Children's Home run by Supporting Futures Limited in Cheshire East

Inspection report children's home: 2548403 1 Registered provider: Supporting Futures 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

This home is operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to four children who may be experiencing social and emotional difficulties and/or sexually harmful behaviour and who may have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Four children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. All four children were spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in October 2019.

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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: 17 December 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 children's home: 2548403 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/10/2023 Full Good 15/11/2022 Full Good 25/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2548403 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they have good relationships with staff and their key workers. They say that the manager is helpful and supportive, and they would go to the manager if they were unhappy or wished to make a complaint. This demonstrates that children feel confident that the manager will listen to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a welcoming environment that promotes a sense of safety and belonging for children. Staff actively support children to personalise their bedrooms, enabling them to display certificates, photos and other meaningful items.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff ensure that seasonal events are celebrated, decorating for holidays such as Halloween with creativity. This adds to the celebratory atmosphere and helps children feel included and excited during special occasions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage well in education, either through formal full-time school or college provision, informal learning pathways or one-to-one tutoring. This reflects children’s positive progress from their individual starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s physical and emotional health needs are prioritised. Staff ensure that children attend both routine and specialist health appointments, providing consistent support and advocacy. As a result, children enjoy good health, and their overall well- being is actively promoted. One child requires significant levels of health input; this is managed effectively through close collaboration with healthcare professionals and a tailored approach to care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Individual care planning documents are child focused and provide a clear indication of each child’s general development and achievements. However, the assessment and progress in relation to harmful sexual behaviour lack clarity. Two placing authorities have raised concerns about the limited progress being made in relation to children’s independence and risk analysis. While children take part in regular therapy, this does not contribute to effective care planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In addition, some placing authority documents are not readily available, which means staff are not always working in line with the most recent care plans. This can impact the consistency and accuracy of support provided. While there is some escalation with placing authorities, this is not effective, and further escalation is required to ensure that the plans are available for the manager to review and plan children’s care.

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

Children benefit from clear missing-from-home plans that are tailored to their individual risks and vulnerabilities. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the procedures to Inspection report children's home: 2548403 4 follow in the event that a child goes missing, ensuring a swift and coordinated response that prioritises the child’s safety and well-being.

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

Recruitment procedures and practices are safe, robust and effective. All staff undergo thorough checks and vetting processes before commencing employment at the home, including enhanced background checks and verification of qualifications. These measures ensure that only individuals who are suitable and safe to work with children are appointed, reinforcing the home's commitment to safeguarding.

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

When concerns are raised about staff conduct, these are addressed effectively, with the children’s well-being remaining the central focus throughout. Leaders and managers ensure that any investigation is handled with transparency and sensitivity, prioritising the safety and emotional security of the children. At the same time, staff are supported through the process to ensure fairness and due process, fostering a culture of accountability and professional integrity.

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

Staff use positive behaviour approaches, supported by therapeutic training. This avoids any use of negative or punitive measures to manage children’s behaviour. The children clearly benefit from this nurturing approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led and managed by an experienced management team. The team demonstrates an understanding of therapeutic approaches when supporting children with complex needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff engage in regular training that enhances their understanding of children’s needs and equips them to provide high-quality, individualised care. When specific or additional training needs are identified, the manager ensures timely access to relevant learning opportunities. This proactive approach supports continuous professional development and enables staff to embed good practice confidently and consistently in their day-to-day work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers demonstrate ambitious and effective leadership, underpinned by a clear understanding of the needs of children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff consistently report feeling well supported by the management team and speak positively about their experiences of working at the home. This strong leadership contributes to a stable, nurturing and well-organised environment where children feel safe, valued and able to thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff supervision sessions are recognised as a vital component of the support and development framework in the home. These sessions offer staff dedicated time to explore challenges and receive feedback. However, some elements of supervision records appear duplicated across staff, indicating a lack of personalised oversight and potentially undermining the effectiveness of professional development. Inspection report children's home: 2548403 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that that there are effective challenge and escalation to ensure placing authority documents are reviewed in a timely manner. 28 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

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 28 November 2025 Inspection report children's home: 2548403 6 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

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child's age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child's respect and trust;

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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;

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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

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; Inspection report children's home: 2548403 7 understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children who present with harmful sexual behaviour receive targeted, specialist intervention from appropriately trained staff. This must include regular review of progress, particularly where previous work indicates limited improvement. The home must demonstrate how interventions are adapted to meet individual needs.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views in relation to the support that they receive. Their views, where appropriate, should be taken into account when planning for their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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 children's home: 2548403 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Supporting Futures Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2548403 9 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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