Children's home run by Principle Support

Inspection report for children’s home: 2811999 1 Registered provider: Principle Support

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider owns and operates this children’s home. It provides care for one child with learning disabilities, under short break arrangements and not for children or young people to live permanently at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager at the home since 8 September 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

There was no child living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/ the care and experiences of children and young people are poor.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2811999 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The shortfalls identified at this inspection relate to the quality of care provided to one child who spent four days living at the home. The poor leadership and management of the home, and poor safeguarding practice impacted on the child’s safety and their experience. Decisions and responses to the child’s behaviour have not always been child- centred and have increased the risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders failed to assess the child’s needs before they moved into the home. Records indicate that staff did not fully understand the child’s emotional and behavioural needs, which led to poor responses to the child when they became upset. Incidents increased, and leaders agreed that the child needed to move out of the home in an unplanned way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child was unsettled during the time that they lived at the home; the quality of care provided to the child was poor, and this impacted on their day-to-day experiences. The information recorded in the child’s records is not always an accurate reflection of the child’s experiences, and language used in records is not child centred.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Prior to the child’s admission to the home, staff provided outreach support for the child in the family home. The child’s parent gave positive feedback about staff and about the support the family received. However, staff failed to share full information about serious incidents with the child’s family.

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

There are serious shortfalls in the safety and protection of the child. Some staff failed to act in a way to keep the child safe. Staff failed to intervene during an incident when the child became upset causing them to damage items in their bedroom. The child was left unsupervised in a potentially unsafe environment, and staff held the door closed which prevented the child from leaving the room.

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

There have been two incidents where staff intervened physically and used an unapproved hold, lifting and carrying the child. Details of the holds are not recorded on the child’s file, and the child has not been provided with a chance to share about their experiences of being physically held. Records of the staff debrief sessions indicate that on one occasion the use of physical intervention was not necessary or proportionate.

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

Allegation management is poor because leaders have failed to follow safeguarding procedures. Information sharing with the relevant authorities has not been timely, and full information was not shared. This prevents multi-agency working to safeguard the child.

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

The child’s individual risk assessment does not provide clear guidance for staff to follow to mitigate some of the risks. This includes when the child goes missing. There has been Inspection report for children’s home: 2811999 3 one incident when the child attempted to go missing, however, it is not clear what happened because recording is poor.

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

Records show that some staff have failed to supervise the child in line with their plan. There has been one incident where the child was able to obtain a piece of raw meat and ate this in staff’s presence. Medical advice was sought following this incident.

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

Leaders have failed to ensure that staff are safely recruited. Checks have not been completed for some staff, including those employed through an external agency.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight of the home is poor. Leaders have failed to ensure that there is effective day-to-day management in place, in the absence of a registered manager. The systems in place to monitor the quality of care provided to children, the safety and welfare of children and staff practice are ineffective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have failed to ensure that the staff team is suitably skilled and experienced to provide children with safe and consistent care. Staff are not provided with regular supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Furthermore, staff have not always received supervision from a suitable person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been one complaint about the child, made by a member of the local community. It is unclear what steps have been taken to respond to the complaint because this information has not been recorded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have failed to notify Ofsted about serious incidents in a timely way. This prevents the regulator from having full oversight of the risks to the child and the steps taken to reduce them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have completed a full investigation and there is an action plan in place to address the shortfalls found. Poor staff practice has been managed under the organisation’s disciplinary procedures. Inspection report for children’s home: 2811999 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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

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; 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

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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 16 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2811999 5 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)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)) 16 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)) 16 November 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—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and 16 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2811999 6 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— that staff—

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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

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; and

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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. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ix)(x))

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(e)(i)) 16 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing— 16 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2811999 7 injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home; and

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety. The registered person may only—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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)(b) (3)(d)) 16 November 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)) 16 November 2025

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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; 16 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2811999 8 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

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Requirement Due date

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

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

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; 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)(c)(e)) 16 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report for children’s home: 2811999 9 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: 2811999 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Principle Support, 2 Arena Court, Sheffield S9 2LF

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Inspector

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2811999 11 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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