Children's home run by Continuum Support

Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It is registered to provide care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since May 2025 and has started the process to register with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2024 Full Outstanding 19/09/2023 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lived at the home for over a year. The inspector spent time with the child in order to understand how they are feeling.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Prior to a recent culmination of events, the child was settled and making good progress. However, the child has become unsettled, and an alternative home is being identified for them. This has proved challenging for all people involved. However, staff remain tenacious in supporting the child to feel happier.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have found it challenging to manage the child’s behaviour. Staff support the child to keep safe, despite the challenges, and they respond with patience and consistency. They review and update the child’s care plans to reflect any new behaviours or risks. These plans provide actions for staff to follow to help the child and reduce risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is meaningfully consulted about the care that they receive. The child’s wishes and feelings are captured and listened to. These include having a sleepover with a friend and getting a pet cat. This approach aims to help the child feel valued and heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

With staff support, the child has made some progress in managing their behaviour more safely. As a result, the court-ordered restrictions that were previously in place have been lifted. Staff continue to provide support and guidance to the child to keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family arrangements are discussed and arranged with the social worker, in line with the child’s plans. Staff are committed to providing the support required. This helps the child to keep in touch with family members who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff carry out regular key-work sessions with the child, focusing on the child’s risks, needs, previous experiences and worries. These sessions help the child to understand their past experiences, build their social skills and improve their self-awareness. However, recently, key-work sessions have become less frequent, and the child did not have any in September.

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

Staff understand the child’s needs and only use physical interventions as a last resort. When staff do have to hold the child to keep them safe, they record this well and talk to the child afterwards about what happened. Staff have the opportunity to reflect with a manager on what happened.

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

When incidents occur, staff take appropriate action and put the child’s safety first. The staff take proactive steps to de-escalate situations as quickly as possible. The manager reviews all incidents and identifies any learning opportunities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 4 Managers take allegations of harm seriously and take appropriate action when issues arise. They share information with the relevant agencies and work well with safeguarding professionals to ensure that the child is safe in the home.

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

Recruitment practices are safe. Managers follow safer recruitment procedures and appoint staff who are suitable to care for children. However, gaps in employment are not always fully scrutinised.

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

Risk assessments are reviewed regularly, and staff have the opportunity to read and respond to any updates. The assessments are clear and detailed, outlining to staff what they should do to reduce the risk of harm to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is currently being managed by an interim manager, who has got to know the child and staff team well. She is experienced, enthusiastic and child focused. When the registered manager left, a number of staff left at the same time; although this was managed well, there has been some impact on the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite the challenges, staff have remained committed to supporting the child, ensuring a strong safeguarding culture. The team continues to prioritise the child’s safety and well-being. Staff have genuine care and affection for the child and care about the child’s future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with a range of training that equips them to meet the needs of the child. Standards set out in staff’s induction are high and expectations are clear. Staff training is up to date and is kept under review by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with professionals and maintain good communication. One professional reported that the care offered to the child is consistent and that staff are passionate about their care, even during times of difficulty. Staff are working collaboratively with the local authority in planning the child’s move.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak very positively about their role. They recognise how the manager has developed and progressed the home and the quality of care for the child. Staff say they feel supported and able to raise any areas of concern, both professionally and personally, with the managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good management oversight of incidents and reports. Managers and leaders share learning from incidents at team meetings. This supports staff to provide consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular, reflective supervision that supports their practice and helps them to consider the impact of their work on the child. However, annual appraisals are not consistently completed and do not include feedback from the child or other professionals. This limits opportunities for the manager and staff to reflect on their development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that gaps in employment history are scrutinised and recorded in recruitment records. 24 November 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that key-work sessions with children take place regularly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should ensure that appraisals are completed within the timescale and include the views of the children and other professionals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 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: 2640245 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair Accounting Co Ltd, 300 St. Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Sally Mitchell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2640245 8 regulates 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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