Children's Home run by Birchwood Independence Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2802317 1 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Birchwood Independence Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager were registered with Ofsted in August 2024. The home provides care for one child who experiences social and emotional difficulties. It is privately operated with one other home in the region.

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Information about this children’s home

The child living in the home at the last inspection moved to the provider’s other home in November 2025. The child currently living in the home moved in shortly afterwards. They were present during the inspection and spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2802317 2 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2802317 3 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy positive experiences and make progress. One child benefited from a holiday abroad, and another is supported to have their dog stay at the home. These personal touches help children feel settled and valued. However, there are inconsistencies in the delivery of care, which affect children’s overall progress.

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improvement to be good

The home is well decorated and provides children with an environment that feels like a family home. The bedrooms are decorated in line with the children’s preferences. This helps children take pride in their space and develop a personalised, cosy environment. However, for one child, repairs to damaged furniture were not completed within a reasonable timescale. Additionally, the use of laptops by staff in communal areas contributes to an institutional feel.

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improvement to be good

The decision to support a move for one child to another home run by the same provider was well considered and took account of their individual needs, views, and the impact of the home’s rural location on their progress towards independence. The child’s move was supported by a memory book; however, the practice of building these with children from their move into the home is not yet embedded.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to stay healthy. Staff encourage them to think about the impact of lifestyle choices and provide opportunities, such as gym membership and walks, to improve fitness and wellbeing. Staff also manage day-to-day challenges sensitively and help children talk through difficult moments. For one child, staff supported them to consider the health risks of vaping alongside the legal issues in underage use. However, the boundaries in place within the home do not reinforce this message.

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improvement to be good

Staff recognise the importance of education and discussed one child’s barriers to engaging with their tutor, sharing strategies, and championing the child’s abilities. However, there were missed opportunities to work collaboratively with the tutor to support their understanding of the child’s needs. Specialist assessments are out of date, and current plans do not show how this is being challenged. There are no clear expectations for the child or staff about how daily activities include home-supported educational opportunities.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend time with their family. One child enjoyed a festive celebration and meal at the home. Parents feel welcomed when visiting and generally report positive communication. However, the detail of family time is not set out consistently in the home’s plans, and the plans provided to the home are not up to date. These factors contributed to confusion about expectations for one child’s family time and whether any restrictions were in place. Inspection report for children’s home: 2802317 4 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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improvement to be good

Children living in the home are helped and protected overall. However, on 2 occasions management actions were not sufficiently robust. For one incident there was a lack of robust action in response to the child obtaining illegal substances. On another occasion there was a missed opportunity to search the child’s belongings to prevent concerning items being brought into the home. These incidents highlight weaknesses in safeguarding practice and inconsistent application of the home’s policy and procedures.

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improvement to be good

There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection. Children develop trusting relationships with staff. One child was supported at short notice to spend New Year’s Eve away from the home, with risks assessed, mitigated and the required consents obtained. This helped strengthen their trust in staff, and their positive choices in maintaining communication are recognised and celebrated.

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improvement to be good

One child’s move into the home followed a period of being missing, so usual introductions could not take place. Staff were proactive during this time, working with partner agencies to identify locations. Since moving in, the child has had one further incident of going missing, which was responded to appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment practices are supported within the home. When there are reports of concern about practice these are investigated appropriately with actions supported by external advice.

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

The managers are aware of some, but not all, weaknesses in practice. Gaps in leadership and management affect the quality of care provided to children. However, the responsible individual recognises the need for improvement and shows the capacity to take action. They are motivated to strengthen their strategic oversight, monitoring and scrutiny, and recent steps reflect their increased involvement.

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

The managers’ monthly auditing reports are informative and outline actions taken, identifying some progress in areas such as supervision, training and key performance indicators. However, managers do not have full oversight of the consistency of practice or its impact on children, and auditing is reactive. For example, despite tracking training there are staff who have not met the timescales for qualification under the regulations. There is not a proactive strategy on how to support staff to achieve this goal.

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

Managers have not ensured that plans consistently or comprehensively identify the individual needs of children. Plans are not updated frequently enough and lack specific, measurable and achievable objectives to demonstrate progress. They do not reflect the care plans from the local authority consistently. In part this is because concerns about delay in receiving these documents are not escalated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2802317 5 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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

The decision to move familiar staff with one child supported their transition. However, this created unforeseen consequences for the staff culture in the home. The responsible individual has recognised this and is taking action to reset expectations for all staff. Training has been commissioned to improve understanding of the impact of closed and poor cultures. These measures and the planned reset have been well received by the staff team, whose members are motivated to support children consistently and to be successful in their roles.

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

There are inconsistencies in recording. The use of both a purchased recording system and separate computer-based forms creates confusion and contributes to variable practice. Managers recognise these weaknesses, and the responsible individual has commissioned an independent review with the intention of moving to a single system and providing additional staff training. Inspection report for children’s home: 2802317 6 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that plans to support children are written in plain English. Plans should contain measurable and specific strategies and reflect the local authority care plan. Any delays in receiving required plans should be escalated using procedures that help with timeliness. Furthermore, the registered person should ensure that the 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2802317 7 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

review and oversight of significant incidents is suitably robust and identifies gaps in advice given by those in lead positions.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated, however the actions for managers have changed.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(iv)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff consistently support the child to complete expected tasks and monitor their progress, as set out in plans. Also, the registered person must ensure that staff consistently challenge inappropriate language and apply boundaries consistently. Finally, they should ensure any restrictive practices or

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated, however the actions for managers have changed. 31 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2802317 8 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)(vii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that effective plans set out how the child’s education will be supported. They should advocate on behalf of the child to support them receiving a suitable educational provision that is informed by an up-to- date assessment of their needs. Finally, they must work collaboratively with professionals to give the best start in developing relationships.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

The relevant date is— 31/03/2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2802317 9 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that staff are supported to overcome barriers to achieving qualifications, engaging with staff to ensure that planning supports timely completion. The registered manager must ensure that staff adhere to reasonable timescales, and be clear about the organisational actions if these are not achieved.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff keep appropriate memorabilia of children’s time living in the home. In particular, staff should provide context to the photos that are included in memory books so that children are helped to remember where they were, what they were doing and who they were with when they look back at the photos in later life. (‘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: 2802317 10 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Birchwood Independence Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 14 Highlands, Taunton TA1 4HP

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Inspector

Ashley Arkless, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2802317 11 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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Inspector

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