structured and timely support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2490999 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should consult with services that have a statutory responsibility for safeguarding children in the neighbourhood where the home is located, i.e. children’s services, the police, probation service providers and, if relevant, voluntary services that support victims of crime or young runaways. The purpose of consultation is, as far as reasonably practicable, to gather local intelligence on factors in a neighbourhood that may represent risks to children.  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in understanding the barriers for staff completing relevant qualifications and have systems in place to effectively monitor staff progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 2490999 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 7, 35-37 Ludgate Hill, London EC4M 7JN

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Inspector

Tazim Akhtar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2490999 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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