Children's home run by Arnfield Care Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children’s home: SC020171 1 SC020171 Registered provider: Arnfield Care 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 privately operated and provides care for up to seven children who may require support with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is managed by a suitably qualified manager who registered with Ofsted in December 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

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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: 22 January 2024

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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: SC020171 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2024 Full Good 02/08/2022 Full Good 10/05/2021 Full Good 15/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC020171 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and four children have moved on. There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection. One child was away on a residential trip and spoke with the inspector on the phone. The other child spent time talking to the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a warm and welcoming environment. The living room and dining room create a homely atmosphere that is particularly impressive given the nature of the building. The space is thoughtfully personalised with photos of the children and staff, fostering a strong sense of belonging. Children are given the freedom to personalise their own bedrooms, allowing them to express their individuality and create a space that feels comfortable and familiar.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s overall experiences are positive, and this is evident through both observations and direct conversations. The children consistently report feeling happy, well cared for, and at ease in their home. Children describe having strong, trusting relationships with staff members, which enhances their sense of security and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home places significant emphasis on ensuring smooth transitions when children move on. Staff work diligently to promote positive endings, even in situations where transitions are unplanned. Children are supported to reflect on their experiences and build their life-story memories. Staff make every effort to ensure that they leave the home with everything they need for a successful move to their next placement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a strong commitment to preventing placement breakdowns. When decisions are made for children to move on due to escalating risks or negative behaviours, these decisions are not taken lightly. Three children were moved from the home due to an increase in risk. In each case, the actions taken were appropriate and justified to ensure the safety and well-being of the children and others in the home. One social worker said: ‘I think their approach has been great. I don’t think there is anything more they could have done to prevent or support with missing-from-home episodes. I am really happy with the level of care afforded while he was at [name of home]. It was the best placement he could have been in.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a wide range of social opportunities outside of home. They participate in activities such as concerts, trips, holidays and educational experiences, including camping and allotment work. These opportunities enrich the children’s lives and provide valuable experiences that promote their personal growth and development beyond the confines of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is highly valued within the home, and this is a clear strength. The home’s ethos promotes a positive learning environment where children are encouraged to engage in educational opportunities. Despite the challenges some children face, they can Inspection report for children’s home: SC020171 4 make meaningful progress. One child celebrated 100% attendance in the last school year, having previously not attended.

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

The home has a clear and robust system in place to manage and respond to missing- from-home episodes, ensuring that staff are equipped to act swiftly and appropriately. Staff demonstrate a thorough understanding of the reasons why children go missing, and they work proactively to address these risks. Children are also supported to engage in a wide range of activities and residential trips as a preventative measure to reduce missing episodes. While there have been a high number of missing episodes, the manager’s proactive approach in keeping professionals informed, requesting meetings and sharing information about local risks is commendable. Despite these efforts, external factors beyond the home’s control have contributed to ongoing challenges for some children.

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

Risk management is a key strength of the home. Comprehensive, child-specific risk assessments are in place for each young person. These assessments are detailed and offer clear, practical guidance for staff on how to manage identified risks effectively. The individualised approach ensures that staff are well informed about how to best support each child and minimise potential harm.

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

Allegations made by children are managed with care and diligence. Both the child making the allegation and the staff member involved receive appropriate support throughout the process, ensuring a balanced and fair approach. The home’s handling of these situations demonstrates a commitment to safeguarding both children and staff, while promoting a culture of openness and accountability.

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

Incidents within the home are consistently well managed. Each incident is documented in detail, and action plans are developed to address concerns promptly. The child’s voice is always captured in these records, ensuring that their perspective is considered. On some occasions, children’s behaviours have escalated to a point where staff have struggled to keep them safe. This has resulted in the termination of placements. Such decisions have been appropriate and in the best interests of the child’s safety.

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

The use of restraint in the home is minimal and only employed when necessary to protect the child or others. All instances of restraint or restrictive practice are thoroughly recorded, reviewed and monitored by the manager. The views of the children involved are always sought, ensuring that their experience of the incident is heard and considered for future practice.

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

Some records, including risk assessments, are not always written in a child-friendly manner. Some of the language used is not always accessible to children. Additionally, given recent challenges, the location risk assessment would benefit from an update to reflect current risks in the area, particularly regarding the ongoing risks associated with Inspection report for children’s home: SC020171 5 county lines activity, knife crime and drug use. This would enhance the safeguarding of children from external risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has in-depth knowledge of each child in the home. The manager is committed to improving outcomes and is firmly committed to ensuring that all children in her care are supported to achieve their potential. Her dedication to the children’s well- being is evident in every aspect of her practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff acknowledged that the home has experienced a challenging period, but they have pulled together effectively, supporting each other through these difficulties. The staff are committed to building positive relationships with the children in their care, demonstrating genuine care and concern for their welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff feel well supported by both the manager and the wider leadership team. Supervision discussions are regular and reflective, and offer a high level of support. Staff members report feeling very well supported with their welfare, both in and outside of work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals gave positive feedback. The manager’s ability to build strong links with the community and external agencies is a notable strength. This is especially important in the context of sharing information to reduce risks to children and ensure their safety. One professional said: ‘The manager has been absolutely fantastic and instrumental in the building of the service.’ This is in relation to her attendance at a multi-agency meeting which looks at the risk of exploitation in the local area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Systems to support staff are well established within the home. All staff receive appropriate training, and there is additional training available for those wishing to take on a champion role. These champion staff share their learning in team meetings, embedding continuous professional development for the entire team. All staff members, aside from those currently on probation, have either completed or are in the process of completing the required qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff demonstrate a proactive approach in encouraging children to engage in activities that align with their individual interests and educational goals. For example, one child was provided with support and financial resources to build a barbecue in the home, an activity linked to their bricklaying course at college. Another child was empowered to take a leadership role by facilitating a mental health workshop for both peers and staff, fostering a sense of responsibility and promoting well-being within the home. These initiatives reflect the home’s commitment to developing children’s skills and confidence. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020171 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: SC020171 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Arnfield Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Arnfield Tower Activity Centre, Manchester Road, Tintwistle, Glossop SK13 1NE

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Inspector

Lauren Barwell, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC020171 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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