Social care · Children's home inspection (SCCIF)
Children's home run by Young Foundations Limited in Wirral
Summary
What we read, and from where
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- Group verified
Young Foundations Limited
- Inspection date verified
21 Jan 2026
- Inspectors verified
Jo Cansfield
- Helped and protected verified
Good
- Leadership and management verified
Good
- Overall effectiveness verified
Good
- Name on report verified
1183911
- URN verified
1183911
Deep dive
What this report says
In plain English
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Grade profile
Hollow rings show the previous inspection, 2025.
- OverallGood
- Helped and protectedGood
- Leadership and managementGood
70% of comparable inspections in the last three years were graded Good (12,716 inspections).
Tone of the report
How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.
In line with other reports of this type graded Good.
Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.
How the report reads, start to finish
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Strengths
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- The registered manager has high expectations and aspirations for the children in her care. p.5
- She has high expectations of her staff and with the support of senior managers has led a culture change in the home. p.5
- Staff said the manager has improved the quality of care, is knowledgeable and offers professional and personal support when needed. p.5
- Staff meetings reflect the high expectations of the manager and provider’s values. p.5
- Feedback from professionals was positive describing improved communication and a good knowledge of the children. p.5
Concerns
Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.
Next steps
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What the report dwells on
Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.
Leadership & governance4
“The registered manager has high expectations and aspirations for the children in her care.” p.5Staff development4
“Appropriate staffing levels are in place to support this.” p.4
Anatomy of the report
How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.
- Pages
- 9
- Words of findings
- 1,116
- about usual (typical 1319)
- Reading level
- Fairly hard
- Flesch 53, typical 51
- Average sentence
- 15 words
- Next steps
- 1
- typical 4
- Hedged sentences
- 0%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Inspection report for children’s home: 1183911 1 Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited
p.1
Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework
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Information about this children’s home
This home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to 12 children with learning disabilities.
p.1
Information about this children’s home
At the time of this inspection, 5 children were living at the home, and all 5 were spoken with.
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Information about this children’s home
The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2025.
p.1
Information about this children’s home
The provider runs an independent school from a registered building adjoining the home. The inspector only visited the social care provision on this site.
p.1
Overall experiences and progress of
children and young people, taking into account
p.1
good
How well children and young people are helped and protected good
p.1
good
The effectiveness of leaders and managers good
p.1
good
The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.
p.1
good
Date of last inspection: 30 September 2025
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good
Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate
p.1
Enforcement action since last inspection:
This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 30 September and 1 October 2025. In response, Ofsted issued 3 compliance notices under Regulations 10, 12 and 13. A restriction of accommodation notice was also issued, so no further children Inspection report for children’s home: 1183911 2 were permitted to move into the home. The provider immediately implemented an action plan to address the identified shortfalls. A further monitoring visit was undertaken on 12 November 2025 and improvements were noted. Inspection report for children’s home: 1183911 3
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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement
30/09/2025 Full Inadequate 14/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/05/2023 Full Good 21/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1183911 4
p.3
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Children have good relationships with staff whom they trust. Children laugh and joke with staff and seek them out for reassurance. Relationships in the home are supported and nurtured by good leadership and a commitment to ensuring that children’s needs are met. The quality of care provided has a positive effect on the children’s experiences.
p.4
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Children are making progress with their education. There is very good communication between the home and school. Children are learning independence skills, such as cooking, travelling on buses and managing money. This support is tailored to children’s individual abilities. Discussions with children are held regularly with staff, helping children to talk about their care and experiences. The discussions are productive and help the children to understand the world around them.
p.4
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Staff use a range of methods to gather children’s wishes and views, which are listened to and meaningfully considered. Children said they like the home and the staff. When children struggle to understand complex information, staff use social stories and communication aids to support their understanding. Children have been fully involved and consulted in the planning for a future house move. Children have helped to choose paint colours and the decoration for their new bedrooms.
