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

Inspection report for children's home: 2709854 1 Registered provider: Changing Lives Care Group 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

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Since January 2026, the home has had an interim manager who is currently awaiting registration from Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2709854 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/07/2025 Full Good 15/07/2024 Full Good 30/08/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2709854 3

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Summary of findings

Children experience a warm, nurturing home where they feel safe, listened to and valued. Strong relationships with staff help children develop emotionally, socially and independently. Recent improvements in staffing stability have strengthened consistency of care. Children’s views shape their daily lives, and they are supported to pursue hobbies, build friendships and access specialist services when needed. Safeguarding practice is effective, with significant reductions in risk-taking behaviours. Leaders provide ambitious and reflective management, addressing weaknesses and improving staff confidence. As a result, children benefit from increasingly stable routines, individualised support and a home environment where they can thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm and nurturing home where they feel safe. There is a homely feel throughout. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, and children contribute to the design of the home. Staff have made some positive changes to the environment, which make the home feel inviting and a place where children thrive. Consequently, children have a sense of belonging and feel fully involved in the day-to-day life at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by an experienced core staff team, alongside the home’s allocated therapist. Following a period of instability in the staff team, new staff are in place, and there is a growing sense of stability. Staff have an evolving understanding of the children’s needs and support them to develop socially, emotionally and independently. As a result, children receive good-quality, individualised care and support and feel more stable in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. Relationships between children, staff and the important people in children’s lives are secure. Communication is effective, and this promotes positive outcomes for children. Children can identify several adults that they can speak to, especially when they have worries or concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel listened to, and their wishes are acted on. They have opportunities to discuss their views, thoughts and ideas through informal meetings and more formal time with staff. As a result, children feel empowered and in control of the decisions in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to pursue hobbies and socialise in their community. One child regularly plays pool at a local club, while the other enjoys cooking fresh meals and baking, and is guided by an independent advocate to build peer friendships. This tailored approach nurtures independence and helps them develop meaningful connections outside the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2709854 4 Children receive individual specialised care and support from external services. When children are in crisis and need an increased level of support, staff act swiftly, accessing services such as child and adolescent mental health services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s basic and more complex health needs are well responded to. A dedicated therapist works together with staff and children to develop their understanding of trauma, attachment and mental health. As a result, staff take a therapeutic approach, and children feel safe to naturally express themselves.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and how to keep children safe. There are effective strategies in place to teach children how to self-regulate and manage their emotions. This has resulted in a reduction in incidents of children engaging in harmful and risk-taking behaviours.

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

Children going missing from the home, self-harm and exploitation have all significantly reduced and are rare. Professionals, such as the attached therapist, work with staff to further strengthen their knowledge and help them understand the children’s behaviours better. As a result, children are supported to learn to self-regulate and understand their emotions, reducing serious incidents.

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

Staff know children’s individual risks and what makes them vulnerable. Effective policies and procedures guide staff practice. Risk-taking behaviours are well considered, with appropriate assessments in place to increase children’s safety in and outside of the home. However, there is heavy reliance on more experienced staff. Leaders need to support less experienced staff to become more confident in their ability to understand the risks for children and the responses required.

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

Incidents and the use of physical intervention are rare. The consistent presence and approach of experienced staff and their strong relationships with children have reduced incidents occurring. Physical restraint is proportionate and only used when necessary. Staff consistently check on children’s wellbeing throughout incidents. As a result, children feel well supported in times of crisis, and learning from incidents is used to improve staff practice.

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

A proactive and collaborative approach to safeguarding supports staff to understand the risks for each child. As a result, children have become increasingly safer. However, with a mix of new and experienced staff, boundaries and expectations are not always consistently applied, and responses to children can vary.

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

Staff have responded effectively to reduce the risk of bullying. For one child who has experienced extensive bullying at school, the registered manager has collaborated closely with the school and professionals to maintain the school placement. They have challenged the school where necessary and listened to the child to support them to access education despite them no longer physically attending school. Inspection report for children's home: 2709854 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes in the home. A new registered manager has an ambitious vision for the home and high expectations for what all children can achieve. Leaders and managers have addressed requirements and recommendations from the previous inspection, leading to improved practice. As a result, the home is in a stronger position, and children are receiving a higher standard of care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the impact of staff practice and how this contributes to the progress of children. For one child who has made considerable progress, there is a clear pathway plan. For the other child, there is currently no local authority care plan in place, and this situation has existed for some time. While this situation is out of the home’s direct control, the registered manager needs to directly challenge and advocate in the child’s interest to move this forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers know the strengths and weaknesses of the home. During this time of transition, the registered manager has supported their staff team and used team meetings, supervision and training to prevent shortfalls, identify weaknesses and take decisive and effective action.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported and describe the home as a supportive environment. Staff receive supervision that is individualised, reflective and addresses and challenges practice. Staff speak highly about the registered manager and view supervision as a positive aspect of their role, resulting in increased knowledge and ability to support children to grow and thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers recognise that staff sufficiency and workloads have affected stability in the home. They have taken effective steps to address these concerns and carefully recruited staff. New staff are experienced and enthusiastic, which has had a positive impact on the home, team spirit and experiences of the children. Inspection report for children's home: 2709854 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they challenge where the placing authority or another relevant person does not provide the input and services needed to meet a child’s needs during their time in the home or in preparation for leaving the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)

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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: 2709854 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

Steve de Souza, Regulatory Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2709854 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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