Children's Home run by Wishing Well Homes Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2794147 1 Registered provider: Wishing Well 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. It is registered to provide care for two children who may have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

One child has lived at the home since registration. There were no children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2794147 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2794147 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are no children living at the home at the time of the inspection. One child has moved in and out of the home since it was registered. The child needed to move into the home quickly, and the manager did not have a full picture of the child’s behaviours prior to their admission. Staff were able to meet the child’s needs, but the fabric of the property was not suitably robust for the child. When damage occurred, it was not sustainable or safe for the child to continue to live there. The home could not be adapted to meet the child’s needs, and a decision was made to serve notice on the child’s placement. This decision was not taken lightly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child made good progress in the short period of time that he lived at the home. For example, he started to use more words to communicate and learned to say some staff names.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child was cared for by a consistent staff team. This helped him to develop positive and trusting relationships with the staff who cared for him. The child responded well to the nurturing approach adopted by staff. He settled quickly into a good daily routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff had a good understanding of the child’s complex needs and his methods of communication. They listened to the child and helped him to make choices about his day-to-day care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff planned interesting and engaging activities for the child. For example, he enjoyed spending time with staff reading stories, engaging in messy play and going on trips in the local community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff supported the child to start learning essential life skills, such as attending to their personal hygiene, helping with meal preparation and daily household tasks. This helps the child to develop the skills required to be less dependent on adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s transition from the home was sensitively planned. Staff created a social story to help the child to understand what was happening. Staff organised a leaving party to celebrate the child’s time at the home. In addition, they made a memory book for the child, which captures all the activities and fun times that he enjoyed while he lived at the home. This promotes a positive ending for the child.

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

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. Staff ratios are high, and this helps to promote the safety and welfare of the children that they care for. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794147 4 Risk management plans reflect the child’s complex needs and the risks the child is vulnerable to. The plans contain clear instructions for staff to follow to reduce risks to the child.

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

The child’s behaviour support plan is detailed and contains support strategies that are bespoke to the child. This helps staff to spot the signs that a child may be getting upset. The manager reviews the effectiveness of the strategies following incidents and changes the plan for the child accordingly.

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

Staff seek ways to support the child to learn how to manage their anxieties. For example, they were teaching the child to use breathing exercises to help the child to feel calmer and more relaxed.

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

The records of significant incidents are not of a consistent quality and important details are not always captured. Furthermore, details of the incident are contained in multiple documents, which makes it difficult to follow the course of events. This hinders the manager’s ability to understand whether staff have taken the appropriate action.

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

Positive behaviours are encouraged and praised. Incidents where staff have needed to hold the child are rare. The manager speaks to the staff involved to understand what happened and why the intervention was necessary. However, records do not fully capture what the child said or how the child presented after the incident. A recommendation is made to improve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a confident leader. She has a clear ethos for the home and instils a child- centred culture. She has high expectations of the staff team to provide children with nurturing care. Staff told the inspector that she is approachable and supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Following the discharge of one child, managers have reflected on the home’s admissions process. They are trying to learn lessons from this experience so that they can minimise the risk of reoccurrence. For example, the manager has developed a new toolkit to improve the quality of information gathered about the child at the point of referral.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s internal monitoring system is not sufficiently robust. The manager has not always identified inconsistencies in the records of significant incidents in the home. In addition, important details about incidents are recorded across multiple documents. This is confusing and makes it difficult for the manager to monitor the quality of care provided to children. A requirement is made in relation to this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work collaboratively to provide children with consistency and stability. Communication is good and team meetings are regular. The manager uses team meetings to reinforce her expectations about staff practice and to encourage staff to learn from incidents in the home. Staff play an active role in team meetings and generate ideas to enhance their practice. For example, staff are supporting each other to learn Makaton signs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794147 5 The manager is committed to ensuring that staff have training which equips them with the skills to work with disabled children. The manager sources specialist training that is aligned to the needs of the child. She attends all the training prior to commissioning it. This ensures that she is satisfied with the quality of the content. As a result, staff benefit from a comprehensive training programme.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. Managers use supervision to support staff to reflect on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home, and as a result, staff retention is high. This provides children with continuity of care. One member of staff said, ‘We are a strong team, we are friends, and we trust each other. I feel safe and supported everywhere I turn.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2794147 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 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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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the manager should ensure that reports of incidents in the home capture all the details of the event, including the outcome. 27 June 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure they have sufficient information from the child’s placing authority and other relevant agencies to effectively assess whether they can meet the child’s needs before agreeing to the placement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)  The registered person should ensure that children are given the opportunity to express their feelings about the experience of being restrained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60).

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2794147 7 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: 2794147 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Wishing Well Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Elm House, 2B Mauldeth Road, Manchester M20 4ND

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Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2794147 9 regulates 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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