Children's Home run by After Care (NW) Limited in Sefton

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 1 SC042652

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Registered provider: After Care (NW) Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this assurance inspection, 3 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care and protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Decisions about children moving into the home are not considered carefully. Since the last inspection in January 2026, one child has moved into the home whose needs the staff are not able to meet effectively. This has resulted in an increase in safeguarding incidents, which has unsettled the other two children living at the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Incidents at the home are not always managed effectively by managers or staff. Staff do not understand all the children’s experiences or have the skills to meet their individual needs appropriately. Staff have failed to de-escalate one child’s behaviour effectively and the police have attended the home on several occasions to provide support. Staff have been physically assaulted during incidents and the other children living at the home have been exposed to significant disruption.

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Findings from the inspection

Significant damage has been caused to the home environment during incidents. For example, there is a large hole in a wall on the first floor and part of a stair banister is missing, which presents a safety risk. Items that contributed to a homely feeling have been removed for safety reasons. For example, one child’s bedroom is bare except for a mattress on the floor. None of this helps create a warm and homely environment for children, nor does it promote a sense of permanence or belonging.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s risk management plans are not always reviewed and updated in a timely way. Furthermore, staff do not follow children’s risk management plans consistently, which has placed children at risk of harm. For example, staff did not complete a room search following a self-harm incident, which led to a further incident later that day. Staff are monitoring one child in the bathroom; however, this is not detailed as a strategy to mitigate risk in their plan.

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Findings from the inspection

Management oversight at the home is ineffective. There are gaps in children’s records, making it difficult to determine what happened. Management evaluation of incidents is inconsistent and shortfalls in staff practice are not always identified. There is a lack of reflection and learning from shortfalls in staff practice. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that children are safeguarded effectively.

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Findings from the inspection

Children do not always have access to all areas of the home because staff are unable to manage their behaviour effectively. Some rooms are locked or not able to be used by the children. For example, the kitchen is sometimes locked. This undermines the children’s sense of autonomy and sense of belonging in what should be their own home. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 3 Following this assurance inspection, Ofsted served a restriction of accommodation notice on the provider. This means that no other children can be admitted to live at the home for a period of time. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/01/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 28/05/2024 Full Good 06/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/05/2023 Full Inadequate Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 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

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

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)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff take appropriate action to safeguard children. Furthermore, they must ensure that all incidents are thoroughly reviewed and risk management plans are up to date, accurate and followed by staff.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff working at the home have the experience, knowledge, and skills to meet the children’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. 22 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— 22 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 6 helps children aspire to their full potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of 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)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff working at the home, including agency staff, have the necessary experience, knowledge and skills to meet children’s needs and ensure their safety. This includes all managers and staff being trained in physical intervention techniques consistent with the provider’s behaviour management policy.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is consistent and effective management oversight of incidents, records, and documents. They must also ensure that all shortfalls in staff practice are identified and addressed an effective and timely way.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

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Requirement Due date

describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and 22 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 7 describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child. (Regulation 34 (1)(a) (2)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that allegations made by children against staff are thoroughly investigated and recorded.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; and

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that Ofsted is informed of all serious incidents in the home, including any allegations made by children against a person working in the home. 22 March 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.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

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,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

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)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that leaders and managers obtain a reference from staff members’ most recent employer, and all gaps in employment are explored and accounted for. Furthermore, all identification documents must be up to date. 22 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 8 In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they escalate concerns effectively when local authority documents are not received. 22 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1) (3)(a)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all records of physical interventions are completed in full and that both staff and children receive debriefs following any incidents. These should be completed by someone independent of the incident. 22 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 9 The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children; the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a quality care review is completed and shared with Ofsted in a timely way. 31 March 2026

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 30 April 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 10 that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children only come to live at the home whose individual needs the staff can meet.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(vii)(c)(i)(ii)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children have access to all areas of the home as appropriate and any damage to the property is repaired without delay. 22 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: After Care (NW) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: After Care (North West) Ltd, 45 Kensington Road, Southport PR9 0RT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Timothy Blundell

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Inspector

Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC042652 12 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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