Children's home run by Care Haven (UK) Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 1 SC483828 Registered provider: Care Haven (UK) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care for up to five children who may have social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/07/2024 Full Good 25/04/2023 Full Good 20/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/10/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 3

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improvement to be good

Staff support children who are new to the home to help them build trusting relationships. There are suitable arrangements in place to ensure that children can express their views, wishes and feelings and be involved in decisions about their day-to- day care. Children say that they have positive relationships with staff and if they have any worries, problems or concerns, they can talk to staff, and they will listen.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to spend time with their friends and family in line with their agreed plans. This means that they can maintain relationships that are important to them. Staff also encourage children to take part in activities such as bowling or going to the cinema and children have enjoyed going go-karting. However, due to their ages, they often prefer to spend time in the community with their friends.

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improvement to be good

Children are not attending school. Staff are supporting education in the home through tutors. The manager and staff are challenging education providers and placing authorities to advocate for children’s rights to a suitable education.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are being met. When there are difficulties for children in attending appointments, staff challenge health professionals, such as looked-after children’s nurses, to adapt their approaches to meet the individual needs of children.

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improvement to be good

Impact assessments are completed before children move into the home. These are robust documents which factor in all relevant and necessary information. There are occasions when children have moved into the home in an emergency, with little or no planning possible. Children are supported to move into the home as sensitively as possible, taking into consideration their individual circumstances and the needs of other children in the home.

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improvement to be good

There have been improvements to the home environment since the last inspection. This has included upgrades to the garden and making the dining room and lounge feel more homely. However, noticeboards in the home do give a slightly institutional feel.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, staff do not consistently take suitable action to search for and locate them. Strategies in children’s support plans are not always being followed. Recording of the managers’ oversight of these events is not consistently completed; when it is, it focuses on the child’s behaviours and does not reflect on the actions taken by staff. Therefore, it does not identify shortfalls or lessons learned, and poor practice is not addressed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 4 Staff carry out key-worker sessions with children around relevant topics for their individual needs. These are sometimes planned sessions or take place reactively following a significant event. These sessions are complemented by work carried out by specialist external professionals, such as the youth offending team and substance misuse workers.

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improvement to be good

There are episodes of bullying between children in the home. This has not been challenged, and suitable action has not been taken by staff to support children to identify and understand the impact of bullying.

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improvement to be good

Children’s plans and risk assessments are detailed documents which provide clear guidance and strategies for staff. However, not all risk assessments are updated with relevant information following significant events. This prevents staff from having access to information which may impact or change the care they provide.

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improvement to be good

When children have made complaints, the manager has taken suitable action and has ensured that the child’s welfare is a priority throughout. The manager has ensured that relevant professionals, such as the social worker and local authority designated officer, are informed.

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improvement to be good

When it has been necessary to physically hold a child, it has been reasonable and proportionate to keep the child and others safe. Reports have reflected the measure used and the duration of any physical holds. Managers have suitable oversight of the report and staff have been able to reflect on the incident after the event.

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

There is a manager in post, who is supported by a deputy manager. Staff spoken with describe the manager as supportive and child centred. They said that the manager is available for support and guidance and makes staff feel valued.

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

The manager has systems in place for the monitoring of the home. Since the last inspection, the manager has implemented audit systems to ensure that children’s progress is tracked and reported on. The manager has oversight of incidents and reports. However, she has not always identified areas of poor practice or occasions when staff have not followed protocols. This means that poor practice is not challenged or changed.

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

There are shortfalls in recording which have not been identified or addressed by the manager. This limits the manager’s ability to monitor, review and implement clear development plans that continually improve the experiences of children.

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

Supervision sessions take place with staff. These are often completed informally and discuss staff’s well-being and training needs; however, they are not practice related. They are not used for learning or for staff to reflect on their practice and how this impacts the children. Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended by the Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 5 team; however, their focus is on operational activity and there are limited discussions about children. This is a missed opportunity for staff to review significant events and to share information about children’s individual needs.

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

There have been some periods of inconsistency in the staff team since the last inspection. However, there is now a steady and consistent staff team. This means that children are supported by staff who know them well, and this provides stability for children. Staff have completed suitable training to meet the individual needs of children living in the home.

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

There have been occasions when agency staff have been used to support the core staff team. When this has happened, they are working alongside the core team and there are suitable checks in place to ensure that staff are safe to work with children.

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

The manager and staff work with external professionals, such as the youth offending team, the missing from home team and contextual safeguarding workers, to ensure that there is wraparound support for children’s complex needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 6

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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

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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff actively search for children when they are missing from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition to this, the registered person must have suitable systems in place to review and reflect on the actions taken by staff following significant events. 22 May 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— 22 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 7 mutual respect and trust;

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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.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 8 that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(xi)(xii) (xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff support children to identify bullying and to understand the impact that bullying has on others.

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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 the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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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

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)(e)(f)(g)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that managers and staff reflect on any significant events to identify learning outcomes. 3 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 9 The registered provider must have systems in place to identify and address poor practice.

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s support plans and risk assessments are regularly updated to provide current and relevant information to support staff to deliver suitable care to children. 3 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 3 July 2025

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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: SC483828 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Haven (UK) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Westminster House, 10 Westminster Road, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 1BX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patricia Swallow

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Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC483828 11 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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