Children's home run by Prosperity Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2807817 1 Registered provider: Prosperity Children’s Services

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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 is one of several homes owned by a private provider. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at time of inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in April 2025. There is no registered manager in post.

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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

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: 2807817 2

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home mean that the child currently living in the home has not been provided with a consistent level of care.

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improvement to be good

Moves into the home are not well planned. Poor care planning for the child’s move into the home meant that the child did not experience a positive transition into the home. This had a negative impact on the child’s relationships with the staff team when the child moved in. Staff have worked to improve their understanding of the child’s needs and new systems are in place to capture the child’s voice.

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improvement to be good

The child attends education regularly. The interim manager has advocated on behalf of the child following an exclusion. This supported the child to return to education quickly. The child is now accessing a sports-orientated curriculum that suits their future aspirations.

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improvement to be good

The home is clean, and the child’s bedroom is personalised. Staff provide opportunities for the child to explore their interests, including go-karting, playing snooker and going shopping. The child is also supported in developing their independence skills linked to budgeting, shopping and cooking. The child enjoys contributing to the upkeep of the home and takes an interest in the design of the garden. These activities support the child’s social development.

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improvement to be good

The child is supported to have contact with their family and those important to them. This ensures that they maintain their family relationships. The child also has opportunities to socialise with their friends during free time.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not take action to manage all known risks for the child. Plans are not in place to ensure that the child accesses digital devices safely and that the child is safeguarded from the risks of exploitation online.

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improvement to be good

There have not been any incidents of the child being physically held. The relationships the staff have with the child mean that they are able to de-escalate incidents of challenging behaviour. However, incidents of challenging behaviour are not always managed effectively. Behaviour management strategies are not reviewed following incidents. This limits the manager’s ability to review the effectiveness of strategies used to manage behaviour. Action has been taken to implement systems to review incidents; however, this is not yet embedded into practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807817 3 Incidents of the child going missing from the home are rare. When the child is missing from the home, staff take appropriate action. Clear protocols are followed by staff, who adopt a multi-agency approach to prioritise the child’s safety. The child is offered a return home interview by an independent person, which promotes safety planning.

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improvement to be good

Access to psychological support and clinical supervision is now being implemented to enhance the staff team’s capacity to respond to the child’s emotional and behavioural needs.

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improvement to be good

Pre-employment checks for new staff in the home are not always thorough. Action is not taken to follow up references for staff when information is not shared by previous employers.

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

Unstable management arrangements in the home mean that there has not been effective and consistent oversight of the care being provided to the child. The interim manager is registered to manage another home within the same organisation. As a result, the manager has been limited in his ability to implement the changes needed to ensure that the child’s needs are met.

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

The interim manager is suitably qualified and demonstrates a commitment to improve the outcomes of the child. He understands the child’s needs and is working towards an improvement plan to address gaps that have emerged following the changes in leadership. Professionals and managers from external agencies working with the child spoke positively of the communication with the manager and staff.

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

The home is appropriately staffed, and consideration has been given to the gender balance of the rota to meet the child’s needs. Agency staff have not been used. However, not all staff have undertaken training on all topics that are relevant to the child’s individual needs.

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

The workforce and home development plans are generic and do not take into account the specific needs of the child living in the home or the staff team. This hinders the long- term development of the home.

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

Staff say that they benefit from supervision. However, records do not demonstrate that this takes place on a regular basis. Induction records do not reflect when induction periods are extended for new staff. This limits the manager’s oversight of the development needs for staff and the care being provided to the child living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807817 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 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

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;

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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

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all risk assessments and care plans are up to date, accurate and reviewed in a timely manner; that staff seek medical advice when the child is under the influence of substances and that plans are in place to manage all of the child’s risks. 6 September 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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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and 6 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2807817 5 promotes their welfare.

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that there is consistent leadership and management of the home; that systems are in place to review the quality of care in the home; that all incidents are reviewed by the manager and that the workforce and home development plans are reviewed with clear time limits to support the development of the home.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive regular supervision and that induction processes and records for new staff are reviewed and monitored. 6 September 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They should ensure that thorough employment checks are completed and that robust approaches are adopted to secure references from previous employers for all staff employed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 60, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2807817 6

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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: 2807817 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Prosperity Children’s Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 8 Mercury Rise, Altham Business Park, Altham, Accrington BB5 5BY

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Inspector

Jon Dutton, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2807817 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 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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