Children's Home run by Choices Home for Children Limited in Stockport

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 1 Registered provider: Choices Home for Children Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private organisation. The home varied the conditions of its registration in April 2025 to provide 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, one child was living at the home. The inspector spoke to the child about their experiences of living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025.

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Inspection date: 16 December 2025

Date of last inspection: 29 September 2025

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Inspection date: 16 December 2025

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 16 December 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not ensured that there is sufficient oversight of children’s moves into and out of the home. Since the change to the home’s conditions of registration, there have been several short-term placements where five children have been moved on from the home. Three of these children have moved on from the home since the last full inspection. This means that children have not been provided with stable or consistent care.

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Findings from the inspection

One child’s move into the home was poorly planned with a visit to the home the night before they moved in. The manager was not in agreement with this plan; however, decisions were made by senior leaders for this to happen. The impact of children’s risks on other children already living in the home had not been considered. Plans were not in place to manage one child’s known risks relating to going missing. As a result, this behaviour continued for the child, who then encouraged their peer to go missing with them. The lack of autonomy in respect of children’s moves into the home leads to vulnerabilities in safeguarding practice, undermines staff ability to provide stability for children and leaves children and staff exposed to unnecessary risk.

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Findings from the inspection

Furthermore, risk assessments for one child already living in the home identified that moving another child in would create a complex dynamic. When a child misused substances in the home, staff did not seek medical or safeguarding advice. The lack of action demonstrates poor safeguarding practice and weak managerial oversight.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff did not take action to safeguard children when they spent time in each other’s bedrooms overnight. Staff did not implement boundaries, and as a result, this increased risks to children’s safety and welfare. Managers did not enforce or ensure that staff understood expectations around the supervision and safeguarding of children; this was also a concern at the previous inspection. The lack of action in this area demonstrates weak oversight and a poor safeguarding culture.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff practice during night shifts has been unsafe. The home uses waking night staff, and one member of staff was found asleep by a child while on duty. This practice places children at risk, as the supervision and monitoring of children are compromised. The member of staff has since left the home, and while an investigation was carried out, this did not result in any further action.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff are equipped with the skills and confidence to manage children’s complex behaviours. Children with known risks, including substance misuse and going missing, moved into the home without sufficient preparation or training for staff. This left staff unable to respond effectively and placed children at further risk of harm. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 3 Staff turnover is high for a small staff team and has resulted in children experiencing inconsistent care and a lack of continuity in their relationships. Frequent changes in staff undermine children’s sense of stability and trust and prevent staff from developing the knowledge and confidence needed to respond to children’s individual needs. This instability has contributed to weak safeguarding practice and poor outcomes for children.

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Findings from the inspection

Management oversight is beginning to show signs of improvement. At the last inspection, the manager had no system to track information. A spreadsheet is now in place, providing a more structured approach. However, these improvements are at an early stage and have not yet shown consistent compliance or effective monitoring. For example, legal documentation is missing or has inaccurate information. This leaves staff unclear of the plans for children they are caring for.

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Findings from the inspection

A case review took place following this inspection. The outcome of the case review was that serious and widespread concerns had been identified, and compliance notices were issued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard), regulation 14 (the care planning standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/11/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/08/2023 Full Good 29/06/2022 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 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

*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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are equipped with the skills to intervene when necessary to ensure that children are safe. 24 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children— 24 February 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 6 receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s moves into and out of the home are as planned as possible and that children have a positive experience.

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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—

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have effective monitoring systems in place to ensure that they know the strengths and weaknesses of the home. 24 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. 24 February 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 7 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the quality of care review actively seeks and reflects the views of stakeholders and clearly demonstrates how these views inform the running of the home.

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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; 24 February 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 8 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 any move out of the home, especially to holiday accommodation, must be with placing authority consent.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and 24 February 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 9 the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s daily routines encourage and promote their engagement in education.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have sufficient information from the child’s placing authority and other relevant agencies to assess effectively whether they can meet the child’s needs before agreeing to the placement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)  The registered person should have a workforce plan that can fulfil the workforce- related requirements of regulation 16. This plan should detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction, as well as how to manage poor performance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Choices Home for Children Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 31 Wellington Road, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7ED

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Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2674455 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 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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