Children's Home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2593623 1 Registered provider: Continuum Support Care Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home and was spoken to by the inspector.

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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: 14 January 2025

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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: 2593623 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/01/2025 Full Good 27/02/2024 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Good 19/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2593623 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home into supported accommodation and another child has moved in. Children experience positive and well- supported transitions both when arriving and when moving on from the home. For the child who moved on, the registered manager ensured that the child had the opportunity to visit their new home prior to the move to begin to build relationships with the staff there. These visits further supported the child to settle quickly in their new home. When children move into the home, they are welcomed with sensitively and care. Staff take time to get to know each child individual likes and dislikes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has developed positive, trusting relationships with staff who know them well. They enjoy taking part in a variety of activities together both inside and outside of the home. This consistent, nurturing approach helps the child to build and maintain meaningful relationships with staff. One parent said, ‘They are like family to [name of child].’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child attends an appropriate education provision that meets their needs. Previously, school attendance was an area of concern. However, the child now attends school every day and is making good progress. Staff play an integral role in this success, collaborating closely with school staff. One educational professional said, ‘Staff are amazing. We have daily communication and share strategies with each other to best support [name of child].’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child’s health needs are consistently met. Clear plans are in place that provide staff with the guidance they need to offer effective support. Staff support the child to attend regular routine and specialist health appointments. They cook healthy, balanced meals and encourage the child to take part in physical activities that interest them, including going to the gym and boxing. This proactive approach supports the child to lead a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys spending regular, quality time with their family members. The registered manager quickly recognises the impact of family relationships for the child and advocates on their behalf to ensure that time spent with family meets the needs of the child. The registered manager works closely with family members and ensures that they are fully involved in decisions made about their child’s care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in maintaining a hazard free environment for the child in line with their individual needs. However, staff are slow to respond to maintenance repairs required throughout the home, as well as developing creative ways to make the home aesthetically pleasing whilst maintaining the child’s safety. Inspection report for children’s home: 2593623 4

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

Risks for the child are reducing. The frequency of the child going missing from the home has significantly reduced. Previously, this occurred almost daily. When the child goes missing, staff respond quickly and make persistent attempts to locate the child. Staff also talk to the child about their experiences of going missing and educate them about risks in the community.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the presenting risks for the child and their safeguarding responsibilities. However, on one occasion staff failed to follow court ordered restrictions for the child. The registered manager appropriately addressed this shortfall and no similar incidents have occurred since.

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

Staff respond quickly to incidents of self-harm. They remove any items that the child could use to harm themselves and seek medical attention when necessary. Staff undertake regular searches of the child’s bedroom and continually review the risks associated with items that the child fixates on. This proactive approach helps to maintain a safe environment while supporting the child to use their belongings appropriately.

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

Staff undertake regular direct work with the child to build their knowledge and understanding of risk and develop their life skills. They use creative methods to speak with the child about different topics in an age-appropriate and meaningful way. For example, through the use of arts and crafts or dance.

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

Effective recruitment procedures support the careful selection and recruitment of staff. In addition, the monitoring of visitors to the home further ensures the protection of the child from potential harm.

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

Staff use rewards, de-escalation techniques and distraction methods to manage the child's behaviour. There have been seventeen occasions where staff have needed to physically hold the child. However, this is a significant reduction compared to previous homes. When physical interventions do occur, the level of scrutiny by the registered manager is variable. As a result, it is not always possible to determine whether the holds are safe, necessary and proportionate. This creates a risk that the child may at times be held by staff when it is not required.

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

Prior to the child moving into the home, the registered manager completed a risk assessment that identified the known risks for the child. However, the manager did not fully consider the staff team’s skills and experience or clearly outline their rationale for their decision making. As a result, not all matching considerations were appropriately evaluated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager communicates very well with partner agencies. She advocates for the child and escalates her concerns when the child’s needs are not being met effectively. Professionals say that staff are providing ‘excellent’ care for the child. One social worker Inspection report for children’s home: 2593623 5 said, ‘We have seen massive progress since [name of child] moved into the home; this is the most settled [name of child] has been.’ One missing from home worker said, ‘They are great. As soon as something happens, they will put in different measures and change their approach.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, reflective supervision and have ample opportunities to discuss their care of the child. Staff’s strengths and future aspirations are discussed and they are provided with clear guidance on the tasks they need to carry out.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff communicate effectively with each other and provide consistent care to the child. They are provided with a wide range of training to help them to meet the child’s individual needs. The manager uses regular team meetings to support staff in understanding what is working well for the child and to reflect on areas where practice can improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of the child’s records is inconsistent and records do not always reflect the actions taken by staff. This is a missed opportunity to capture the progress and experiences of the child. The registered manager has plans in place to address this shortfall.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the deputy manager has left their post. This has had a significant impact on the registered managers’ wellbeing, as she is working long hours to maintain effective oversight of the home. Despite this pressure, the manager remains committed to providing quality care for the child and offering support to the staff team. Staff describe the manager as approachable, supportive and available to provide advice and guidance where required. However, staff recognise the impact this places her and express concern that she may ‘burnout.’ Staff are also feeling tired due to managing the complex needs of the child. Leaders and managers need to ensure that the well-being of staff, including the registered manager, is prioritised. Inspection report for children’s home: 2593623 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards.’ The registered person must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)) 21 February 2026

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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

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; and 21 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2593623 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff’s, including the registered managers, wellbeing is appropriately supported.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that monitoring and review systems are effective in improving the quality of record keeping at the home.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided the opportunity to reflect on their practice following incidents of physical intervention.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the staff skills and experience to meet the child’s assessed needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: 2593623 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Continuum Support Care Services Limited

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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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Inspectors

Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Caroline Bates, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2593623 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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