p.4
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Children’s health plans are comprehensive and reflect each child’s current needs well. Children are increasingly involved in managing and understanding their own health. Children have been helped and encouraged to make their own health appointments and learn how to look after their health. Regular support is also available from a range of in- house therapists and professionals such as occupational therapy and psychiatry.
p.4
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Children have access to a range of activities and experiences. Children enjoy days out, shopping trips and regular visits to local parks and activity centres. Appropriate staffing levels are in place to support this. Children are also helped to see people who are important to them, even when this is a long distance away. One significant person in a child’s life said, ‘They [the child] are well cared for and well loved.’
p.4
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
Children are encouraged to talk about their worries and know how to make a complaint if they are concerned about their care or staff practice. Staff regularly remind children during weekly meetings how to raise any concerns and there is guidance available to children in accessible formats, such as the children’s guide.
p.4
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
If staff need to intervene to keep children safe, this is well managed using the least restrictive practices necessary. When children make allegations, these are taken seriously and there is good support offered to children. Concerns are shared with the appropriate agencies, with the wellbeing of children at the centre of all decisions made. Timely Inspection report for children’s home: 1183911 5 notifications are made to Ofsted and the level of incidents in the home has reduced. Staff reflect on incidents and their own practice, identifying positive ways to enhance the children’s care.
p.4
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
Children are supported and encouraged to take risks appropriate to their age and level of understanding. Children said they feel safe in the home. Staff demonstrate a very good understanding of the needs of the children. The staff value the effective and up to date, regularly reviewed risk assessments that are in place. The risk assessments guide staff to provide the right care for children and implement strategies to keep children safe. This is reducing risks to children, and the environment is calmer and increasingly settled.
p.5
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
The home is warm, homely, and welcoming. There are toys and games, books, and photos of the children and their artwork, throughout the home. Despite firm plans for the children, staff, and manager to move together to another home, this home has been well maintained. The home is free from hazards and is a safe space for children.
p.5
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
The registered manager has high expectations and aspirations for the children in her care. She has high expectations of her staff and with the support of senior managers has led a culture change in the home. She provides professional challenge where necessary and advocates strongly for the children. The manager demonstrates good leadership and has effective oversight of the home.
p.5
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
Staff feel able to raise concerns and identify that the manager is ‘readily available’ and ‘a positive presence’ in the home. Staff describe good team-working that has a positive impact on the children. Staff are clear that the manager’s priority is the children. Staff said the manager has improved the quality of care, is knowledgeable and offers professional and personal support when needed.
p.5
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
The home is appropriately staffed and resourced. The manager has assured herself of the skills, commitment, and competencies of her team. Training and development opportunities are focused on ensuring that the staff are equipped to meet the specific needs of each child.
p.5
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
Staff meetings reflect the high expectations of the manager and provider’s values. Meeting minutes reflect the discussions held about the needs of the children, with actions and goals clearly set to improve outcomes. Supervision sessions support staff development while maintaining accountability. Staff said praise is actively given throughout their supervision sessions and in day-to-day conversations, helping staff to feel valued.
p.5
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
The quality of professional relationships is very good. Feedback from professionals was positive describing improved communication and a good knowledge of the children. The manager ensures that staff attend meetings and maintain contact with a range of external professionals and outside agencies to improve care planning for children. Professionals said they can see clear progress for children. Professionals also said that Inspection report for children’s home: 1183911 6 the manager is ‘fantastic’ and that staff not only respond to the children’s wishes and feelings, but also their wants and needs.
p.5
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
No requirements or recommendations were raised following this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 1183911 7
p.6
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: 1183911 8
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Children’s home details
Registered provider: Young Foundations Limited
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Children’s home details
Registered provider address: Alexander House, Highfield Park, Llangwyfan, Denbigh LL16 4LU
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Inspector
Jo Cansfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1183911 9 and inspects 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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