Children's home run by Principle Support

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

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private provider. It offers care for one child with learning disabilities, under short-break arrangements, and not for the child to live permanently at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

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

p.1

Information about this children’s home

No children have accessed the short-break service since the last inspection.

p.1

This monitoring visit

On 30 September and 1 October 2025, a full inspection was carried out at the home. Serious and widespread concerns were identified in relation to the leadership and management of the home and the safeguarding of a child who visited under a short- break arrangement. An inadequate judgement was confirmed at a case review held on 3 October 2025, and a compliance notice was issued under regulation 13.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to review the progress made by the provider in meeting the steps in the compliance notice.

p.1

This monitoring visit

A new responsible individual has been appointed, but their suitability has not yet been assessed by Ofsted.

p.1

This monitoring visit

The provider has investigated and taken action to address some of the shortfalls in staff practice identified at the last inspection. Internal procedures have been followed, which has led to some staff being dismissed and others being relocated to other services in the organisation. A new staff team has been recruited, but some of the safer recruitment checks are not yet complete for some staff. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2811999 2 The systems in place for the recruitment of staff have been reviewed and updated to ensure that all relevant checks are completed. These systems include a review of the staff’s skills, experience and qualifications before they commence employment.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have completed additional training to refresh their safeguarding knowledge. Additional support through an external service is in place to help leaders and managers widen their knowledge of current legislation, in line with their individual role responsibilities.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The programme for staff’s induction has been reviewed and improved. The systems in place for the supervision and appraisal of staff have been reviewed and developed to include a mechanism for testing staff’s safeguarding knowledge. This includes a regular review of staff performance and competency.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Safeguarding procedures have been reviewed. Guidance for staff has been updated to ensure that leaders, managers and staff take appropriate action when concerns for children’s safety arise. Changes have been made to the organisation’s on-call procedures. This ensures that a suitably skilled and experienced individual responds to safeguarding concerns.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Incident recording and reporting procedures have been reviewed and updated, including for when a child has been physically held. These reporting systems are now aligned to regulatory requirements and include systems for providing staff and children with an opportunity to discuss the incident.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Some of the requirements from the last inspection were not reviewed, so they have been restated. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2811999 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/09/2025 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2811999 4

p.3

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 with the given timescales.

p.4

Requirement Due date

*The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 8 February 2026

p.4

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—

p.4

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.4

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;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.4

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; and

p.4

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)) 8 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2811999 5 This requirement has been restated.

p.4

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.5

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

p.5

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))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 8 February 2026

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

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))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 8 February 2026

p.5

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

p.5

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and 8 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2811999 6 positive responses to other children and adults.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

p.6

Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

p.6

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

p.6

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))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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)) 8 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2811999 7 This requirement has been restated.

p.6

Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

p.7

Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 8 February 2026

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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).

p.7

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))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 8 February 2026

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 8 February 2026

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 8 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2811999 8 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—

p.7

Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

p.8

Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

p.8

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.8

Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

p.8

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;

p.8

Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

p.8

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;

p.8

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”)—

p.8

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.8

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))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 8 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2811999 9 there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; or

p.8

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))

p.9

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.9

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2811999 10

p.9

Children’s home details

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

p.10

Inspector

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

p.10

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11