Children's Home run by Bold Leap Care Limited in Walsall

Inspection report for children's home: 2852604 1 Registered provider: Bold Leap Care 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 and provides care for up to four children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no manager in post. The managerial post has been vacant since 14 January 2026.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of inspection. Both children contributed to this inspection and spoke about their experiences of living in the home

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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 requires improvement to be 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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2852604 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since registration, two children have moved into the home and no children have left. Moving ‑ in plans were sensitively considered and reflected a clear understanding of each child’s circumstances and needs. Transitions were timely and well organised, enabling children to experience a well ‑ planned move. As a result, children have settled well into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in education. One child has continued attending their previous school and has benefited from the stability of maintaining friendships and continuity in learning. Another child arrived with significant barriers to education, having been out of school for nine months. They are now engaging in home tutoring three times per week, with a clear plan in place to reintegrate them into full ‑ time education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health and well ‑ being are promoted effectively. Children attend routine health appointments, and arrangements are in place to ensure they can access specialist services when needed. Since joining the home, one child is being supported through an assessment for possible neurodivergence. They are attending specialist appointments, and bespoke training has been delivered to the staff team to ensure they are supported appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to take part in a range of enjoyable and active hobbies. Since moving in, children have joined clubs such as gymnastics and dance. Activities including Ninja Warrior and swimming promote physical exercise, and fruit is readily available in the home to encourage healthy eating choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Adults know the children well. Wishes and feelings are gathered frequently, and staff acknowledge these meaningfully. Each week, children receive a personalised letter that responds to their views, followed by a ‘you said, we did’ display that shows actions taken. As a result, spare rooms have been transformed into a nail bar and craft room to support children’s interests and talents. When a request cannot be acted on, staff offer clear explanations, so children understand the reasons why.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop independence skills in line with their age and stage of development. Children enjoy cooking with adults and completing household chores to earn rewards. Key ‑ work sessions focus on personal safety and help educate children about risk. Additionally, one child has joined the home with their own pet, supporting them to develop a greater sense of responsibility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive care that is personalised to their individual needs. Care plans reflect children’s diverse needs, including specialist skin and hair care for one child, ensuring that all aspects of their identity are recognised and supported. Inspection report for children's home: 2852604 3

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

Children have developed positive relationships with staff. They can identify trusted adults to talk to and have shared that they ‘feel safe in the home’. As a result, children are very settled. There have been no missing ‑ from ‑ home incidents, physical intervention, self ‑ harm, allegations or complaints.

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

Staff understand children’s behaviours and risks well. They implement appropriate strategies to support each child, and as a result, children are kept safe. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain reflective of children’s current needs. One family member commented, ‘The staff know [child’s name]’s needs and how to keep them safe.’

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

There is a strong focus on rewarding positive behaviour. Children’s achievements are acknowledged through verbal praise and an incentive chart. This helps children develop a sense of pride in their progress, and staff ensure that achievements are consistently recognised so that children understand the positive steps they are making.

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

Key ‑ work sessions help to educate children about keeping themselves safe. Recent discussions have focused on online safety and personal safety. These sessions support children to recognise risks, reduce the likelihood of harm and understand how to report concerns.

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

Children live in a home that is well presented and well maintained. The environment is personalised to the children and provides a comfortable, nurturing space that helps them to feel valued and safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is currently no registered manager in post. Both the registered manager and the responsible individual left their positions in early January. An interim responsible individual is now in place and is providing oversight alongside the deputy manager. Recruitment for a new manager is underway. In addition, a consultant visited the home twice in January to provide oversight during the period when there was no responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There were no effective monitoring systems in place, and there has been a lack of consistent managerial oversight since the home opened. Children’s files did not contain up ‑ to ‑ date information. There was uncertainty regarding one child’s legal status because key documents were either missing or disorganised and difficult to locate. Managers had also failed to routinely monitor medication systems, which led to an administration and recording error recurring due to the absence of oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the interim responsible individual joined the home, a full audit has been initiated, and this work began prior to the inspection. The audit has already identified several shortfalls and resulted in the implementation of an action plan. There has been no harm to children. All staff have been retrained in medication administration and have received Inspection report for children's home: 2852604 4 single ‑ subject supervisions. Additional in ‑ person medication training has been arranged, and a weekly medication audit is now in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Shortfalls were also identified in safer recruitment. Staff had not been recruited in line with safer recruitment principles, and the interim responsible individual identified several gaps in recruitment checks. Prompt action has been taken, with an external consultant reviewing all staff files to ensure that only those with the appropriate skills and experience continue to work in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Despite recent changes within the management team, leaders remain aspirational for children, and this culture is becoming embedded in the staff team. Staff enjoy working in the home and receive monthly supervision and regular team meetings, which provide opportunities for professional learning alongside the home’s training package.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are areas for improvement within the home; however, these had already been identified and discussed prior to this inspection. There is a clear plan to address the shortfalls, and work to implement this plan is underway. The responsible individual is completing a full audit of the home and has secured additional consultancy support during the period without a registered manager. The weaknesses identified have not impacted the care children receive, and children have made significant progress since moving into the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2852604 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 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)) 28 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety. The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children's home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and 28 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2852604 6 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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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: 2852604 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Bold Leap Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Wheeleys Road, Birmingham B15 2LD

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Inspector

Joanne Hawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2852604 8 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 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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