Children's Home run by TS Children Services Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2729820 1 Registered provider: TS Children Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in January 2024 and is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager resigned from their role and de-registered with Ofsted on 18 March 2025. They are due to leave the organisation on 18 April 2025. However, they were not available for this inspection. The responsible individual and the quality assurance lead for the home led the inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A full inspection was carried out on 7 and 8 August 2024. Serious and widespread shortfalls were again identified in relation to the care and protection of children and the Inspection report for children’s home: 2729820 2 leadership and management of the home. The home was judged inadequate, and an urgent notice to suspend the home’s registration was issued on 8 August 2024. In addition, a notice of proposal to cancel the home’s registration was issued on 30 August 2024.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 22 October 2024, Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit to review the information received in the provider’s written representations and to assess progress made in relation to addressing the shortfalls identified at the last inspection. Following this visit, Ofsted lifted the suspension notice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729820 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/08/2024 Full Inadequate 08/04/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2729820 4

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improvement to be good

The child was present during the inspection and spoke with the inspectors. At the time of the inspection, they had been living at the home for 10 weeks.

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improvement to be good

While there have been some improvements to the home since the last inspection, some safeguarding arrangements and management systems continue to require improvement. Consequently, shortfalls in these systems have affected the child’s overall experiences of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not provide consistent care to the child. Insufficient and inconsistent staffing arrangements have elevated the child’s anxieties, levels of disruption and incidents. In addition, there is instability in the staff team. The registered manager and three core members of staff are leaving. Consequently, there has been a dip in staff morale, and, at times, there is a lack of aspiration for the child to achieve. This also reduces opportunities for the child to build meaningful relationships and make progress.

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improvement to be good

The home is decorated and furnished well. The lounge, dining room and games room are warm and welcoming. Staff have encouraged the child to personalise their bedroom. However, some areas require attention. For example, the front driveway and back patio need weeding; some broken slabs need replacing; and the shower screens in both bathrooms need cleaning and mould removal around the seals. This detracts from the homely feeling.

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improvement to be good

Despite some difficulties, the child’s educational outcomes are improving. The child is starting to engage in education after a prolonged period of being out of education. The manager and staff work closely with education professionals to implement bespoke plans. This helps the child make some progress.

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improvement to be good

Managers share information with social workers to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to help the child maintain contact with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that the child’s physical and emotional needs are met. They assist the child with attending all their routine health appointments and accessing psychological support through the organisation’s mental health practitioner. This has provided staff with a better understanding of the child’s needs and how to meet them effectively.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide the child with opportunities to have their say and to participate in decisions that affect them. They do this through young person’s meetings, key work and general conversations. Managers have also implemented the ‘you said, we did’ initiative to reflect on how the child has been listened to and involved in their care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729820 5

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improvement to be good

Before the child moved into the home, managers failed to assess all the child’s risks effectively. There was a lack of professional curiosity around the child’s history and a lack of partnership work with the local authority on how to manage the child’s known risks. As a result, managers did not have all the information they needed to establish if they could safely meet the child’s needs. In addition, staff have been unable to implement routines, boundaries and safeguarding strategies for the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not always able to de-escalate significant incidents with the child. Some high- risk incidents have occurred, and staff have called for police support on four occasions. This does not reassure the child that the staff can manage their anxieties and risks effectively and keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently follow or implement strategies from the child’s safety plans. For example, they have not always carried out room searches following incidents of self- harm. In addition, there have been occasions when staff have not responded to the child in line with the home’s ethos and therapeutic parenting model. This inconsistent practice has the potential to compromise the child’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of the child going missing have significantly reduced since they have been living in the home. On the one occasion when the child went missing, staff acted quickly to locate them. However, they did not report the child missing to the police in line with timescales stipulated in the child’s protocol. While this did not cause harm to the child, it did have the potential to do so.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers respond appropriately when there are safeguarding concerns, complaints or allegations against staff. They share information with other safeguarding professionals quickly, and they take appropriate action to safeguard the child and staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff have discussions with the child on important topics, such as racism, internet safety, and reflection after incidents. This supports the child to be informed and to keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Managers follow safer recruitment processes. This ensures that only appropriately vetted staff work with the children.

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

The registered manager’s systems for monitoring and reviewing the quality of care continue to require improvement. There are gaps and delays in the registered manager’s oversight of incidents in the home. In addition, they do not always identify issues with staff practice, and they have failed to take effective action to improve staff morale. This lack of oversight does not ensure that the child receives consistently good care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729820 6 Staff receive a wide range of training, which is specifically identified to meet the child’s needs. Team meetings are also regular and comprehensive. Managers review the effectiveness of training by testing staff knowledge with questions and scenario-based activities.

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

Managers and staff work with a range of professionals. Leaders and managers have had numerous meetings with the local authority to review the child’s care plan when they have struggled to settle into the home. There are weekly multi-agency meetings, and the social worker visits the home weekly. Managers will also challenge the local authority when they feel that decisions are made that are not in the child’s best interests. The feedback from the child’s social worker is positive.

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

Senior leaders are aware of the shortfalls in the quality of the leadership and management of the home and how they affect children’s care. While the home recruits a new manager, the quality assurance lead will temporarily oversee the home's management. They have begun to develop a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. They are committed to making continuous improvements to the quality of care that children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2729820 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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

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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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

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

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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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders should ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

identified risks in children’s plans are considered and assessed effectively when determining the suitability of children moving into the home;

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Requirement Due date

staff have the experience and skills to identify when a child is at risk of harm and that measures are in place to reduce any risk to keep the child safe;

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Requirement Due date

managers and staff work collaboratively with other professionals to consider and mitigate risk; and

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Requirement Due date

all children’s written risk management plans provide staff with consistent, clear guidance on how to manage risk and behaviour. 12 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2729820 8 This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders should ensure that the home has sufficient staff who are suitably trained and skilled to provide consistent care to children and protect them from harm.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 12 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 12 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2729820 9 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(viii)(ix)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders should ensure that all staff are consistently motivated to build trusting relationships with children and that staff aspire for children to achieve.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing environment that meets the children’s needs. This specifically relates to ensuring that all areas of the home are clean and external areas are maintained to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2729820 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: TS Children Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV1 4DJ

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Inspectors

Sonia Sullivan, Social Care Inspector Tonia Dubidat, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2729820 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 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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