Children's Home run by Impact For Change Ltd in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 1 Registered provider: Impact for Change Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a small private provider. It offers care for up to 3 children who may experience social or emotional difficulties as a result of trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. Both children spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitably qualified and experienced manager is in post.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/06/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/11/2024 Full Good 08/08/2023 Full Good 27/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 3

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Summary of findings

Children are settled and are making good progress, particularly in their education, ability to manage their feelings, and in their relationships with family members. Children enjoy positive relationships with staff.

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Summary of findings

The staff team is established, settled and well trained. As a result, children benefit from continuity of care.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding incidents in the home are rare, and children feel safe living in the home.

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Summary of findings

The provider served immediate notice for one child, after only a month. Leaders and managers identified learning from this to avoid similar experiences for other children. Following this, they have ensured that their processes for welcoming children are more robust.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living in a home that is spacious and well furnished. Toys, games and books are numerous and accessible, contributing to a homely environment. There are some minor areas of maintenance that detract from what is, overall, a pleasant space for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff. One child said, ‘Here, the staff have been more like parents than anyone else in my life. All the members in [name of home] have improved my life an insane amount.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly speak to children about important topics. They are at times creative in their approach, using toys to help children talk about difficult feelings. These conversations help children to build relationships and learn about themselves and others. As a result, children are making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported in their education. Leaders and managers work in partnership with schools to promote children’s learning, identifying barriers and overcoming them. As a result, one child has seen a significant increase in attendance and a reduction in exclusions. Another child is in full-time mainstream education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s physical and emotional health needs are well met. Staff advocate for children to receive specialist mental health support when required. This helps children to understand their experiences and better manage their feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children regularly spend time with people who are important to them. When appropriate, staff work in close partnership with children’s family members. For one child, this has resulted in an increase in the time they spend with their family. Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 4 One child moved into the home for a short period before immediate notice was served. While some aspects of planning before the child’s move were well considered, the manager did not ensure that they had all relevant information before the child moved. This led to a delay in implementing boundaries in relation to the child’s use of technology, which subsequently resulted in an escalation in behaviour that staff could not manage. As a result, the child experienced further instability; however, leaders and managers identified learning from this experience and implemented it.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For another child who moved in more recently, learning has been applied. Their move into the home was carefully planned. The child was well supported during their move, reducing any anxiety they might have felt during a significant transition in their life.

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

Safeguarding incidents in the home are rare, and there have not been any incidents since March of this year. Because children feel safe living in the home and are well supported in understanding their feelings, they do not go missing. Despite this, staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe.

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

Because staff understand the children in their care and are skilled in de-escalation techniques, children are rarely restrained. No children have been restrained since March of this year. Between an assurance inspection in February and the end of March, one child, who is no longer in the home, was restrained on 6 occasions. Restraints were used as a last resort and only to keep the child and others safe. Management oversight of those incidents was thorough and focused on the child’s experiences.

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

Children understand how to make a complaint; however, they have not felt the need to do so. Children say that when they talk to staff about things that upset them, staff act quickly to make things better.

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

When children make allegations, staff and managers take them seriously. They take immediate action to ensure the safety of children and others, inform relevant professionals and carry out investigations.

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

When children are unkind to one another, staff appropriately challenge such behaviour. However, children are not always supported to make reparations. As a result, opportunities to support children in developing positive relationships are sometimes missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are appropriately aspirational for the children in their care. They use their oversight to understand and improve children’s experiences. They provide staff with a high level of support. Regular supervision and team meetings provide opportunities for staff to reflect on the care children receive. As a result, children are cared for by staff who are reflective and focused on improving their experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 5 Leaders and managers have created a positive culture in the home. Staff feel well supported, enjoy working in the home and are highly motivated. They demonstrate a good understanding of children, their needs and how best to support them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a settled staff team because staff are well supported. The home is fully staffed, and staff turnover is minimal. As a result, children are cared for by experienced staff who are well trained and know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that robust safer recruitment practices are adhered to in order to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a homely, nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. In particular, the registered person should ensure that prompt action is taken to ensure that all areas of the home are clean and decorated to a high standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that they have all children’s current and relevant plans before admitting them to the home. It is essential that leaders and managers understand what will be required of them before they accept responsibility for a child’s placement, to avoid disruption and instability for the child in future and for other children in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)  The registered person should ensure that, when children have been unkind towards

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Recommendations

one another, they are supported to make reparations and to develop the skills to form positive relationships with others. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.6)

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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: 2484443 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Impact for Change Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Canns Down Press Ltd, Beaford, Winkleigh EX19 8LZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicholas Scribbins

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Inspector

John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2484443 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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