Children's Home run by Zen Care and Education Limited in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home: 2781227 1 Registered provider: Zen Care and Education 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 owned and managed by a small private provider. The home 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, the home was providing care for one child.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in November 2024. This was the first inspection since registration.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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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: 2781227 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide good-quality care and seek to develop positive relationships with children. Two children have moved into the home since registration, with one child subsequently moving out. Staff work hard to engage children who have been resistant to care and have shown respect and empathy towards children regarding their wishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into and out of the home are child centred and well managed. Where possible, children are encouraged to visit prior to moving in and meet with the staff team. One child moved into the home in an emergency. However, the registered manager made efforts to promote a positive move with support from the staff team. One child’s move from the home was not in line with their care plan. Despite this, the staff continued to provide effective communication and support to the child and their family while an appropriate alternative home was identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is well promoted by the staff team. Both children have faced significant barriers to learning, having not consistently attended school before moving to the home. The registered manager has worked closely with professionals in education to provide children with bespoke learning packages to aid their learning and development. Although children’s engagement has been limited, professionals say that staff have actively encouraged participation and offered significant support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with opportunities to engage in activities in the local community that support their individual interests. Children have attended football, bowling and amusement arcades as well as going on local nature walks. Staff actively seek children’s views on activities and meal plans, encouraging their engagement and input.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with family and friends to promote children spending time with those people who are important to them. As a result, staff have helped children to maintain and rebuild relationships. When tension or conflicts arise, staff provide support to all those involved to ensure that relationships remain positive for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged by staff to engage in direct work sessions that promote their understanding of risks, seek their views and develop their social and educational skills. Although most sessions are receptive to children’s needs and well documented, a small number of recordings contain stigmatising language that is not child focused.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and have developed clear and effective plans to provide support. The staff work collaboratively with external professionals to respond to both known and emerging areas of need.

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

Despite the number of incidents of children going missing being high, the response from staff is consistently proactive and well documented. Staff actively search for children to promote their safe return to the home and complete a comprehensive follow-up process. Inspection report for children’s home: 2781227 3 This supports the immediate safety of children and attempts to address the underlying causes to reduce the likelihood of future incidents.

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

The registered manager promotes a restorative and incentive-based approach to behaviour management. Staff responses to children’s negative behaviour choices are focused on learning and safety. Although not all consequences result in engagement from children, efforts are made to explain the rationale, involve them in reviewing decisions and promote future positive choices. The registered manager has good oversight to promote ongoing reflection and support a nurturing response to incidents.

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

Staff are skilled in promoting positive behaviour, which reflects the home’s focus on de- escalation and safe behaviour management. The registered manager has ensured that there is careful consideration of individual staff circumstances and the need for safe, effective practice so that staff and children are well supported and safeguarded.

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

Risk assessments consider all known areas of risk and provide clear actions for staff to support children and promote their safety. The registered manager has ensured that risk assessments are regularly reviewed, which means that staff are aware of any developments to presenting risk factors. However, some assessments should be modified to ensure that these are effectively evaluated and do not become a chronology of events.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a committed and experienced registered manager. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working in the home and say that they feel well supported by the leadership team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive supervision, which is well structured, regular and reflective, offering a space for staff development and support. Regular follow-up on actions demonstrates a commitment by the registered manager to addressing any issues raised and supporting staff in their professional growth. Regular team meetings, which encourage staff collaboration and engagement, further support a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and staff have developed positive working relationships with professionals working with children and have advocated on children’s behalf to ensure that they receive effective support. Professionals say that communication with the home is proactive and that staff have made consistent and creative attempts to promote children’s well-being, despite limited engagement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been challenges regarding staff recruitment in the home, which have meant that the registered manager has had to utilise agency staff to ensure that children receive appropriate care. Where possible, the registered manager has actively sought the same non-permanent workers, to promote consistency for children. The management team has continued with recruitment drives to ensure that the home employs appropriate staff to the role. Although the home generally follow safer recruitment Inspection report for children’s home: 2781227 4 processes, the registered manager should ensure that all staff employment histories are sufficiently detailed and any gaps in employment are fully explored.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is committed to staff development and has sought specific training in understanding foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in response to one child’s individual needs. In addition, staff can access clinical therapeutic sessions that provide trauma-informed strategies to further support their care of children. Although the registered manager has a system for recording and tracking staff training, there are notable gaps in the mandatory training for some new team members, which has been impacted by the challenges in staff recruitment. The registered manager has identified this as an area of development alongside prioritising staff induction, although this is yet to be fully embedded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s statement of purpose has been regularly updated by the registered manager to include changes in staffing and any adaptations to the care provided by the home. However, these updates have not been shared with the regulator, which impacts the ability for effective oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: 2781227 5

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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

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33 (1)(a) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, all staff should complete a comprehensive induction and all mandatory training in a timely manner. 12 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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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 (1) (3)(b)) 12 June 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Specifically, the registered person should ensure that risk assessments are clear and directive and do not become a chronology of events. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that safe recruitment policies are followed when recruiting staff, with dates of previous employment sufficiently detailed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Records should not include punitive or stigmatising language. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: 2781227 6 Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2781227 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Zen Care and Education Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Trafford House, Chester Road, Manchester M32 0RS

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Inspector

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2781227 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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