Children's home run by Evolve Childcare Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2677724 1 Registered provider: Evolve Childcare Ltd

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social or emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living in the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home shares a courtyard with another home that is run by the same company. The homes were previously one home, but they separated as individual registrations in 2022.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager is registered with Ofsted. They were present throughout the inspection.

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 good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 19 November 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: 2677724 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/11/2024 Full Good 13/06/2023 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2677724 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is large, with lots of different spaces for children to use. It is decorated to a good standard, and children’s bedrooms are personalised. Outdoor areas for children are spacious and well maintained.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from care that is designed to meet their individual needs. Staff encourage them to have new experiences, such as boxing lessons and trips in the community.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend time building relationships with children. Children have developed their confidence, emotional resilience and ability to manage and express their emotions. They often choose to speak to staff about their worries and concerns. Staff listen to children’s wishes and feelings. They intuitively monitor children’s moods and reach out to children. This promotes conversation and the provision of emotional support and advice.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of ensuring that children’s educational needs are met. They build positive relationships with education professionals, sharing important information about children’s education, home life and wellbeing. Since moving to the home, two children have made progress with their educational attainment and their behaviours in school. Independence planning involves children, to ensure that it aligns with their needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff who promote healthy lifestyles. Staff devise ways to support children to attend appointments and to understand their health and emotional needs. They raise children’s health concerns with other professionals and monitor them. However, following staff raising concerns about a health concern for a child that could have a long-lasting negative impact on them, no action has been taken to ensure that that it is was appropriately addressed. Managers accept that this needs to be addressed without delay.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the complexity of family relationships and how these can impact on children. They spend time with children, listening to their memories and experiences with family, providing sensitive and therapeutic responses. When it is safe and appropriate, staff work with children’s families to support them to maintain and build positive relationships. Any concerns about the time children spend with their families are acted on effectively to safeguard children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child’s move out of the home was well planned. Staff worked closely with other professionals, the family and the child to ensure that the child’s wishes and feelings were considered and that there was a positive ending to the child’s time at the home and a positive start at their new home. Inspection report for children's home: 2677724 4

p.3

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

Staff understand how vulnerable children can be and the risks that they can face. They understand and plan how to manage and mitigate risk. They work closely with external professionals to devise and implement multi-agency care planning when it is required. Staff make opportunities to talk to children about risk. This helps children learn how to keep themselves safe and the potential negative impact of their behaviours. For one child, risks including going missing and self-harm have reduced.

p.4

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

When children go missing, staff usually respond promptly and appropriately. Management oversight has identified 2 occasions when staff have not acted in line with guidance. This was addressed immediately. Plans that did not reflect the child’s vulnerability if they went missing were updated during the inspection.

p.4

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

Incidents of concerning behaviour rarely happen in the home. When they do, staff act in children’s best interests. Staff recognise the importance of providing children with clear and consistent boundaries in ending incidents in a timely way. Strategies used by staff support children to feel calmer and more settled. However, when incidents do not occur regularly or when a child is new to the home, staff do not always have the skills to and strategies to end incidents promptly.

p.4

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

Staff support children to understand the impact of their actions on each other. Carefully planned reparative sessions give children a voice and a safe space to express their feelings and to reflect on their actions. These sessions promote kindness and consideration in children’s relationships with each other.

p.4

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

Some language used by staff during incidents may make children feel shame or blame. Managers have identified this as an urgent learning point and have devised learning to address this.

p.4

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

Staff take allegations made by children seriously and investigate them thoroughly. They inform and involve appropriate professionals in investigations and ensure that children are spoken to. Effective management oversight of allegations ensures that learning from investigations is shared with staff to promote learning.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management team is committed to achieving the best outcomes for children. They have positive working relationships, setting a good example for staff and children. Leaders and managers spend time in the home, working directly with the staff and children. This has allowed them to build positive and trusting relationships with children and staff.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know what is going on in the home and have oversight of children’s lives and staff practice. Care planning for children sets out children’s needs, routines, risks and behaviours. The quality of management oversight is mixed. At times it is reflective and considers staff practice and children’s need. On other occasions, it Inspection report for children's home: 2677724 5 provides limited analysis and evaluation of staff practice and children’s behaviours. This may prevent learning and the development of strategies to better meet children’s needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers advocate for children. They actively work with other professionals and raise concerns when necessary. Concerns and complaints raised by a child have been shared and addressed appropriately. The child was involved in the process and informed of the outcome in a child-friendly way.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of planning when a child moves into the home is mixed. There is planning to start to build relationships. However, children’s initial experiences of each other, the home and staff are not thoroughly recorded and considered. Potential risks and behaviours are documented. However, there is a lack of analysis and evaluation of the impact of risks and behaviours on children already living in the home. This has led to some difficulties in the relationships between children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by leaders and managers. They receive regular supervision and attend team meetings. Staff say that supervision is of good quality and meets their overall needs. However, there is a lack of reflection and discussion of safeguarding and overall practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff recruitment processes ensure that checks are completed to determine whether people are safe to work with children. Concerns about staff practice are thoroughly and robustly investigated. There is clear action planning which is reviewed to ensure that points for learning have been addressed.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers do not regularly revise and share the statement of purpose. The location assessment of the home does not consider how a serious risk in the local area should be mitigated. Inspection report for children's home: 2677724 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 health and well-being standard is that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.6

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff help each child to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

p.6

Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s medical needs are addressed without delay. 1 February 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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; 1 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2677724 7 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(b))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that planning for when children go missing considers children’s individual vulnerabilities.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.7

Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(ii))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they complete and document robust evaluation and analysis of all available or required information about all children before a decision is made for a child to move into the home. 1 February 2026

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

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 1 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2677724 8 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that thorough reviews are carried out to analyse and evaluate staff practice and how it impacts on outcomes for children.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that ways to mitigate risks in the local area are documented. 1 February 2026

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1))

p.8

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 1 February 2026

p.8

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff follow the home’s policies and procedures to benefit the children who live there. There should be clear lines of accountability. In particular, the registered person should ensure that documents detailing supervision show the discussion and reflection that takes place. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20) Inspection report for children's home: 2677724 9

p.8

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: 2677724 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Evolve Childcare Ltd

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite B, Blackdown House, Blackbrook Park Avenue, Taunton, Somerset TA1 2PX

p.10

Inspector

Carla Simkiss, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2677724 11 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.10

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.11

Inspector

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

p.11

Inspector

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

p.11