Children's home run by Life Change Care Limited

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2720360 1 Registered provider: Life Change Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager has recently been appointed to the post. They have not yet applied to register with Ofsted.

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Inspection date: 3 December 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2720360 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

As part of the inspection, the inspector spoke with one of the children.

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Findings from the inspection

This inspection was carried out following the provider notifying Ofsted that there had been a small fire in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff responded promptly to the incident to ensure that children were safeguarded and evacuated without delay. The staff are trained in fire safety and the emergency procedures. They understand the strategies that have been implemented since the incident to mitigate any further fire risk. Both children had been involved in a fire drill before the incident occurred.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager has arranged for the fire service to meet with children to carry out work around fire safety. It is also planned for staff to carry out direct work with children about keeping themselves safe in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers confirmed that children’s belongings are checked for any prohibited items, such as lighters, when they move into the home. However, for one child, these checks have not been recorded, and so the manager cannot be assured that they have been carried out.

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Findings from the inspection

Care planning for children moving into the home is not always effective. This specifically relates to a lapse in communication between managers in the home and placing authorities. On one occasion, the senior leadership team was unaware of some emerging risks for a child who had moved into the home. Consequently, these risks have not been considered in relation to the impact on the child already living in the home or how best to safeguard the child.

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Findings from the inspection

The child’s referral records from the placing authority have not been considered in full, which means that some information has not been included in the child’s impact risk assessment in relation to the potential severity of the risks for the child.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager has not been able to be fully present in the home because of an allegation relating to them. There are some lessons to be learned by the senior leadership team in relation to the impact of moving a new child into the home while the manager is temporarily unavailable to support this transition.

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Findings from the inspection

Allegations are taken seriously by senior leaders. Safeguarding professionals are involved to promote full transparency. Mediation work is to be carried out by senior leaders and the company clinician to help to restore relationships between children and staff, when appropriate. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2720360 3 Children rarely go missing from the home. Staff understand and follow children’s missing-from-home protocols to ensure that they are returned home safely. Missing- from-home protocols provide staff with clear guidance on how they should support children during overnight stays with their families and how they should respond to potential risks of them going missing or not answering welfare calls during these visits.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s risk assessments are not always proportionately risk graded in line with the current risks for the child. They do not always include risk-reduction strategies that the manager has agreed with the staff team to keep children safe. This specifically relates to risk assessments for fire safety and allegation management. This is a leadership and management oversight of records shortfall, as staff spoken to during the inspection had a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities to keep children safe.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are provided with training that is specific to children’s risks. Team meetings are used to share information and to reflect on incidents. In addition, staff engage in regular reflective supervision to promote practice development.

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Findings from the inspection

One child has moved out of the home since the last inspection. This was a planned and positive move for the child to return to their family home. The staff team provided support to ensure that the transition was smooth for both the child and their family. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2720360 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/10/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2720360 5

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, asset out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, children’s referral records from the placing authority must be considered in full to ensure that all information is included in the child’s impact risk assessment in relation to the potential severity of the risks for the child. 14 January 2026

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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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; 14 January 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2720360 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s belongings are checked for any prohibited items when they move into the home and that these checks are recorded.

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Requirement Due date

Communication between managers in the home and placing authorities must be effective. This means that when children move into the home, their risks are carefully considered in relation to the impact on children already living in the home to ensure that all children can be kept safe.

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Requirement Due date

Children’s risk assessments must be proportionately risk graded in line with the current risks for the child and include risk-reduction strategies that the manager has agreed with the staff team to keep children safe. This specifically relates to risk assessments for fire safety and allegation management.

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Requirement Due date

Lessons learned should be carried out by the senior leadership team in relation to the impact of moving a new child into the home while the manager has been temporarily unavailable to support the transition. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2720360 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Life Change Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 47 Bedwin Street, Salisbury SP1 3UT

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Inspector

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2720360 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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