Children's home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2830795 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care Services 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 privately run and provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, the home was providing care for one child. The child was spoken to as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in June 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: none Inspection report for children's home: 2830795 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to develop positive relationships with children and provide good-quality care. Since the home was registered, two children have moved into the home. When staff identified that one child's needs could no longer be met effectively, they acted promptly to support a move. Although this move was not in line with the child's original care plan, staff carefully considered the child's needs. Staff remain committed to engaging children who have been resistant to care and have maintained a positive relationship with the child following their move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote education and remove barriers to learning. Both children who have lived at the home have faced significant challenges, yet the registered manager has worked closely with education professionals to identify and meet children's individual learning needs. As a result, the child currently living at the home is now engaged in full- time education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff team take time to understand children's health needs and raise any concerns they have with appropriate professionals. The manager identifies when children have not received appropriate assessments and advocates strongly on their behalf to ensure that these are completed. As a result, children's additional health needs are now formally recognised, giving them access to the support they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining positive relationships with those people who are important to them. Staff work closely with children's families and professionals to ensure that family time arrangements are well planned. When relationships become challenging, staff offer support to help children manage these difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living at the home has a clear and structured independence plan that supports their preparation for adulthood. Staff actively advocate to ensure that this plan continues to evolve as the child's abilities develop. This demonstrates the staff's commitment to ensuring that the child has necessary resources that support them with their independence. When the child raised concerns, the manager listened and adapted the plan to keep it achievable. Despite the manager and staff providing this effective support, the child's care plan and timescales for moving to independent living remain unclear.

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

Staff keep children's individual risk management plans up to date, ensuring that they reflect the current circumstances and identify known risks as well as emerging concerns. Staff respond appropriately to changing levels of risk, with the manager's effective oversight ensuring that strategies remain proportionate and effective. Inspection report for children's home: 2830795 3 Leading up to one child's move from the home, there was a significant increase in their risk-taking behaviours associated with the local community. Although the level of concern in the local area had not previously been known, staff acted appropriately to promote the safety of the child. Despite staff implementing further strategies in an attempt to support the child, an escalation of concerns continued. The manager identified that their needs could not be met effectively at the home, primarily due to its location and the child's links to the community. Staff advocated for a positive move and supported the

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

Staff are skilled in de-escalation techniques, resulting in only one incident requiring physical intervention. Staff are trained to respond calmly and safely when any incidents occur, with physical intervention only being used as a last resort to keep children and others safe. Staff use incentives to promote positive behaviour, which are developed in line with children's wishes.

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

The child living in the home previously engaged in high risk-taking behaviours. These have significantly decreased in both frequency and severity since their move to the home. The child is now better equipped to identify when they do not feel safe and when to seek support from trusted adults. This progress demonstrates the staff's commitment to supporting children's emotional well-being and developing positive relationships.

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

When children are missing from the home, staff respond swiftly and appropriately. Staff work closely with the police, social workers and other agencies to ensure that children's safety is prioritised. Staff are proactive in seeking children's views. They regularly review individual risk factors to identify any triggers for these incidents to ensure that appropriate support is in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced and committed registered manager who leads by example and models good practice. Staff speak positively about working at the home, highlighting supportive leadership and a shared team commitment to providing high- quality care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes a strong learning culture focused on staff development and reflective practice. Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions that review children's progress and identify emerging concerns. In addition, the manager has introduced fortnightly development meetings for staff, which focus on targeted areas of learning and encourage professional reflection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The regular team meetings are well attended and encourage staff participation. These sessions provide opportunities to review children's needs, share provider updates and discuss relevant training. Conversations are detailed and inclusive, ensuring that all staff are informed and engaged in delivering effective care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When shortfalls are identified in staff practice, the manager responds promptly and effectively. She ensures that appropriate disciplinary processes are implemented, where Inspection report for children's home: 2830795 4 necessary, and adopts a lessons-learned approach to prevent similar incidents in the future.

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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 independent reviewing officer for the child identified the child's progress since living at the home. They said, 'The manager and staff team advocate really well for [the child]. This is a very strong element of their practice.' The child's social worker said, 'Staff are really committed. They challenge myself and other professionals when they feel a different approach is needed.' Inspection report for children's home: 2830795 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should work with the placing authority to ensure that each child's move is planned in a timely manner, and help each child to prepare for leaving both practically and emotionally. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 57, paragraph 11.9)

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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: 2830795 6

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Continuum Support - Care Services Ltd

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Children's home details

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

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Inspector

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2830795 7 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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