Children's Home run by Good Foundations Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 1 SC486165 Registered provider: Good Foundations 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

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 31 October 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 11 December 2024

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2024 Full Outstanding 23/01/2024 Full Good 02/03/2023 Full Outstanding 20/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The children’s overall safety, experiences and progress are significantly undermined by poor safeguarding practices and ineffective leadership and management at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not receive consistent care from staff, which affects their sense of stability. Staff do not inform or support children to understand why some staff leave the home. As a result, children report that they do not know the reasons for staff leaving and question whether they are responsible, which is distressing and unsettling for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not fully understand the individual health needs of each child, and they do not actively seek support to address these needs. For example, staff were aware of a child’s health condition but did not request advice or intervention from external professionals for several months. This lack of professional curiosity impacts children’s well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not have the necessary knowledge and skills to ensure that children have appropriate boundaries and routines in place. Despite being aware of the potential risks to children in the community, staff did not provide the required levels of support. As a result, children were allowed to access areas of concern without the appropriate supervision, placing them at risk of harm. One family member reported that clear boundaries were not in place for their child prior to the new management team making changes since coming to work at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The children’s bedrooms are not maintained to an acceptable standard. Although children have opportunities to personalise their rooms to reflect their individual preferences, redecoration is not always completed in a timely manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Not all children are supported to leave the home in a positive or planned way. Inadequate staff knowledge and skills resulted in one child experiencing an unplanned ending to their placement, which undermined their sense of stability and security.

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

Managers and staff do not consistently recognise or respond effectively to safeguarding concerns. Strategies to protect children and mitigate risk are not always in place. This leads to inconsistent responses to children’s needs and places them at increased risk of harm. For example, staff failed to seek medical advice when a child was known to be under the influence of unknown substances.

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

Incidents escalate because staff do not manage situations or children’s behaviour effectively. Leaders and managers do not identify shortfalls in practice resulting in unresolved issues and an increased risk of harm to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 4 Staff are not proactive or effective in helping and protecting children when they go missing from the home. Although there are missing from home protocols in place for children, staff do not follow these consistently. For example, staff do not always search for children when they are missing.

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

Staff do not raise concerns about poor practice within the home to leaders and managers. As a result, unsafe or ineffective practice is not challenged, increasing the likelihood that it continues without being addressed. This lack of professional accountability further contributes to inconsistent and unsafe care for children.

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

Room searches are not completed when concerns are raised about a child’s safety or wellbeing. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that all children are safe and provided with the required levels of support they may need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of the home is ineffective. Since the last inspection, there has been a high turnover of staff and the manager and deputy manager have both resigned. This has led to inconsistencies in the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers from other homes within the organisation are overseeing the home in the absence of a registered manager. Together, they are working hard to address the shortfalls and improve the quality of care provided to the children. Some positive strategies are now in place to support the children. However, these are not fully embedded in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight of incidents is inconsistent. Several incidents have been reviewed and evaluated by staff, who were directly involved, which limits independent scrutiny. The evaluation of staff practice following incidents does not identify how the quality of care or responses to risks can be improved. As a result, there is limited learning from incidents, particularly when risks to children reoccur.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive regular supervision and are not provided with professional development opportunities to improve their practice. This is a missed opportunity for leaders and managers to explore staff’s understanding of the care they provide to children and to identify how their practice can be strengthened.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff lack the necessary training and skills to meet the children’s individual needs. No staff have a suitable residential children’s home qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the changes have been made to the management team, staff report that they are supported in their roles. Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff have the appropriate training, skills, and knowledge to take effective action to safeguard children.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, leaders and managers must ensure that plans include the children’s known risks and strategies for staff to follow to keep them safe. 19 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 6 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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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)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that there are effective monitoring and review systems in place that identify and address shortfalls in staff practice.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered provider must ensure that all staff have the relevant skills and training to meet the children’s individual needs. 19 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 19 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child's behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child's respect and trust; understand how children's previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(c) (2)(a)(i)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have a clear understanding of each child’s individual needs and know how to respond appropriately. The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; and

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

that the child's placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child's relevant plans is requested, if— 19 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 8 the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child's needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that leaders and managers review each child’s care properly and ask the placing authority for a review if they think the child is unsafe or their needs aren’t being met.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; and

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s plans are updated and contain relevant information. In addition, the registered person must ensure that all records details actions for staff to take when children go missing from the home. 19 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided with regular and reflective supervision, and opportunities to develop their practice. 19 March 2026

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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: SC486165 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Good Foundations Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 6 Tower Quays, Tower Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 1BP

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Inspector

Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC486165 10 regulates 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 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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