Children's Home run by XYP Childcare Limited in Tameside

Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 1 Registered provider: XYP Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered as a multi-building children’s home in July 2023. The manager registered as part of this registration.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties, using up to three buildings under a single registration.

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Information about this children’s home

There were two children living at the home at the time of this inspection. Both children were spoken to.

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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/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

At an assurance inspection on 25 March 2025, serious and widespread concerns were identified. Ofsted issued two compliance notices, under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 2 On 14 May 2025, a monitoring visit was undertaken to monitor the provider’s compliance with these notices. These notices were not met, and further notices were issued under the same regulations.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 22 July 2025, a further monitoring visit was undertaken to monitor the provider’s compliance with the notices that remained in place. The provider had not taken sufficient action to meet the notices.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/01/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There were two children living at the home at the time of this inspection. Despite ongoing weaknesses in safeguarding practices and ineffective leadership, one child has continued to live at the home. Since the previous visit, one child has moved on, and another child has recently moved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not demonstrate that they have shared key information about the home’s current registration status with local authorities. One child moved in during a time of instability for the provider.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Transitions out of the home are poorly managed for children. In one case, notice was given on one child’s placement, and they were relocated without a clear plan in place to ensure their needs would be met in the new setting. Documentation fails to show that essential information about the child’s ongoing support requirements was shared with the receiving provider. The child’s social worker said, ‘The child had felt abandoned following their departure from this home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children living in the home are currently not engaged in any formal education. Following a school-related incident involving one child, there was a delay in information being shared from the school notifying the manager of the child’s exclusion. This prevented the child from accessing education at the beginning of the academic year. This incident was not reflected in the child’s records. Therefore, strategies were not in place for staff to follow to provide any further support or engage the child in any meaningful work following this incident. The manager has since taken steps to ensure that the child has access to an alternative education setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s care plans do not fully capture their health needs. For example, one child has a personal care need, but their care plan does not have documented strategies outlining how staff will support them. When therapeutic support arrangements are no longer available to children due to staff illness or resignations, placing authorities are not informed. This lack of communication prevents timely alternative arrangements being made, leaving children without the necessary therapeutic support and intervention they require. This may negatively affect their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff provide opportunities for children to maintain hobbies and interests. One child has developed friendships through attending local youth clubs.

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

Poor safeguarding practice means that children living in the home are not safeguarded effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 4 Care plans do not adequately address the full range of children’s needs, risks and vulnerabilities. There are no clear strategies in place to manage children’s use of e- cigarettes, and significant concerns such as fire-setting and risks related to harmful sexual behaviour are not reflected in planning. As a result, staff lack the necessary guidance to manage these risks effectively, potentially placing children and others at risk of harm.

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

Incident reporting and recording practices are inadequate and do not support effective safeguarding of children. Staff are advised by the registered manager not to document incidents that occur in the community, on the basis that they did not take place in the home. This approach undermines a robust safeguarding culture and results in a lack of clarity around the actions taken to protect children while they are in the community. Consequently, serious incidents have occurred.

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

The registered manager does not consistently review or update children’s care plans in response to serious incidents. When children go missing during community activities, no follow-up action is taken to implement effective strategies. As a result, there is no assurance that the risk of recurrence is being adequately addressed.

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

Plans for when children are missing from home contain confusing and conflicting information. Therefore, staff do not have access to clear and detailed strategies about how to manage incidents of children going missing from home or when they are in the community. As a result, there have been delays for one child being reported as missing and being returned home.

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

The registered manager and staff do not respond appropriately to concerns regarding children accessing or misusing substances in the home. No proactive measures were taken to mitigate the risks associated with cannabis misuse. During the inspection, evidence of cannabis misuse was brought to the attention of staff and managers. However, despite the seriousness of this safeguarding issue, no immediate action was taken to protect those involved. Furthermore, newly appointed staff were unaware of the procedures or plans in place to manage such incidents safely.

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

The use of consequences for behaviour is inconsistent. Records do not demonstrate that the manager has oversight of consequences to review their effectiveness and to ensure that they are proportionate.

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

Additional staffing has been used in the home to support one child through the night. However, strategies are not in place to support the child to overcome barriers and anxieties regarding new staff caring for them. This has caused incidents of violence and aggression to increase for the child. As a result, some staff have left and refused to return, leading to further changes being needed to staffing arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of the home are poor and ineffective. Requirements made at the last inspection have not been met. Despite reassurances from leaders and Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 5 managers about the changes that would be embedded in practice to improve the quality of care in the home, action has not been taken, and further shortfalls have been identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers demonstrate poor oversight of the care provided in the home. Despite previous concerns about the registered manager’s lack of engagement with the children in his care, and reassurances that this would not continue, the issue remains unresolved. When a new child moved into the home, the registered manager again failed to meet the child, explain who they were or welcome them into the home. The child said he did not know who the registered manager was, even after living in the home for several weeks. This does not promote a positive culture in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Significant risks and needs for the child, known at the time of them moving into the home, had not been reflected in their plans. The registered manager did not demonstrate an understanding of the child’s current needs and how they will be supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Shortfalls in the quality of recording and reporting have not been identified by leaders and managers. In evaluating incidents, the registered manager has not ensured that action is taken to address shortfalls in staff practice where they have been identified. Action has not been taken to review children’s plans following incidents and to implement additional strategies to safeguard children and reduce risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Concerns raised by parents have not been managed effectively. Action was not taken to address concerns from one parent about the registered manager. Furthermore, the registered manager expressed his intent to avoid visiting one child who has moved on from the home if their parent was to be present. This does not demonstrate that the registered manager is able to maintain and repair relationships with children’s families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are no effective systems in place to ensure that staff communication is consistent and accurate. Children’s care plans contain conflicting and incorrect information. When incidents are discussed with staff, they offer differing accounts of what occurred and how the situations were handled, leading to further confusion and a lack of clarity in care practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite the shortfalls in leadership, staff speak positively about the managers and the support that they receive. The manager maintains contact with external professionals who are involved with the children. However, the manager’s response to the decisions made for one child did not demonstrate that the child’s safety and well-being were paramount. Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 6

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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 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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Risk management plans must be kept up to date and contain clear 23 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 7 actions for staff to take in practice to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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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;

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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;

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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;

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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) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that there are effective review and monitoring systems in place to review the quality of care provided in the home and identify learning opportunities from practice.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 23 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 23 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 8 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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that all information is shared with local authorities before children move into or out of the home, that leaders and managers get to know children when they move in and that moves out of the home are planned and in the child’s best interests.

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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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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare; 23 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 9 provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that care is delivered in line with the child’s individual and relevant plans.

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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

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the 23 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 10 competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, staff must ensure that children are helped to understand what acceptable behaviour is and support children to overcome barriers in engaging with staff and professionals.

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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

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure children’s records are kept up to date and are accurate.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 23 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

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: 2719899 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: XYP Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 43 Stamford Road, Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne OL5 0BG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Philip Hogan-Birse

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Inspectors

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Regulatory Manager Judith Birchall, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2719899 12 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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