Children's home run by Care Today (Childrens Services) Ltd

Inspection report for children's home: 2839806 1 Registered provider: Care Today (Children’s Services) Ltd

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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 owned by a private organisation. Staff provide care for up to 2 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2025. She holds a level 5 qualification in leadership and management for children’s residential care.

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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: 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: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2839806 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since registration, one child has moved into the home. At the time of the inspection, the child was living in the home and spoke with the inspector. Leaders carefully planned the child’s move, ensuring that all necessary information was gathered to understand their needs. As a result, the child has begun to form positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff promote positive outcomes for children. Leaders work closely with external agencies to support the child’s transition into an appropriate education setting. Star charts are used to review the child’s key areas of development, including physical and emotional health, healthy relationships and educational progress. The child is involved in this process, ensuring that plans remain child centred.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well supported. The manager and staff talk to the child about the importance of maintaining good health. The manager has been proactive in arranging appointments, including the annual health assessment and therapeutic support. This has helped staff develop a better understanding of how to meet the child’s health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the child’s interests and provide a varied range of activities, including regular drives, in ‑ house beauty sessions and karaoke. These activities offer meaningful experiences and promote a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is well decorated and welcoming. Staff are observant of any maintenance needs and take responsibility for the general upkeep of the home. For example, staff recently repaired the bathroom floor to maintain a fresh and homely environment. This encourages the child to take pride in their surroundings and feel comfortable in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff support family time well. Despite the distance from family, staff confidently liaise with the wider network to arrange regular visits. This has supported the child to maintain family connections while living in the home.

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

Leaders and staff have a good understanding of the child’s individual risks. The manager has implemented clear plans to guide staff practice. As a result, there have been no missing ‑ from ‑ care incidents and no use of physical intervention since the home opened.

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

There have been no allegations or complaints since the home was registered with Ofsted. Staff have weekly catch ‑ ups with the child to ensure they know how to raise concerns. As a result, the child can identify a trusted adult to speak to if they feel worried. Inspection report for children's home: 2839806 3 Safeguarding arrangements for online safety are effective. The home uses a secure internet system to ensure that only appropriate sites are accessible. Leaders ensure that staff receive relevant training to recognise emerging risks. This supports children to have safer online experiences.

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

The manager’s review of consequences does not always take place in a timely manner. Although consequences are reviewed during monthly audits, a recent consequence was not evaluated within the expected time frame. This meant leaders could not be assured that the consequence was appropriate and proportionate.

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

Staff do not always follow children’s plans in response to incidents. On 2 occasions, staff did not use a therapeutic approach, and on one occasion the manager had to guide staff on how to respond. Since then, the manager has begun direct work with the staff to strengthen their use of trauma ‑ informed- and PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy)-based responses.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has extensive experience and knowledge. She is committed to ensuring that children receive bespoke, high ‑ quality care. The manager works closely with the responsible individual, who visits the home regularly. This contributes to the good quality of care provided by the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders ensure that staff have access to a wide range of training opportunities. Staff complete a comprehensive induction and mandatory training, including safeguarding, first aid and PACE. The manager is effective at identifying additional learning needs and uses team meetings to support further development. As a result, staff feel more confident in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling well supported. The manager provides regular, good ‑ quality supervision that focuses on staff wellbeing and professional development. One staff member told the inspector that the manager is ‘very supportive – always at the end of the phone.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring systems are robust and effective. She completes monthly audits that help identify shortfalls. Her reflective approach contributes to the consistently good quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff recording requires improvement in some areas. Some team meeting notes contain opinion ‑ based statements rather than factual information. In addition, one incident report did not clearly reflect the events that occurred, making it difficult to determine whether the staff response was appropriate. Inspection report for children's home: 2839806 4

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should ensure that behaviour management strategy is understood and always applied by staff and that it is kept under review and revised where appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.34)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2839806 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care Today (Children’s Services) Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd, Floor Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport SK2 6LR

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Inspector

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2839806 6 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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