Children's Home run by Action for Children in Gloucestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2790895 1 Registered provider: Action for Children

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The property is leased by a local authority, and the care is delivered by a charity. The charity registered the home with Ofsted in May 2025 to provide care to 1 child who may have learning disabilities and social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One young person is living in the home, and they spoke with the inspector. The registered manager has been in post since May 2025.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A full inspection was carried out on 22 and 23 April 2026. The home was judged ‘inadequate’, and 4 compliance notices were issued under Regulations 5, 6, 13 and 14.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 19 May 2026, Ofsted completed a monitoring visit at the home. It was found that leaders and managers had made efforts to meet the compliance notices. However, they Inspection report for children’s home: 2790895 2 required more time to demonstrate full adherence. Consequently, compliance notices for Regulations 6, 13 and 14 were reissued.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 8 July 2026, Ofsted completed another monitoring visit to the home. It was found that leaders and managers had taken sufficient action to meet the 3 compliance notices that were reissued following the last monitoring visit. Inspection report for children’s home: 2790895 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/04/2026 Full Inadequate 30/09/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2790895 4

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Summary of findings

The home environment has been improved to better meet the young person’s needs. The young person benefits from consistent routines, positive relationships with staff and positive behaviour support, which helps them to feel safe and promotes their welfare. As a result, the young person is making some progress. However, vulnerabilities in care planning mean that their needs are not fully understood or met.

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Summary of findings

Poor fire safety arrangements place the young person and others at increased risk of harm. In addition, staff do not have a robust understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities known risks to the young person and others are not always thoroughly considered or mitigated.

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Summary of findings

The registered manager is committed to improving the quality of care provided to the young person. Management oversight of practice is not robust identified. Vulnerabilities in staff practice and care are not identified and acted on effectively.

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improvement to be good

The home environment continues to be developed and refurbished. Damage has been repaired and rooms are maintained to a higher standard. Leaders and managers are working closely with the local authority to ensure that the refurbishments meet the young person’s needs and help them to stay safe. However, recent progress has stalled and there has been little improvement since the last monitoring visit. In addition, fire doors are routinely being propped open by staff.

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improvement to be good

Planning for the young person’s longer-term education has not been sufficiently proactive. As a result, opportunities to promote learning and maximise the young person’s education have been missed. In addition, the young person’s advocate does not regularly visit them to seek their views and wishes about their care. Leaders’ and managers’ challenge to other professionals is not consistently effective or timely, which impacts the quality of care that the young person receives.

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improvement to be good

They young person is becoming more independent and increasingly able to express their views, feelings and wishes safely. The young person’s vocabulary has grown, and they are demonstrating a greater ability to express their emotions and cope when communication with others becomes unclear or difficult.

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improvement to be good

The young person is encouraged and supported to attend health appointments. However, staff have not taken swift action to ensure that the young person receives appropriate support and guidance to meet their holistic health needs. Potential health concerns, including possible side effects of medication, have not been shared or explored with the Inspection report for children’s home: 2790895 5 relevant health professionals. As a result, some opportunities to support the young person’s health needs have been overlooked.

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improvement to be good

Records about the young person contain institutionalised language that does not accurately reflect their experiences. This reduces the effectiveness of records as a tool for understanding and capturing the young person's views, experiences and progress.

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improvement to be good

Professionals can identify the progress that the young person has made, including increased communication and stronger relationships with staff. Professionals explain that staff’s enhanced understanding of the function of the young person’s behaviour helps them to respond more effectively to their needs.

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improvement to be good

The young person benefits from clear and consistent routines and structure, which provide them with a sense of predictability, stability and security. This helps the young person to feel safe and supports their emotional wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Staff know the young person well and can recognise early signs that indicate that they are feeling frustrated and upset. At these times, staff use strategies to help the young person express themselves safely, which reduces the likelihood of the young person becoming destressed. Staff have developed positive and trusting relationships with the young person, which helps them to feel relaxed, secure and safe in staff’s care. Staff encourage the young person to reflect on the impact of their behaviour on others, which promotes positive social and emotional development.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to ensure that staff have a robust understanding of important safeguarding procedures. Specifically, staff are not clear about their responsibilities beyond reporting safety concerns to managers. As a result, there is an ongoing risk that immediate action to protect the young person may not be taken when concerns about their safety are identified.

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improvement to be good

The young person enjoys spending time with their family. When difficulties arise, staff work sensitively with the young person and their family to repair relationships and promote positive outcomes. The young person is supported to maintain important relationships and develop greater emotional resilience. However, multi-agency planning has failed to ensure that the young person’s time with their family is safe. Known risks have not been identified, assessed or mitigated, and there has been insufficient consultation and information sharing with relevant professionals. As a result, the young person and their family are placed at increased risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

There has been one incident that has involved the use of physical intervention since the monitoring visit. The record of physical intervention is unclear and does not provide an accurate account of staff’s actions. Additionally, the subsequent reflections with the young person and review of the incident was completed by the staff member who used Inspection report for children’s home: 2790895 6 the physical intervention techniques. This does not provide sufficient independent oversight or scrutiny to support learning and improvement.

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improvement to be good

Positive behaviour support plans provide staff with detailed guidance on how to meet the young person’s needs and de-escalate challenging situations. In addition, leaders and managers have worked proactively with the young person’s multi-agency team of professionals to agree a physical intervention plan that prioritises reducing the use of restraint while promoting safety. However, this has not yet been implemented and staff have not received the training that they require.

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

The registered manager is a consistent and positive presence in the home. They have developed greater confidence in holding staff and leaders to account when standards fall short of expectations. The registered manager has played an important role in championing the improvements that have been made since the last inspection.

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

Reflective practice sessions provide leaders, managers and staff with opportunities to reflect on the young person’s care needs. These sessions also support staff well-being, promote learning and help to identify staff training needs. However, leaders and managers do not consistently review these sessions to identify areas for further exploration and development. As a result, opportunities to strengthen care planning and ensure that the young person’s needs are fully met are missed.

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

Staff training compliance is variable. Leaders and managers do not always take swift action to ensure that staff have the skills, knowledge and experience to meet the young person’s complex needs.

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

Medication is stored safely and securely. However, records relating to medication refusals, omissions and disposals are not consistently and clearly maintained. As a result, leaders and managers are unable to achieve effective oversight of medication practice, which increases the risk of errors and concerns going unnoticed.

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

Leaders and managers have improved recruitment and workforce monitoring arrangements. Robust oversight of recruitment checks, right-to-work documentation and visa status helps ensure that staff are suitable to work with the young person and promotes continuity of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2790895 7

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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

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)) 25 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure thorough safety planning supports the young person to spend positive and safe time with their family. Risks must be carefully identified, assessed and mitigated. Safety plans must be submitted and agreed to by the multi-disciplinary team around the young person.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that staff have a robust understanding of safeguarding procedures, including the immediate actions they must take to ensure the young person’s safety. 25 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2790895 8 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; 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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must use review and monitoring systems to ensure robust oversight of the care and protection of the young person. The registered person must review and evaluate the quality of care that is provided to the young person and promote continuous improvement. 23 October 2026

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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

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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(b) (2)(b)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the young person’s health needs are well understood and shared appropriately with relevant professionals to ensure that they receive the support required to meet those needs and promote their wellbeing. 23 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2790895 9 In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c)) 23 October 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear record keeping. In particular, staff should record information about the young person in a way that is helpful to them and avoids institutional and vague language. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2790895 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Action for Children

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 The Boulevard, Ascot Road, Watford WD18 8AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Sandy Cheetham-Bah

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Inspector

Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2790895 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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