Children's Home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2732421 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately operated and provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in October 2024.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2732421 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2732421 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home and another has moved in. The manager ensures that careful and thoughtful planning takes place, when children move on or into the home. Children are welcomed sensitively, and staff work hard to support positive endings. This helps to ease any anxieties children may have and provides them with a positive experience.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are warm, nurturing and caring towards children. They do all they can to ensure that children are provided with clear, consistent boundaries and they help children to develop strategies to manage any difficult feelings they may have. As a result of this, one child successfully returned home to live with family and continues to make progress. The child’s parent said, ‘[Name of child] made significant progress living at the home, so much so, he was able to return home to me, I cannot thank them enough’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff carry out regular direct work with the child that is purposeful and well planned. This supports the child’s learning and understanding in areas that are relevant to their individual needs, such as making healthy choices and safe behaviours. As a result of this work, staff have been able to support the child to overcome anxieties around dental appointments and they attend their first appointment in over four years.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote education. When there are barriers to education, staff work closely with the child and school to overcome these. When the child does not attend school, staff support educational activity throughout the day and advocate for a return to full time education as soon as possible.

p.3

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

Risks are well managed and understood by staff. The manager ensures that risk assessments are regularly reviewed and that they contain clear steps for staff to follow to help keep children safe. However, the child’s missing from home risk assessment does not fully consider the action staff should take during the nighttime if the child is missing from the home. The manager did address this during the inspection; however, this is yet to be embedded into staff practice.

p.3

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

Staff sometimes use physical intervention to keep children safe. This is done as a last resort; staff are also trained in the use of physical intervention. Records of interventions are detailed and contain the relevant information; they are also reviewed by the manager. However, on some occasions, the manager’s review lacks reflection and professional curiosity. As a result of this, concerns regarding staff practice are not addressed appropriately and learning opportunities are missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2732421 4 The child is supported to share their feelings by staff. The child talked about feeling safe and protected by the staff who care for them. They knew how to complain and were able to identify staff they could talk to if ever they had any concerns.

p.3

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted in the home. Staff use a reward system to encourage positive behaviour and use consequences to manage unwanted behaviours. The manager consistently reviews the measures used, for their effectiveness and ensures that the child is spoken to about the measure used.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is dedicated and leads by example, she knows the child well and is ambitious for them. She is a positive role model and has high expectations for the staff team and their development. The manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. As a result of this, the staff team are developing in their roles.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home experienced some staffing issues following the last inspection and there was some dependency on agency use, however, this has since improved. The home is now properly staffed and resourced to meet the needs of the child. The child receives stable, consistent care from adults who know them well.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed positive working relationships with professionals, parents, and family members. The manager understands the importance of effective partnership working, and how this contributes towards children’s positive experiences. One social worker commented, ‘The level of communication is really good, the manager is really proactive and ensures I am regularly updated.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that all staff are provided with opportunities to complete training. Staff complete a combination of mandatory, additional and bespoke training; this is in line with children’s individual needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. These are reflective, they provide staff with opportunities to discuss practice, the individual needs of the children and focus on development. Staff find the supervisions useful and supportive. One staff member commented, ‘The manager is fantastic, she is really supportive and is always available, I have learned so much from her since she came into post.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2732421 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vii)(b)

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that the child’s missing from home risk assessment considers all possible scenarios for when a child is missing from home, specifically what action staff must take during the nighttime when a child is missing and that this is clearly recorded in records.

p.5

Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered provider must ensure that when records of significant incidents are reviewed, they are done so reflectively and are subjected to professional curiosity. Specifically, when concerns are raised regarding staff practice, these are responded to and shared with the relevant safeguarding partners. 20 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2732421 6

p.5

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: 2732421 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair Accounting Co Ltd, 300 St. Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

p.7

Inspector

Kimmy Feeley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2732421 8 and inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8