Children's Home run by Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2652918 1 Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare 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 company and is registered to provide care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since October 2025 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 17 December 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2652918 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2024 Full Outstanding 18/07/2023 Full Good 21/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2652918 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have moved into the home and three children have left the home. At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home who was able to share their views.

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improvement to be good

Children who have moved into or out of the home have not had consistently positive experiences. For one child who moved into the home, the manager’s assessment of their needs, associated risks and the potential impact on children already living in the home was poor. This shortfall contributed to an increase in significant incidents that staff struggled to manage, which meant that children were not consistently supported or kept safe. Furthermore, shortfalls in the manager’s decision-making and planning contributed to three children leaving the home, including two in an unplanned and rapid way. This prevented purposeful preparation and resulted in children feeling upset and uncared for. However, the manager’s assessment for the child currently living in the home was more thorough and appropriately considered.

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff develop positive relationships with children. The child living in the home provided positive feedback about the care and support they receive. They are beginning to build positive relationships with staff, and this has helped them to feel safer and more secure in the home. However, since the last inspection, other children have sometimes felt unsafe and uncared for. This demonstrates that relationships are not consistently trusting or emotionally secure for all children, and this undermines their sense of safety and wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Staff undertake regular direct work with children, which contributes to the support provided. However, the impact of this work is not routinely evaluated, and follow-up actions are not consistently identified. Children’s views on the usefulness of these sessions are not always gathered. As a result, opportunities to review and adapt support in response to children’s evolving needs are limited.

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improvement to be good

Staff place a strong emphasis on education and promote it well in the home. However, children’s outcomes are inconsistent. Several children have experienced difficulties with engaging with education, and this has affected their day-to-day experiences and progress. Positively, for the child currently living in the home, who has been out of education for a significant period, staff have secured a work experience placement and are working with relevant professionals to identify an appropriate education provision.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently assess or respond to risks effectively when working with children. A high staff turnover has resulted in a lack of consistency in how children are Inspection report for children’s home: 2652918 4 supported, and this has sometimes led to safeguarding concerns not being managed appropriately. On occasion, this has affected the support provided to children during times of crisis. Positively, the child currently living in the home has said that they feel safe and supported, which reflects recent improvements in management oversight, staff training and the establishment of a more consistent staff team.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been incidents in which staff have used physical restraint. On some occasions, this has occurred because staff have not followed children’s care and support plans, meaning that opportunities to prevent escalation were missed and restraint was likely avoidable. This has contributed to an increase in children’s anxieties and has had a negative impact on their sense of safety and emotional wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff demonstrate a good understanding of child exploitation risks. However, the decline in positive and trusting relationships meant that the support offered did not have the intended impact for children. As a result, children’s risks are not always managed effectively, which has compromised some children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not consistent in implementing clear routines and boundaries for children. This has led to an increase in children’s vulnerabilities and to some children feeling unsupported by staff. Positively, staff are now adopting a more consistent approach, and this is beginning to have a positive impact on the child currently living in the home.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been incidents of children going missing from the home. In response to these, staff follow agreed procedures and work with external safeguarding agencies effectively to ensure that children are located safely. There has been a significant reduction in episodes of going missing for one child, and family members and professionals have provided positive feedback about the support in place. Staff support and action taken have directly contributed to this improvement.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been a change in the home’s manager. This change led to a period of instability, staffing was inconsistent and children were not always safely cared for. The newly appointed manager is now beginning to provide more stable leadership, and staff report feeling well supported. Staff speak positively about the guidance they receive, which is helping them to meet the needs of the child currently living in the home and to ensure the child’s safety.

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

Managers have established monitoring and review systems to oversee the care and support provided to children. While incidents are evaluated, these systems do not consistently assess the impact of care on children’s day-to-day experiences. When shortfalls in staff practice have been identified, managers have provided guidance and support. However, they have not ensured that staff fully understand the guidance or make the necessary changes to their practice. As a result, children have not always been Inspection report for children’s home: 2652918 5 supported in line with their needs, and opportunities to improve the quality of care have been missed, particularly when children’s needs change or safeguarding concerns arise.

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

Despite some of the shortfalls, staff feel supported by the manager. More recently, staff have started to receive more reflective supervision sessions, which help to develop their practice. This has helped staff to provide more consistent care to the child living in the home.

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

Staff develop positive relationships with professionals and family members. One family member said that staff have provided safety and stability for the child, which the child had not experienced for a significant period of time. A professional also reported that staff demonstrate a good understanding of the child’s risks and are working proactively to provide education and support to help these risks be managed more effectively.

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

The manager has a clear and positive vision for the home and demonstrates a good understanding of the areas that require development to improve outcomes for children. This vision is appropriately supported by the senior leadership team, which is working alongside the manager to drive forward improvements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2652918 6

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; 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)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all the relevant information is gathered in relation to children’s risks and vulnerabilities to ensure that the right support can be put in place to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe and work in line with and implement strategies to keep children safe. 5 March 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

promotes their welfare. 5 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2652918 7 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 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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they implement effective monitoring and review systems to enable them to have oversight of children’s care and safety. The registered person must ensure that staff are providing individualised and consistent care to children.

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Requirement Due date

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

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children have a positive experience when arriving and moving on from the home. They must also ensure that there are effective systems and processes in place to ensure that children’s needs, risks and vulnerabilities are suitably assessed prior to children moving into the home. 5 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2652918 8 The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s wishes and feelings are used to inform the support and care that they receive. 5 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: 2652918 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Agriculture House, Southwater Way, Telford, Shropshire TF3 4NR

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Inspector

Hayley Booth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2652918 10 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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