Children's Home run by Icare Solutions Stockport Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2779064 1 Registered provider: Icare Solutions Stockport Limited

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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 private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, no children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. The manager left in June 2025.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review the actions taken by the provider following the home’s suspension. Inspectors considered the provider’s response to the serious concerns previously identified, specifically regarding the safety and welfare of children, the effectiveness of leadership and management arrangements and the competence of staff in fulfilling their roles.

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This monitoring visit

No children have lived at the home since the suspension notice was issued.

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This monitoring visit

Following the last inspection and the suspension of the home, two staff members have remained in post. Both of these staff members have experience of working with children, although their exposure to residential care and supporting children with complex emotional and behavioural needs is limited.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have provided staff with targeted, face-to-face training to strengthen their understanding of safeguarding, risk and the home’s safety procedures.

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This monitoring visit

Additional staff have recently been recruited, bringing experience of supporting children with emotional and behavioural difficulties and holding the relevant qualifications required for residential childcare. A further staff member has been appointed and is due to start once their notice period is completed; they also have experience in providing care in residential and community settings. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2779064 2 Leaders and managers have reviewed the skills within the staff team and have identified which staff are sufficiently experienced to lead shifts and provide oversight. They have also considered how less-experienced staff will be supported and supervised to ensure that safe and consistent care is provided.

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This monitoring visit

Recruitment practices are detailed and are designed to ensure that the staff appointed are suitable to care for children. Recruitment activity is ongoing. However, on one occasion, a prospective staff member was interviewed by staff who did not have sufficient experience to undertake this task independently. This demonstrates the need for stronger leadership oversight of recruitment processes to ensure that decision-making is informed, consistent and appropriately supervised.

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This monitoring visit

At this time, staffing levels remain insufficient to meet the provider’s current registration conditions. If the suspension notice were to be lifted, the home would not have enough suitably experienced and qualified staff to provide safe and consistent care for children. Therefore, the notice to suspend the registration of the home will remain in place. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2779064 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/06/2025 Full Inadequate 30/10/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2779064 4

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children do not have access to hazardous items; that risk assessments for children are accurately followed to prevent risk of fire; and that any searches of children’s bedrooms are carried out when there is a suspicion of harm or actual harm. 4 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2779064 5 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

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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’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)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is clear oversight of incidents and children’s records to review the quality of care. Leaders and managers must ensure that staff receive training that is specific to children’s needs and evaluate its effectiveness on staff practice.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated. 4 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and 4 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2779064 6 children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

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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

The registered person must ensure that all incidents involving children are reported to the appropriate social workers from the placing authority. All information and decisions relating to children’s risks must be clearly documented. Children must be seen by placing authority social workers as agreed in their risk management plans. 4 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2779064 7 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

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; 4 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2779064 8 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;

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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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)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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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.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2779064 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Icare Solutions Stockport Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 101 Wellington Road North, Stockport SK4 2LP

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Inspector

Nicola Forrester, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2779064 10 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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