Children's Home run by Astar Care Group Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2794413 1 Registered provider: Astar Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is one of several homes run by a private provider. It provides care for one child who may have emotional and social difficulties. This is the first inspection of the home since it was registered with Ofsted in November 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

A suitably qualified and experienced registered manager has been in post since November 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2794413 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has their care needs met. Staff tailor care to the specific needs of the child. This individualised approach ensures that the child receives appropriate support, which fosters their well-being and development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child attends education. Staff support the child to access learning, and evidence progress from the child’s starting points. This is positive, as the child had a period of absence from learning. The focus on education highlights the commitment to improving the child’s life chances and academic outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with family and friends, enabling them to see those most important to them. Staff cultivate positive communication with family members and external agencies, prioritising the best interests of the child and their family networks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has their health needs met. Staff support them to register with local health services and to attend appointments. This has resulted in the child receiving specialist support for specific health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the needs of the child. This means the child experiences a responsive, nurtured and supportive environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to be independent. Staff promote activities that enable the child to develop key life skills and give them guidance to empower them. This equips the child with greater autonomy and self-sufficiency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is generally in good condition and is clean, homely and comfortable. However, the manager needs to ensure that damage is repaired promptly.

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

The child feels safe and secure. Staff understand risk and respond promptly to incidents. They follow these up with the child to help them develop an understanding of how to keep safe, resulting in a reduction in unsafe risk.

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

Staff provide clear routines and boundaries. This enables the child to experience reward and consequence, which empowers them to take responsibility for their behaviours.

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

Appropriate risks are encouraged through independence and activities are risk assessed. Key-worker sessions aid children to learn from incidents that have not gone to plan.

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

Staff are well trained to de-escalate incidents, meaning the child has not experienced physical restraint. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794413 3

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear vision for the development of staff and the home. This is achieved through planning that considers environmental factors, along with staff, and how these will impact the experiences of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that the manager is supportive and experienced. This helps staff to develop knowledge and skills in their care of the child. This also enables staff to adjust to changes in the home environment and remain stable in their own well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The views of the child are valued and integrated into various aspects of the home, including planning, activities and daily life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good relationship with professionals and family. This is achieved through regular communication on the progress of the child, alongside strong advocacy on behalf of the child and their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Some staff require further development in understanding and managing complex behaviours. The manager provides additional support and training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. Staff are supported in expressing their views and say that these are taken seriously. The manager has made staffing decisions to address their well-being following incidents in the home. The manager aims to support staff to manage complex situations with confidence and to nurture an understanding of how best to respond to challenges.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are safely recruited and receive a comprehensive induction. This requires them to complete mandatory training and maintain their professional development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794413 4

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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 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.

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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

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

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, 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. 28 June 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the skills to respond to each child’s individual behaviour. Where necessary, they should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 39, paragraph 8.14) Inspection report for children’s home: 2794413 5

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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: 2794413 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Astar Care Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5a Warbreck Avenue, Liverpool L9 4RL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alexander Dingle

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Inspector

Paul McKay-Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2794413 7 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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