Children's Home run by Halliwell Homes Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 1 Registered provider: Halliwell Homes

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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 private home is registered to provide care for up to eight children. The home has an attached registered school. The inspector only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably qualified and has been registered with Ofsted since February 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, seven children were living in the home. The inspector spoke with all the children and observed their interactions with staff.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2024 Full Good 16/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/07/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop trusting relationships with staff who are friendly and approachable. Staff spend quality time with the children and listen to them. They advocate on the children’s behalf to ensure their wishes and feelings are heard. This approach helps children to be actively involved in decisions about their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm, welcoming and spacious home environment. Their bedrooms are well decorated and personalised by the children, fostering a sense of pride and belonging. This nurturing environment supports their emotional wellbeing and helps them feel valued and at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who move on from the home do so in a planned, child-centred way. Staff and managers ensure that children feel valued and that transitions reflect their wishes and feelings. Moves are marked with positive celebrations, acknowledging each child’s time in the home. Several children have maintained contact with the staff team, which helps reduce feelings of rejection. In one instance, this continued contact directly contributed to a child being safely located following a missing-from-home incident.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a wide range of activities that reflect their individual interests and talents. Staff demonstrate creativity and commitment in helping children pursue their aspirations. For example, one child was supported to travel with a member of staff to Amsterdam to attend the European Cheer Trials, illustrating how staff actively promote and support children to build confidence and achieve their ambitions for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff consistently support and encourage children to engage in their education. Staff act as effective advocates, ensuring that children have access to the best possible educational opportunities. Leaders closely monitor children’s progress and take prompt action to ensure that educational settings meet individual learning needs. Where concerns arise regarding access to suitable education, leaders escalate these without delay to uphold children’s rights.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with their families and friends when it is safe to do so. This helps them maintain important relationships, experience positive connections and develop a sense of belonging.

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

Staff educate children about risk and provide regular, age-appropriate guidance to help them understand and manage risk. Children take part in focused group sessions that address identified risks and emerging themes. Specialist professionals are welcomed into the home to enhance this learning and help children develop a clear understanding of the wider networks of support available within their community. This preventative work Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 4 strengthens children’s awareness of risk and empowers them to take an active role in their own learning and decision-making.

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

Complaints made by children are taken seriously by managers, who take effective and appropriate action. Children’s views are listened to, thoroughly investigated, and outcomes are communicated back to them in a timely manner. Where complaints are found to be unfounded, clear explanations are provided, and mediation is offered if required. This approach demonstrates a strong commitment to ensuring that children feel heard and supported, and that their concerns are addressed transparently and constructively.

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

Managers and staff demonstrate a strong understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and the potential risks they face. Clear guidance and strategies are set out in written risk assessments. This awareness is embedded in staff’s day-to-day practice, reducing and minimising risks for children effectively. Staff receive clear direction on how to manage and mitigate the risks identified for each child.

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

Children’s behaviours are generally managed well by staff. However, there are occasions when staff have not consistently identified alternative positive behaviour strategies. As a result, some situations have escalated, leading to increased periods of dysregulation for children. When physical restraint is used, leaders ensure that all incidents are consistently reviewed. Children and staff are spoken with promptly to reflect on the experience and ensure that children’s rights are upheld. Leaders promote a strong culture of reflection and learning, addressing missed opportunities for de-escalation and taking prompt action to improve practice and reduce the need for restraint.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff develop and maintain effective working relationships with a range of professionals to secure the best possible care for children. The manager appropriately challenges external agencies to ensure children receive the care and support they need. Feedback from external professionals is consistently positive and reflects strong collaborative working, with children’s plans regularly reviewed and updated to meet their current needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers’ monitoring systems are effective in identifying areas for staff development and promoting consistency in the care provided to children. Where themes emerge, such as increased use of physical restraint, the manager enhances monitoring processes to analyse patterns and trends. This approach enables a clear understanding of individual children’s needs and supports the staff team to reflect on practice, ensuring that children experience the least restrictive care possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent visitor comes to the home monthly as required. However, there is limited direct engagement with children, restricting the visitor’s ability to capture children’s views effectively and to fully evaluate the quality of care that children experience. Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 5 The management team is effective in driving positive change within the home. The manager has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development and maintains high expectations for the quality of care provided to children. She works closely with the staff team to explore and embed alternative ways of directly involving children in decisions about their care, ensuring that their voices are heard so that they influence practice. The manager also reflects on ways to strengthen the representation of children’s voices through independent advocacy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and supervision sessions take place regularly, and staff report feeling listened to and well supported by leaders. A range of training courses are available, tailored to the individual needs of the children, and staff remain up to date with all required training. Leaders take time to recognise and celebrate staff commitment and provide guidance to support career progression into senior roles within the organisation. Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person undertakes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare. This assessment should include obtaining children’s views about their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the factors that influence children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. They should actively promote and encourage positive behaviour strategies in line with each child’s individual plan. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13)

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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: 2592943 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Pearce House, 80 Cawdor Street, Eccles M30 0QF

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Inspector

Charlotte Tippett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2592943 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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