Children's home run by Social Care Services (Clayton) Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2597738 1 Registered provider: Social Care Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The child spoke with the inspector about their experiences of living at the home.

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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: 21 October 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: 2597738 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/05/2023 Full Good 21/06/2022 Full Good 17/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2597738 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child feels settled and likes living at the home. Thoughtful planning took place to ensure that the child had a positive experience of moving into the home. Staff provide a good level of nurturing care, and the child is making good progress in all areas of their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are focused on meeting the needs of the child and building trusted relationships with them. The child is provided with different opportunities to share their views, and they are involved in decisions about their care. The child enjoys spending time with most staff members both inside and outside of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health and emotional well-being are actively promoted. Staff ensure that the child attends all health appointments. The child is encouraged to eat a healthy diet and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child with their education. The child’s attendance and behaviour at school have improved significantly since living at the home. Staff effectively advocate for the child and work collaboratively with the school to ensure that the best outcomes are achieved. One educational professional said that the home is ‘brilliant’ due to their ‘really good’ communication and their ‘proactive’ approach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is regularly offered new opportunities and activities. Their interests are nurtured, and they are encouraged to try new things. The child’s choices are acted on, for example trips to farms, zoos and theme parks. Photographs of fun times are captured in a colourful memory journal for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with people who are important to them. They have developed positive relationships with family members and communicate with them regularly. Staff facilitate family time between the child and their family each week, which includes family members visiting the home and cooking a meal with the child. One family member described staff as being ‘very friendly’ and ‘good at their job’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child lives in a warm and welcoming home. The child’s bedroom is well furnished and personalised to their taste. Communal areas are homely, and the living room is decorated in colours chosen by the child. However, some areas of the home need repainting and maintenance.

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

The child is kept safe, and they feel safe. Their risks and vulnerabilities are known and understood. The child’s individual risk management plans are detailed and kept up to date. They provide clear information for staff about how to respond if any risks arise. The child is involved in developing their risk and behaviour management plans. Inspection report for children’s home: 2597738 4 The frequency of incidents involving the child going missing from home have decreased. Staff have not needed to hold the child to keep them or others safe. This indicates that the child feels settled, safe and secure.

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

Staff support the child to attend appointments with specialist practitioners to help manage risks for the benefit of the child. They advocate to find additional support when needed.

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

Staff encourage positive behaviour. The child is routinely rewarded, and their achievements are celebrated. Regular discussions take place with the child about topics relevant to them and their age and stage of development. Records are kept using language which is caring and child friendly.

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

Appropriate and clear boundaries are in place, providing a consistent and stable environment. Staff help the child to understand and manage their feelings and behaviours safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced, caring and child centred. He is well supported by senior members of the staff team, who are also actively involved in the day-to-day running of the home. The manager prioritises the welfare of the child and is committed to providing a stable, loving and well-run home. The manager is fully involved in the child’s life and is a strong advocate for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working in the home and work well together as a team to provide consistent care to the child. They feel valued and supported by the manager. Staff described the manager as approachable and supportive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff members experience a thorough induction programme. Staff continue to benefit from training opportunities to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. However, some staff members did not receive training in restraint methods before they worked with the child. Senior managers have taken action to address this recently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff team meetings and supervision sessions are regular and effective. They focus on the child’s well-being and progress and provide opportunities to reflect on practice. The manager encourages staff to learn from incidents in order to develop and improve their practice. The manager has recently started to incorporate advice from the company therapist to help develop staff’s therapeutic practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is organised and has good oversight of the home. However, the workforce development plan does not include all the necessary information. The manager regularly monitors the quality of care provided to the child and develops practice when needed. He knows the strengths and vulnerabilities of the home and takes swift action to make improvements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2597738 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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 promotes their welfare.

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1) (a)(b) (2)(c)) 09 January 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all areas of the home are well maintained. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the workforce plan details the process for managing and improving poor performance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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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: 2597738 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Social Care Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Social Care Services Group, 31 Shaw Road, Stockport SK4 4AG

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Inspector

Zillah Brooks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2597738 7 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 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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