Children's Home run by Within Reach Services Limited in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children's home: 2722533 1 Registered provider: Within Reach Services Limited

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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. It can provide care for up to 2 children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home and met with the inspector.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager post is vacant. However, there has been a permanent and experienced manager in post since February 2026, and they have applied to register.

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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 good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 11 February 2026

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2722533 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/03/2025 Full Good 31/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2722533 3

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Summary of findings

The staff team is nurturing and provides sensitive and safe care to the child. When the child moved in, staff made efforts to get to know the child and how they communicate. They spoke with the child's family and professional network in order to understand their needs. Leaders and managers arranged bespoke training for the staff, and this has enabled them to provide good care to the child. There are necessary restrictions in the home that align with the child's health needs.

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, staff have supported one child to move out of the home in a positive manner. They helped them to move into their new home, which made their transition easier and showed the child that they cared about them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are attuned to the child's needs. They respond with patience, nurture and predictable care. Staff communicate with the child using alternative communication methods, such as photographs and objects of reference. This helps the child to understand what is happening and prepares them for various transitions throughout the day. Staff are aware that this approach reduces the child's anxieties and provides them with a sense of safety and security.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been out of education for a significant period. Staff recognise the barriers to their learning and the adverse impact of their previous experiences. They are working collaboratively with education professionals to identify a suitable provision that will best meet the child's needs. In the meantime, the staff have implemented a structured daily routine that provides a range of learning and sensory based activities to support the child's overall development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise the child's health needs to ensure they access the right support. They acknowledge the barriers to attending appointments and arrange for medical professionals to come to the home to reduce the child's anxiety. Staff have supported the child to develop a healthy routine. As a result, there has been a significant improvement in their wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are photographs of the child around the house, and this has helped them to develop a sense of belonging. Staff encourage the child to engage in a range of positive and enriching experiences. However, the child has not accessed the community for a considerable period. Staff are therefore supporting the child to regularly spend time in the garden, where they enjoy using the trampoline and swing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to participate in day-to-day decisions. The child is choosing the clothes they would like to wear each day and has recently chosen the colour for their Inspection report for children's home: 2722533 4 bedroom. Staff have decorated this in line with their wishes. This provides the child with autonomy and ensures that they feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff supported one child to move out of the home in a positive manner. To celebrate their time living in the home, they took the child on a trip to the funfair and they had a meal afterwards. They also gave the child gifts and a memory book, which included photographs documenting their positive experiences living in the home.

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

The care provided to the child is individualised. The plans in place help staff to understand the child's needs and provide clear guidance on how best to support them. The staff are beginning to develop positive and trusting relationships with the child, who is comfortable in staff's presence and enjoy spending time with them.

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

The manager and staff understand the child's vulnerabilities when accessing the internet. When staff noticed concerns relating to the child's online activity, the manager investigated them and put additional measures in place to safeguard the child.

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

Staff use physical interventions when it is necessary and proportionate to the risk, such as in order to prevent the child sustaining significant harm. Management oversight identifies learning with the aim of reducing restrictive responses in the future. Managers share their findings with the staff and they reflect on learning together and make changes to their practice. Consequently, staff's use of physical intervention has reduced.

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

There are necessary restrictions in place around the home and adaptations made to the home's environment, in line with the child's health needs. Staff are aware that the child struggles with any environmental changes and is sensitive to this. The manager has plans in place to review and reduce the restrictions as they gain a better understanding of what is necessary to keep the child safe.

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

The staff support the child to have safe and positive family time. They have a good understanding of the risks associated with this and are proactively developing strategies to reduce any negative impact on the child. This allows the child to remain connected with people who are important to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers show commitment and dedication to the child and their staff team. They provide a supportive environment through a strong leadership presence, regular supervisions and team meetings, which ensure that staff are well informed. Staff feel valued and are encouraged to share their views about the child and the day-to-day running of the home. This has resulted in a cohesive and collaborative staff team that provides consistency and stability to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensured that staff had the necessary training to meet the needs of the child. This was achieved through a mixture of online and face-to-face training, as well as Inspection report for children's home: 2722533 5 input from key professionals who know the child well. The individualised plans provide helpful guidance to staff and underpin their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and staff talk confidently about the progress the child has made living at the home. Managers have developed effective systems to monitor and evaluate this progress. They understand the home's strengths and have good management oversight. This supports them to identify any patterns or themes that positively or adversely impact the delivery of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Reflective practice supports staff's learning and results in improved experiences and care for children. Managers and staff learn from their experiences and proactively make changes to practice. Professionals were complimentary about the effective planning, care and support for the child. They believe the child has made excellent progress, which is testament to the care provided by the staff team. Inspection report for children's home: 2722533 6

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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: 2722533 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Within Reach Services Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: C/O Hazlewoods LLP, Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham GL50 3AT

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Trevor Ridgewell

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Inspector

Carly Parry, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2722533 8 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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