When There’s a Fire in Your Home – What Every Manager Should Know

Fire safety in children’s homes is not just a compliance requirement; it is a vital safeguard for young people, staff, and the wider community. During our recent webinar, When There’s a Fire in Your Home – What Every Manager Should Know, Mentor brought together sector expertise to provide practical insights for registered managers and providers. Led by Marie Born, Strategic Lead and former Ofsted Inspector, the session highlighted what good fire safety looks like, common pitfalls, and how to prepare for the unexpected.

In this blog, we’ll revisit the key points covered in the webinar, expand on some of the themes, and share actionable steps you can take right now to strengthen your fire safety readiness.

Why Fire Safety Demands More Than a Tick-Box Approach

Fire safety is one of the first things Ofsted inspectors will consider when visiting a home. It touches on safeguarding, risk management, staff training, and even the confidence of parents and placing authorities.

Too often fire procedures are seen as a compliance checklist, but real readiness is about culture, consistency, and clear accountability. The webinar reinforced that prevention, preparation, and review are the three cornerstones of effective fire safety management.

Key Lessons from Real-Life Incidents

Marie shared examples of how services have responded when fires occurred in practice. These cases highlighted important learning points.

• Clear procedures save lives. Where homes had robust fire plans, trained staff, and maintained equipment, incidents were managed safely and with minimal disruption.
• Communication is critical. Following one incident, discussions with parents, young people, and even neighbours were crucial in maintaining trust and reassurance.
• External checks add confidence. One provider brought in an independent assessor to review all homes after an incident, strengthening governance and demonstrating proactive leadership.
• Insurance compliance relies on evidence. Because staff followed documented procedures correctly, the provider’s insurance obligations were fully met, avoiding financial and reputational risks.

These examples underline a powerful message: when homes prepare thoroughly, a fire doesn’t have to become a crisis.

What Ofsted Expects During an Inspection

Inspectors are increasingly focused on how homes demonstrate real-world readiness rather than simply presenting policies. Key areas they will look at include:

• Fire risk assessments – up to date, reviewed regularly, and tailored to the specific building and young people placed.
• Drill records – evidence that staff and young people have practised responses, including out-of-hours scenarios.
• Staff training – not only awareness, but confidence in carrying out roles during an incident.
• Equipment checks – proof of regular servicing, testing, and PAT checks across appliances.
• Post-incident learning – how managers capture lessons, update procedures, and communicate with stakeholders.

By embedding these practices into day-to-day operations, homes move from “inspection readiness” to true safety culture.

Practical Steps Managers Can Take Today

1. Review Your Fire Procedures
   Are your plans up to date and specific to your building layout and staffing patterns? Do they account for young people with additional needs or mobility considerations?
2. Audit Your Records
   Check that fire drills, training logs, and equipment checks are recorded consistently – gaps in evidence are often a red flag for inspectors.
3. Engage External Experts
   Commissioning a professional fire risk assessment provides independent assurance and can identify risks managers may overlook.
4. Communicate with Stakeholders
   Parents, staff, neighbours, and placing authorities all need confidence in your approach. Proactive communication after an incident builds trust and transparency.
5. Leverage Technology
   Digital platforms like Mentor Software allows you to record fire drills, equipment checks, and risk assessments in one place – ensuring nothing slips through the cracks and making inspection evidence simple to present.

Building a Culture of Safety Beyond Compliance

A compliant policy alone does not make a home safe. Fire safety becomes truly effective when it is woven into the daily culture of the service, rather than treated as a standalone procedure or box-ticking exercise. Managers play a vital role in shaping this culture by creating an environment where staff feel confident to raise concerns about hazards without hesitation. When team members know their observations will be taken seriously and acted upon, potential risks are identified earlier and addressed before they escalate. Embedding fire safety into staff inductions and ongoing refresher training also ensures that awareness is consistent across the workforce, regardless of turnover or experience levels. Training should go beyond simply learning procedures, it should equip staff with the confidence to act decisively in real situations.

Young people, too, must be active participants in a home’s fire safety culture. Drills should be explained in ways that are accessible, reassuring, and adapted to individual needs so that children feel safe rather than anxious when taking part. Reviewing incidents openly and constructively is another cornerstone of building this culture. Instead of attributing blame, reflective reviews should focus on lessons learned, improvements made, and the shared responsibility of keeping everyone safe. When fire safety is part of everyday thinking and practice, homes don’t just meet regulatory requirements; they also build trust with young people, strengthen staff morale, and provide parents and placing authorities with visible reassurance that safety is prioritised at every level.

How Mentor Software Helps

Fire safety management is just one area where Mentor supports children’s homes. With Mentor V3, you can:

• Log fire drills and safety checks digitally, creating a clear audit trail.
• Upload and track fire risk assessments for each property.
• Automate reminders for PAT testing, equipment servicing, and policy reviews.
• Record incidents and link them to staff debriefs, young people’s records, and action plans.
• Generate instant reports for Ofsted inspections, saving time and reducing stress.

By digitising these processes, managers gain both oversight and assurance, knowing their homes are inspection-ready at all times.

Looking Ahead

Fire safety is an ongoing responsibility, not a one off task. Regulations evolve, staff teams change, and young people’s needs shift. Managers must remain proactive, reflective, and committed to continuous improvement.

As Marie concluded in the webinar, “It’s not about proving you’ve got a policy – it’s about showing how that policy works in practice when it matters most.”

If you’re not yet using a digital system, or if your current setup doesn’t future proof you with built-in fire safety logs and compliance tools, now is the time to act. Speak to our team today to see how Mentor can streamline your fire safety processes and give you complete confidence ahead of your next inspection.