Children's Home run by Choices Home for Children Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674455 1 Registered provider: Choices Home for Children Ltd

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. The inspector spoke to both children about their experiences of living at the home.

p.1

This monitoring visit

An assurance inspection was carried out on 16 December 2025 which identified serious and widespread concerns. Serious shortfalls were identified in respect of the safeguarding practices, the leadership and management of the home and care planning processes. Compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 14, the care planning standard.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to monitor the provider’s compliance with the notices.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Since the assurance visit, one child has remained living in the home and one child has moved in.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have strengthened systems for children’s moves into the home. The responsible individual has worked closely with the manager to improve the processes for children’s moves in and identify how children’s needs can be met.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Essential information is gathered and reviewed before a child comes to live at the home. This allows staff to understand the needs of the child before they arrive. Plans are in place to introduce children to the home sensitively. This helps children Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674455 2 to settle in quickly. This improved approach was clearly demonstrated in the most recent move into the home, when the child experienced a positive and settled start.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Children benefit from clear routines and consistent responses from staff, which help them to feel secure and understand what is expected of them. Staff use positive reinforcement and regular conversations to help children manage their emotions and make safer decisions. Children say they feel able to talk to staff about worries and records show appropriate responses when concerns arise.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Staff have completed targeted training linked to children’s risks, including knife crime, substance misuse, online safety and exploitation. This has strengthened their knowledge relating to safeguarding practice, which is shown in focused workshops supervision notes and team meeting minutes. Staff are consistent in recognising and managing children’s risks. They act promptly when concerns arise and escalate these appropriately to external agencies. This has resulted in missing-from-home incidents reducing significantly. Children say they feel safe and describe staff as approachable and supportive.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Management oversight has improved, with monthly internal monitoring and weekly management meetings which provide clearer scrutiny of practice. Senior managers now visit the home more regularly to review documentation and monitor children’s progress.

p.2

This monitoring visit

It is Ofsted’s view that the provider has taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Requirements from the last full inspection were not looked at as part of this visit and will be reviewed at the next inspection.

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/11/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/08/2023 Full Good 29/06/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674455 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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.

p.3

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—

p.3

Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

p.3

Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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”).

p.3

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

p.3

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.

p.3

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)) 28 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674455 4 In particular, the registered person must ensure that the quality of care review actively seeks and reflects the views of stakeholders and clearly demonstrates how these views inform the running of the home.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.4

Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

p.4

Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

p.4

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; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any move out of the home, especially to holiday accommodation, must be with placing authority consent. 28 April 2026

p.4

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.4

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.4

Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, 28 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674455 5 where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

p.4

Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

p.5

Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

p.5

Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

p.5

Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s daily routines encourage and promote their engagement in education. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674455 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have sufficient information from the child’s placing authority and other relevant agencies to assess effectively whether they can meet the child’s needs, before agreeing to the placement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce-related requirements of regulation 16. This plan should detail the processes and agreed timescales for staff to achieve induction and how to manage poor performance. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

p.6

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.6

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674455 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Choices Home for Children Ltd

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 31 Wellington Road, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 7ED

p.7

Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2674455 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8