Children's Home run by Williamson Care Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 1 Registered provider: Williamson Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in June 2024 and is privately owned. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the visit, no children were living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

A full inspection was carried out on 28 and 29 May 2025, and the home was judged as inadequate. Serious shortfalls were identified in safeguarding practice and in the leadership and management arrangements at the home.

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This monitoring visit

As a result, Ofsted made the decision to suspend accommodation under section 20B of the Care Standards Act 2000. Compliance notices under Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) were also issued.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the suspension notice and any action taken by the provider to meet the steps identified in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, there have been changes to management arrangements. The registered manager and the responsible individual have left their respective posts. Currently, the manager post remains vacant. The provider has an interim manager in post while recruitment for a permanent manager continues. A responsible individual has been appointed and plans to apply to Ofsted. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 2 Additional training has been provided to the current staff team, and staff have reflected on previous incidents that have occurred in the home. However, since the inspection, staffing levels in the home have reduced due to staff resignations. As a result, there are currently insufficient staff to meet children’s needs. Recruitment is underway to address this.

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This monitoring visit

The interim manager has identified areas of development for the home. However, in the absence of a manager, the interim manager’s changes to the monitoring and reviewing systems have not yet been embedded into practice.

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This monitoring visit

Arrangements for effective on-call systems to support staff out of hours are not in place. The provider expects the manager and responsible individual to carry out this duty. However, there is no registered manager in post, and the responsible individual’s suitability to carry out the role remains unassessed due to delays in submitting their application to Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

At the case review on 18 July 2025, it was concluded that the provider has not taken appropriate action to address the shortfalls identified at the full inspection. The home does not have a manager in post and is not sufficiently staffed. Therefore, the suspension notice will remain in place.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has not taken sufficient action to meet the steps identified in the compliance notices under Regulations 12 and 13. The additional requirements raised at the assurance inspection were not considered as part of this visit and will be considered at the next full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/05/2025 Full Inadequate 11/02/2025 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 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 with 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; 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)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children and take effective action to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 5 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 staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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; 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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that there is a suitably qualified and experienced manager and responsible individual in post to always manage and oversee the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that there is a stable staff team in place and that all staff working at the home have the knowledge, skills and experience to provide care for children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that children’s records are reviewed and maintained to include all accurate and relevant information and that shortfalls in staff practice are identified and addressed as part of management evaluation. 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 6 This requirement is restated.

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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—

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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

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same; and 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 7 de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(x)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that staff support children with warmth and empathy and receive clear guidance to follow in practice.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that: they can meet the needs of children moving into the home; they are aware of children’s risks when moving in; and plans are in place to manage any conflicting needs for children living together.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 13 July 2025

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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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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— 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 8 ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that staff support children’s individual care needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that children’s records are maintained, updated, and include accurate information.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 13 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

that staff— 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 9 help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vi)(x))

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 10 a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; 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. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that consequences are clearly recorded and include a review of the effectiveness of the measure.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 13 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 11 The registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that rotas include the actual hours that staff work at the home, including those of the interim manager.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Williamson Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Mayes Business Partnership, 22 to 28 Willow Street, Accrington BB5 1LP

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Inspector

Suzanne Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2775284 13 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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