Children's Home run by Thrive Childcare Services Ltd in Dudley

Inspection report for children’s home: 2590832 1 Registered provider: Thrive Childcare Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties due to past trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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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: 3 December 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2590832 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/12/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/01/2024 Full Good 13/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2590832 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home. Staff provided good support for this child’s move. After making significant progress at the home, the child successfully moved on in line with their care plan. This was achieved through careful planning and a thorough transition, which has enabled this new placement to have a positive start.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a consistent team of staff with whom they have been able to develop positive relationships. This helps children to feel safe and valued. As a result, children are making good progress. One professional said, ‘They have been amazing, honestly; this young person is thriving because of them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s engagement with school has been mixed. One child has exemplary attendance, which is a significant success from their starting point. One child has refused to attend school and is not engaging. However, this is not due to a lack of effort from staff and managers, who have consistently and in partnership with education professionals encouraged attendance. The manager continues to advocate for the child’s needs and explore alternative options for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to pursue hobbies that reflect their personalities and interests. One child is engaged in external community clubs, including cadets and youth groups. This helps them build friendships and develop their confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children’s health needs are met effectively, and there is good follow-up work with health professionals when this is necessary. Children benefit from this by maintaining their health. Staff play a key role in helping children establish and sustain healthy daily routines. This benefits children who have previously lacked structure in their lives. These routines contribute to the development of healthier habits and have a positive impact on areas such as school attendance and overall well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain meaningful relationships with their families, and staff facilitate family time well. When appropriate, families participate in their children's care, which provides a sense of normality and promotes children's emotional health.

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

Staff are responsive to children’s needs, and this helps ensure that incidents of risk- taking behaviour are rare.

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

Incidents of bullying and unkind behaviour among children are decreasing. Staff take these incidents seriously and educate children about the effect their behaviour has on others. This helps validate children's feelings while encouraging more socially acceptable Inspection report for children’s home: 2590832 4 behaviour. Children have responded well to this approach, and as a result, incidents of peer conflict have decreased.

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

Staff have a clear focus on helping children understand acceptable behaviour. They regularly praise children, and when they use consequences for unwanted behaviour, they place a large emphasis on helping them learn from their mistakes. This contributes to the positive relationships that children have with staff. Children are taking increasing responsibility for themselves and are now making more positive choices.

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

On occasion, staff have needed to carry out room searches to protect children. These are only carried out when necessary, and staff support children in understanding the reasons for them.

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

The manager follows safe recruitment practices, and appropriate pre-employment checks are carried out before staff start working with children. This helps leaders ensure the safety of adults working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is making significant progress in driving improvements in the quality of care provided. Staff are resoundingly positive about the changes that have been made since the manager has been in post, and they report that they enjoy working at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with opportunities to engage in a range of training to support their professional development and enhance the quality of care provided to children. However, the manager has not consistently ensured that all staff have completed the training assigned to them. As a result, some staff lack up-to-date knowledge in key areas. This has the potential to affect the quality of practice and limit some staff’s ability to safely manage known risks to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported by an experienced responsible individual, and they carry out regular audits of the quality of care provided. An independent visitor also carries out regular audits of the home, and the manager uses these opportunities to enhance children’s care. While these systems are largely effective in supporting the manager to have effective oversight of the home, they have not ensured that the most up-to-date local authority information is available to staff. This may limit staff’s ability to make informed decisions in the best interests of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children can contribute to their living environment and are positive about changes that have been made to it. This promotes children’s sense of ownership and belonging.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions. These provide opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice. They also have an annual appraisal, which provides opportunities for staff and managers to formally review practice. This has contributed to a workforce where staff are happy in their roles and feel well supported. Inspection report for children’s home: 2590832 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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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, ensure that training assigned to staff is completed promptly and that children’s placing authorities provide up-to- date statutory information. 29 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: 2590832 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Thrive Childcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 225 5300 Lakeside, Cheadle SK8 3PG

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Inspector

Chrisoula Contoyianni, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2590832 7 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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