Children's Home run by Voices Homes Ltd in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2794714 1 Registered provider: Voices Homes 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 owned and provides care for one child who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted on 7 January 2025. The registered manager submitted their resignation in February 2025 and is no longer working in the home. A new manager has been appointed and submitted his application to register with Ofsted in March 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual. Ofsted is currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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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. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794714 2 Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2794714 3

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improvement to be good

The provider made the decision for a child to move illegally into this home before it was registered. The child then moved out shortly after registration in January 2025. The registered manager has now resigned. Another child moved into the home in February 2025 as part of a planned move. The manager has a well-structured assessment process that effectively identifies children’s needs and how staff can meet them before they move in. This approach supports thorough planning and ensures that staff have the necessary skills to help children settle and begin making progress.

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improvement to be good

The child is beginning to make positive progress, with a reduction in incidents. Since the arrival of the new manager, staff have started to implement consistent support strategies which have contributed to improved stability and well-being. This progress reflects the effectiveness of the care provided in meeting the child’s individual needs and promoting their development. Continued support will be essential to sustain these improvements.

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improvement to be good

The child is developing positive and trusting relationships with staff. Interactions are nurturing and frequent laughter was observed. This positive atmosphere helps to build the child’s confidence and emotional well-being. However, staff rotas are not accurate. They do not show the actual hours staff have worked, and it is difficult to clarify who was on shift on specific days.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that the child’s health needs are reliably met. The child is registered with the health services that they need to be healthy. Staff encourage their attendance at their health appointments.

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improvement to be good

The child can share their views about their day-to-day care. They make decisions about their meal choices and the social activities they want to take part in.

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improvement to be good

Staff have direct discussions with the child about any areas of concern. However, these sessions are often reactive and not restorative. Staff do not consistently explore children’s experiences. It is unclear from records whether the child is given the opportunity to learn and reflect on their emotions after difficult incidents.

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improvement to be good

The home is well appointed. However, some areas require attention for repair and replacement. Damaged walls and furniture detract from what would otherwise be a nice environment for the child to live. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794714 4

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improvement to be good

Feedback from the child’s social worker is positive and highlights the staff’s tenacity to make the child feel safe and cared for. The child requires a high level of support. Staff understand the child’s needs and vulnerabilities. However, staff have at times relied on police intervention for support. This approach does not align with good practice in de- escalation. However, the acting manager has taken immediate steps to address this, implementing measures to improve staff practice and ensure a more proactive and supportive response to behaviour management.

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improvement to be good

Records and documents relating to children do not always provide clear or consistent guidance for staff. As a result, staff responses to the child’s risks can be inconsistent. The manager has implemented clear strategies for staff and incidents are reducing.

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improvement to be good

When the child goes missing from the home, staff search known areas and are often able to bring the child home successfully. However, staff do not always report this to the police at the agreed time. In some instances, records do not accurately reflect the actions taken by staff, making it difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding responses.

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improvement to be good

There have been some incidents requiring the use of physical intervention to keep the child safe. This has been appropriate, in line with approved holds and staff record incidents when the child is held. However, the records are unclear as to whether staff have been consistently supported to reflect on incidents or that the child has been spoken to afterwards. The inconsistent management oversight means the manager cannot be assured that staff are acting in line with the organisation’s policy.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment practices are safe. Staff who work in the home are subject to all necessary checks.

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

The registered manager has left the home. The new manager stepped in at very short notice and has applied to register with Ofsted. This change in management has resulted in an inconsistent standard of oversight of the care that children receive. The current manager is taking proactive steps to address this and has identified areas of concern.

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

The new manager has got to know and understand the child’s needs quickly and prioritised this.

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

Staff said that they like working in the home and that morale is good. Staff value the support they receive from the managers and senior leaders and the change in management style has been positively received. Team meetings are regular and well attended by staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794714 5 Supervision sessions with staff are reflective. However, the frequency of supervision for staff is not aligned with the provider’s supervision policy. This hinders the manager’s ability to assess staff performance and improve the standard of care for children.

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

Some staff training has not been completed within the required timescales. This is not in line with organisational procedures and could affect staff’s ability to maintain good practice.

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

Systems to monitor and evaluate children’s progress are not yet good enough. There has not been consistent enough oversight of significant incidents to ensure that lessons learned are effective. However, shortfalls are generally recognised and the acting manager has a clear plan for how he will improve the quality of care provided.

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

Leaders and managers have not consistently ensured that reports from the independent person are submitted to the regulator in a timely manner, which compromises external oversight and accountability. This prevents the regulator from monitoring the quality of care and identifying areas for improvement effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794714 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that incidents of physical intervention are evaluated with scrutiny, and that children are spoken to about the use of the measure, taking into consideration any possible learning outcomes that can be implemented within children’s risk management plans, or to support the development of staff. 18 May 2025

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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— 18 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2794714 7 that staff—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the children’s individual risk management plans provide staff with clear strategies to manage and reduce risk.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that factual and accurate recordings of missing from home and incidents are completed.

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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

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the home’s rotas contain a record of actual hours worked. 18 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. 18 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2794714 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home environment is homely, clean and well cared for and that any damage is repaired as quickly as possible.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive regular supervision sessions. 18 May 2025

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. 18 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2794714 9 (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that incidents are evaluated with scrutiny, taking into consideration any possible learning outcomes that can be implemented within children’s risk management plans, or to support the development of staff.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure that staff are completing training within timescales set out in the statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b) (7)(a)) 18 May 2025

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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: 2794714 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Voices Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 212 Oakland House, 21 Hope Carr Road, Leigh, Wigan WN7 3ET

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Inspector

Sally Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2794714 11 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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Inspector

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