Children's Home run by Amelia Care Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 1 Registered provider: Amelia 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 owned and operated by a private company. The home is registered to care for up to three children between the ages of eight and 18 years, who may be experiencing emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since the home opened in September 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in this home. Inspectors spoke to all three children.

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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

Date of last inspection: 30 January 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 3

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improvement to be good

The home’s exterior is well presented, and communal areas are clean and homely. However, children’s bedrooms are not all well maintained. Children’s bedrooms are not always redecorated when they move in. Damage to walls and furnishings is not repaired or replaced quickly, with one child in need of a new bedframe. Children’s personal spaces do not reflect a high standard of care.

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improvement to be good

Children’s relationships with staff are inconsistent. Children currently living in the home can identify adults they can talk to about their worries or concerns, and say they feel listened to and supported. However, children who have moved out of the home have not experienced positive relationships with all staff. Children have not always been shown empathy and understanding.

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of moving into and out of the home have been varied. While one child has received well-planned emotional and practical support, other children have not been well prepared. As a result, children have faced significant life changes without necessary support.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to learn at home. Each child has an at-home education planner, as all children are currently out of school. The manager is in regular discussions with children’s local authorities and virtual schools, but little progress has been made. Leaders and managers have not yet escalated their concerns. Children are not able to learn in a formal environment with their peers.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a range of leisure activities. Staff make sure that children with disabilities and additional needs are also supported to have fun and experience social activities. Staff build connections in the local community to access suitable resources. Children are learning important social skills.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand children’s physical and mental health needs. When children need specialist or additional support, staff make sure that they get the help they need.

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improvement to be good

Staff have some useful conversations with children about important issues. However, the quality of support provided to children is inconsistent. Records are also sometimes written in a way which is not respectful or helpful. Support provided to children varies in quality.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not yet embedded a strong culture of safeguarding in the team. Concerns for some children increased because staff were not able to manage their Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 4 risks and conflicts or keep them safe. As a result, children have had to move out earlier than planned.

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improvement to be good

Children have experienced an inconsistent approach to their safety. Some members of staff have been authoritarian and punitive. The registered manager is completing a review of risk management and has a plan to provide further direction and training to staff. Safeguarding procedures are improving, and children are now being kept safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently provide effective, personalised risk management. Children’s risk assessments often fail to account for their specific needs or offer practical strategies to ensure their safety. While updates are made following significant incidents, these events are not used to develop improved approaches to risk management. Staff lack a proactive and creative approach to protecting children.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have not had sufficient oversight of incidents when staff have physically restrained children. There have been occasions when staff have not used restraint appropriately. There has been one instance when staff concerns were not followed up by managers. Records do not always contain all information required by regulation and do not provide feedback to staff about how to avoid such incidents. Members of staff who have not followed procedure have now been subject to disciplinary processes and in some cases dismissal. This poor oversight has exposed children to risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Responses to children’s behaviour have been inconsistent. Records indicate that staff have not always understood the underlying causes of children’s behaviour or supported them effectively during crises. Some incident records include unhelpful language and lack management oversight. Behaviour support plans are not consistently adapted to children’s individual needs. However, staff now employ a consistent system of rewards and incentives to promote positive behaviours and have recently demonstrated some creative approaches to supporting children. Efforts to improve behavioural support are under way.

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improvement to be good

Staff know what to do when children go missing from home. Staff take all necessary actions to try and bring children home safely.

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improvement to be good

The manager has completed an annual review of the risks associated with the local area, including safety strategies. This confirms that the location of the home continues to be suitable for children.

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

Leaders and managers show commitment to trying to achieve good outcomes for children. However, recent months have been particularly challenging, with significant difficulties affecting the team and quality of care for children. While some improvements are evident, positive changes are not yet fully embedded. Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 5 Frequent changes in staffing have created challenges in establishing consistency and stability. Staff departures, including dismissals due to poor practice, and a reliance on agency staff, have disrupted the provision of decent-quality care. A largely new team is now in place, and the manager is trying, through team meetings and training, to raise practice standards to a consistently satisfactory level. Children have not all received good-quality care.

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

Leaders and managers have monitoring systems in place, but they are not yet being used effectively. Staff do not consistently receive useful feedback on their work, and patterns or trends of concern are not always identified and addressed. This limits the ability of leaders and managers to drive sustained improvement.

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

Leaders and managers have completed robust investigations into poor staff practice and taken necessary disciplinary actions. However, the effectiveness of formal oversight of staff remains limited. Supervision is not provided with the frequency or depth needed to reflect on and improve practice, especially given the identified performance issues. Additionally, staff inductions and probation reviews are not always completed. Oversight of staff performance is weak.

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

Leaders and managers have not used information from significant events, such as complaints and placement breakdowns, to take forward lessons learned. Although complaints have been investigated, the response in one instance was not transparent or collaborative. This approach fails to show accountability.

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

Staff have inconsistent relationships with external professionals. While some social workers and independent reviewing officers report effective communication, others highlight significant breakdowns in communication and information-sharing. Children do not always receive well-coordinated care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 6

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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

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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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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help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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

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take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded; 14 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 7 that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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In particular, the registered person must make sure that staff understand each child’s individual risks and vulnerabilities.

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The registered person must make sure that children’s risk assessments reflect the specific needs of each child so that staff have all the information they need to keep children safe.

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Specifically, the registered person must also make sure that staff have the skills to manage children’s behaviour and risks in a positive, helpful way, considering children’s difficult childhood experiences and trauma.

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The registered person must make sure that staff complete consistently well planned and effective work with children to help them to understand their own risks and behaviours.

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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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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 14 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 8 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;

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demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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In particular, the registered person must make sure that they role model a culture of positivity towards children and understanding of children’s early childhood trauma, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that they provide staff with regular, good-quality support and supervision which helps staff to provide good-quality care to children. Supervision of staff must take place at the interval set out in the home’s own policies and procedures, and be at a frequency to ensure that formal oversight of staff practice is effective.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make sure that they are using their systems of monitoring and review to maintain good oversight of the running of the home. When there are incidents, including shortfalls in staff practice, the registered person must ensure that children are not blamed, and important learning is taken forward to improve children’s experiences.

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The registered person must also make sure that when complaints are received, they are reviewed openly and honestly and that any response sent to the complainant is factual.

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The care planning standard is that children—

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receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. 14 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 9 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c))

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In particular, the registered person must make sure that children are always supported to have positive and well-planned moves into and out of the home.

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The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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treat each child with dignity and respect; 14 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 10 provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vii)(c)(i))

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In particular, the registered person must make sure that children’s bedrooms are personalised and well maintained and contain all furniture they need.

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The registered person must make sure that staff understand children’s individual needs and provide them with personalised care and support.

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The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration; 14 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 11 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation. (Regulation (1)(a)(b)(c)) 14 February 2025

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Recommendation

 The home should play a full part in promoting the best interests of the child, proactively advocating for the child to ensure that others play their role and deliver the high-quality support that is needed. The registered person should make sure that when the support being provided by another professional falls short of the expected standard, staff provide robust challenge and make appropriate use of escalation processes to advocate for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 11, paragraph 2.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 12

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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: 2743870 13

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Amelia Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 41 High Street, Sandbach CW11 1AL

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Inspectors

Nicola Shaw, Social Care Inspector Renee Sims, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2743870 14 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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