Children's home run by K.C. Care Homes LTD

Inspection report for children’s home: 2812177 1 Registered provider: K.C. Care Homes LTD

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a small private provider. The home provides 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. The child did not speak to the inspector directly. However, they did share their views via written communication.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025. This is the home’s first inspection since registration.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2812177 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care from a staff team that works hard to understand the children’s individual needs. Two children have lived at the home since registration. Both children moved into the home in an emergency. However, staff made every effort to ensure that their moves were child-focused and carried out in a positive and supportive manner. One child moved out of the home in a manner that did not align with their care plan. Despite this, staff maintained clear communication and made consistent attempts to support the child while an appropriate new home was identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child currently living at the home has made positive progress, demonstrating improved engagement in education. Staff work closely with the child’s school to meet their individual learning needs. The registered manager has identified barriers to learning and has sought to overcome these by advocating for a bespoke timetable for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the child’s health needs and seek appropriate support and guidance as required, to ensure these needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is offered a wide range of activities both in the home and in the wider community. These opportunities promote the child’s individual interests and include going to the gym, attending Muay Thai sessions, horse riding and baking in the home. The child’s engagement in these activities has supported an increase in their self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is continuing to develop positive relationships with staff and they can identify adults they feel comfortable with and can trust. Staff have developed a good understanding of the child and prioritise building positive relationships with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is significant to the child. Staff consistently demonstrate a commitment to supporting the child’s time spent with the people who are important to them. When the child experiences challenges in their family relationships, staff support them appropriately to ensure that these connections remain positive.

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

Staff have worked hard to develop meaningful relationships with the child and are attuned to their behaviours. As a result, staff have a good understanding of the child’s risks, associated triggers and can identify when emerging risks are developing.

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

There has been a significant decrease in the number of incidents of the child going missing from the home. The effective strategies and positive relationships that have developed between staff and the child have contributed to this reduction. When missing- Inspection report for children’s home: 2812177 3 from-home incidents occur, staff respond consistently and proactively, ensuring that immediate action is taken to safeguard the child’s welfare.

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

One child lived in the home for a brief period before an increase in risk-taking behaviours associated with the local community developed. These behaviours were not known fully prior to the child’s move to the home. However, staff acted swiftly to ensure the safety of the child. The registered manager quickly identified that the child’s needs could not be met effectively at the home. Staff actively engaged with professionals to facilitate a child-centred and positive transition for the child. This decisive action ensured that the child’s welfare was safeguarded.

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

Staff are trained to respond calmly and safely when any incidents occur. Staff are skilled in de-escalation techniques, resulting in only two incidents requiring physical intervention. Physical intervention is only used as a last resort to keep children safe. The registered manager thoroughly reviews incidents to ensure that interventions are appropriate, proportionate and used in line with the child’s care plan.

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

Staff promote natural consequences to support the child’s development and use praise to encourage positive behaviour. Incentives are developed and agreed with the child to ensure that these are meaningful and attainable. Consequences are used only when necessary and in line with the child’s behaviour management plan.

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

Risk assessments and care plans are subject to regular review and are updated to reflect the child’s current circumstances. However, some historical information in the documents is misleading. In addition, while most staff recordings are appropriately detailed, some contain inaccurate dates and incomplete information. A more thorough and comprehensive review process is required to ensure that all information is accurate and up to date.

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

Room searches are completed when staff are concerned for the child’s welfare. Staff ensure that children’s privacy and dignity are maintained during room searches.

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

There is a lack of clarity around the expectations of staff in responding to concerns when the child may have self-harmed. Clearer guidance and a more consistent approach to this is needed to identify strategies to reduce the concerns and risks in this area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a registered manager who is therapeutic in his approach to care and who models positive practice. The responsible individual has a presence in the home and staff say they feel well supported by the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held regularly and are well attended. These meetings provide staff with valuable opportunities to share information, reflect on practice and discuss the needs of the child. Staff are actively encouraged to participate in discussions, which supports consistent practice within the staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812177 4 The manager encourages a learning culture that promotes the development of staff. Supervisions are regular and provide staff with space to review the child’s progress and identify any areas of concern. In addition, staff engage in monthly development sessions that focus on specific areas of learning and promoting reflective practice. These sessions support staff to develop their knowledge and skills, consider what is working well and identify areas for further exploration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager supports and encourages staff to complete daily records with a specific focus on the therapeutic interventions they have used. This encourages staff to review the impact of their approaches on the progress made by the child. In addition, the registered manager completes a monthly overview of all incidents, monitoring trends and patterns. This has resulted in the manager completing a detailed evaluation of staff practice and identifying areas for further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals involved with the child speak positively about their interactions with the manager and the staff team. The child’s social worker said, ‘They really want to work with [the child] and work with me as their social worker.’ The independent reviewing officer for the child identified the positive progress the child has made since living in the home and described staff as ‘very approachable and very accommodating’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been recent challenges in staffing the home due to two staff members leaving in quick succession. The manager and responsible individual have completed additional shifts to cover the staff vacancies and maintain continuity for the child. Both demonstrate professional boundaries and they and staff are clear regarding their primary role within the organisation. Active recruitment is ongoing and new staff members are due to start working at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812177 5

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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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the children’s individual risk management plans provide staff with clear strategies to manage and reduce risk, specifically relating to incidents of self-harm. 26 November 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Reviewed documents should include accurate and up-to-date information. Inspection report for children’s home: 2812177 6 (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2812177 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Crows Nest Business Park, Ashton Road, Billinge, Wigan WN5 7XX

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Inspector

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2812177 8 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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