Children's Home run by Country Homes For Children Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2804883 1 Registered provider: Country Homes For Children Ltd

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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 privately owned home registered in January 2025 and provides care for up to three children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered in January 2025 and is suitably qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the home’s first inspection following registration.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home, who were present and shared their views.

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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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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: 2804883 2

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home, who were present and shared their views.

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improvement to be good

Children have made some progress since the home registered. However, some safeguarding responses and management systems require improvement. Consequently, shortfalls in these systems have had an impact on children’s overall experiences of living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s educational needs are not being met effectively. There is insufficient routine and structure in children’s daily lives, and staff do not consistently promote education. For children receiving education at home, there is no clear, structured plan in place, and little progress has been made. Although the manager is engaging with the virtual school to identify a more appropriate provision, children’s educational progress and outcomes remain compromised due to a lack of effective support.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not complete direct work with children on a consistent basis. When staff do complete some work with children, sessions are not planned well. Furthermore, staff’s recording of sessions is poor and does not fully reflect the children’s participation and understanding. Staff and the manager do not review the effectiveness of the support staff are providing, its impact and any changes that may be needed to ensure staff are meeting children’s individualised needs. This has impacted on children’s progress.

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improvement to be good

Children’s wishes and feelings are not consistently sought or recorded by staff or the manager. Children’s written plans do not reflect the children’s needs. There have been limited updates since they moved in, and they do not capture children’s wishes and feelings. As a result, it is difficult to assess children’s progress or ensure that care planning is tailored to their individual experiences.

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improvement to be good

Despite some of the shortfalls, staff have supported children’s transitions into the home well. The manager worked with professionals and children’s family members to ensure that this happened in a way that met children’s needs and was successful. One social worker shared, ‘I couldn’t have asked for better communication and planning by the manager.’

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improvement to be good

Staff promote children’s family time very well. Staff have positive relationships with family members to ensure that family time remains positive and safe for children. One family member shared that staff go ‘above and beyond’ in their support of them and their child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2804883 3

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding arrangements to manage children’s risks are inconsistent. For one child, an individualised plan is in place, which identifies known risks and clear strategies for managing them. The plan is linked to the therapeutic practice used within the home. However, staff do not regularly review or update the plan, especially after significant incidents. Consequently, staff responses are inconsistent, and opportunities to strengthen practice are missed. This shortfall compromises staff’s ability to reduce children’s risks effectively.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of children going missing from the home are low. However, when incidents have occurred, staff have not consistently followed protocols and procedures. This has meant that there have been some delays in children being supported to return home safely. Safeguarding agencies are also not always notified in a timely way. The manager does not consistently identify and address these shortfalls, which potentially increases children’s risks.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager’s responses to children raising concerns about staff are inconsistent. For example, when one child raised concerns about staff practice, these were promptly shared with the relevant professionals. However, the registered manager did not act on advice provided by the local authority designated officer. Furthermore, the manager did not speak to the child and gather their wishes and feelings. This does not reassure children that their welfare and safety are promoted. During the inspection, the home’s responsible individual confirmed that they would complete an investigation and take appropriate action.

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improvement to be good

On some occasions, staff have needed to use physical intervention to keep children safe. While staff physical restraint practice is safe and used as a last resort, recording of the interventions used is poor. It is not always clear from records what staff have done to try and de-escalate situations. Furthermore, following incidents, the registered manager does not ensure that children’s views are captured, and debriefs with staff are not completed. As a result, staff and children are not provided with opportunities to reflect and learn from their experiences.

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improvement to be good

Despite the areas for improvement identified, both children said that they felt safe living in the home. They said they were well supported by staff. Professionals and family members have also shared that the children are safe, and their risks and vulnerabilities have reduced since living in the home. For one child, incidents of physical and verbal aggression have reduced significantly, and the child is starting to build positive and trusting relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment practice and systems used are good. This ensures that children are being cared for by appropriate and safe adults who have been suitably vetted before working in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2804883 4

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good

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager. However, since the home registered, he has submitted his resignation and is due to leave the role in July 2025. At the time of the inspection, senior leaders confirmed that they were recruiting for a new manager.

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good

Management oversight in the home requires improvement. Monitoring systems are used but they have been ineffective, as managers have failed to identify shortfalls and take action to address staff practice. This has not ensured that children are provided with consistent and good, quality care.

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good

The registered manager does not consistently take appropriate action following significant incidents. On some occasions, there has been a lack of professional curiosity shown in his review of incidents and when assessing staff responses. As a result, staff have not always received the support they need, which has had an impact on children’s experiences in the home. In addition, the registered manager has not consistently notified Ofsted of all significant incidents. This reduces external oversight and limits Ofsted’s ability to monitor the safety and well-being of children.

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good

Staff said that they feel supported within their roles. They are committed and work hard to meet children’s specific needs. They receive regular supervision sessions and complete training that supports them in their roles. However, supervision sessions used are not consistently reflective, and the registered manager does not always respond effectively when staff raise concerns.

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good

Senior leaders have recently become more involved in the day-to-day running of the home. They are aware of the development areas and are taking action to improve the care that children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2804883 5

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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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s wishes and feelings are captured in a variety of ways and influence all aspects of their care. 12 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(viii)) 12 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2804883 6 In particular, the registered person should ensure that children have an education plan in place that is suitable and relevant to their needs.

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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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; 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)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff are equipped with the skills to assess children’s risks effectively and take action to reduce risks to children in relation to internet safety and when children go missing from the home.

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Requirement Due date

This also refers to the registered manager’s understanding and implementation of safeguarding procedures and the actions to take when a child raises an allegation against staff. 12 July 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

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 12 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2804883 7 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; 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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should consider the impact of the care provided by staff, along with children’s wishes and feelings, to inform the development of the quality of care provided. Also, the registered person should ensure that they have clear monitoring and review systems in place to identify shortfalls and improve practice.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. 12 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2804883 8 (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(b)(i)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff and children are spoken to within sufficient timescales after incidents.

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Recommendations

 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. In particular, records of direct work with children should be clear to help children understand the benefit of work being completed and being clear on next steps to ensure they make progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that they notify Ofsted and other relevant persons if one of the situations specified in regulation 40(4)(a)-(d) occurs, or if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious (40(4)(e)). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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: 2804883 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Country Homes For Children Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Manor House Farm, Hall Lane, Hilderstone, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 8SQ

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Inspector

Hayley Booth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2804883 10 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 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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