Children's Home run by Trusted Care Services Group Limited in Manchester

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751230 1 Registered provider: Trusted Care Services Group Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in September 2024. The registered manager post has been vacant since 30 September 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Inspection date: 29 January 2025

Date of last inspection: 29 October 2024

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Inspection date: 29 January 2025

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 29 January 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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'. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751230 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The child said that they feel safe living in the home. Staff have supported the child to better understand and manage their emotions to enable them to develop better coping strategies. In comparison to their individual starting point, the child is making positive progress in most areas of their life.

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Findings from the inspection

The child is currently not attending school. Since the last inspection, the child is now engaging in tuition outside the home. However, the child is receiving less education than their peers. The child is now in a routine which has given them a sense of purpose and the opportunity to learn new skills.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff engage the child in meaningful daily conversations, and complete regular formalised direct work sessions on topics that are important to them. The child is developing trusting relationships with the staff team and is able to talk freely to the staff about the issues that are affecting them.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff use incentives and rewards to promote positive behaviour. Staff offer a variety of activities and outings. They encourage the children to remain active and take care of their health and hygiene.

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Findings from the inspection

Interactions between the staff and child are positive. There are photos on display around the home from various activities that the child has taken part in and the child sees this as their home.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff support the child to spend time with family members when this has been agreed by other professionals. Staff regularly communicate with the child’s family and the child to develop positive relationships that they continue to benefit from into adulthood.

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Findings from the inspection

The home is a safe environment and has sufficient space for the child who lives there. However, the home’s fire risk assessment update has not been undertaken by a competent professional.

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Findings from the inspection

Physical intervention has been used once and the child raised a complaint. The allegation was taken seriously and shared with relevant professionals, such as the placing authority and local authority designated officer, without delay.

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Findings from the inspection

Risk management plans are clear and detail the steps staff must take if they are concerned about the child. Staff talk to the child about risks to help the child understand how to keep themselves safe online. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751230 3 Staff receive training that is tailored to the needs of the child. This includes training on de-escalation, professional boundaries, substance misuse and the use of electronic cigarettes.

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Findings from the inspection

Managerial arrangements have not been consistent since the home was registered and there is instability in the staff team. Staffing shortages have meant that agency staff have been used in the home. Consequently, staff do not always feel well supported and this has also led to a lack of consistency for the child living in the home. This is something that leaders are taking action to address.

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Findings from the inspection

Safer recruitment practices have been implemented. This ensures that only adults who are safe to work with children are employed in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are receiving regular supervision sessions. This gives them the opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify additional learning needs.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have good internal monitoring systems and use independent monitoring to ensure that staff provide good care to the child. This oversight promotes the safety and well-being of the child. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751230 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751230 5

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they receive the relevant care plan when a child moves into the home in a planned way, and that any delays are escalated with the child’s placing authority. 1 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children are supported to make measurable progress towards achieving their education potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support through the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s daily routines encourage and promote their engagement in education. 1 April 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751230 6 In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is sufficient challenge to placing authorities to ensure that children are visited in line with statutory timescales.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iv)) 1 April 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751230 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure children have access to communal areas of the home, including the kitchen.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the correct details for the manager are included in the updated statement of purpose. 1 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is a register of each child who has lived at the home. 1 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). 1 April 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751230 8 The requirements are that—

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that safe recruitment practices are followed in the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any changes to the fire risk assessment that prevent evacuation in the event of a fire are reviewed by a competent person. 1 April 2025 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751230 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Trusted Care Services Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 3, 2 The Colony Buildings, Altrincham Road, Wilmslow SK9 4LY

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Inspectors

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Michelle Snape, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2751230 10 to 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 children looked after, 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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