Social care · Children's home inspection (SCCIF)
Children's home run by Attivo Care Ltd
Summary
Nicola Rutherford (lead), Anthony Kyem
What we read, and from where
Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.
- Group AI-checked
Attivo Care Ltd
- Inspection date verified
26 Feb 2026
- Inspectors verified
Anthony Kyem, Nicola Rutherford
- Helped and protected verified
Good
- Leadership and management verified
Good
- Overall effectiveness verified
Good
- Name on report verified
2570070
- URN verified
2570070
Deep dive
What this report says
In plain English
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Grade profile
Hollow rings show the previous inspection, 2024.
- OverallGood
- Helped and protectedGood
- Leadership and managementGood
70% of comparable inspections in the last three years were graded Good (12,716 inspections).
Tone of the report
How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.
In line with other reports of this type graded Good.
Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.
How the report reads, start to finish
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Strengths
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- Children have positive experiences of living in the home and share nurturing and trusting relationships with the staff, who know them well. p.3
- The manager adopts a strong multi-agency approach in caring for the children and has developed good relationships with professionals involved in their care. p.4
- Staff have meaningful and effective conversations that help develop the children’s abilities to make positive choices and navigate challenges. p.3
- A professional involved with a child reported positive working relationships with staff and the manager, detailing them as proactiveness in times of crisis, as a strength. p.4
Concerns
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Next steps
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What the report dwells on
Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.
Leadership & governance6
“The effectiveness of leaders and managers good” p.1Progress & outcomes5
“Children’s progress in education is variable.” p.3
Anatomy of the report
How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.
- Pages
- 8
- Words of findings
- 1,117
- about usual (typical 1319)
- Reading level
- Hard
- Flesch 46, typical 51
- Average sentence
- 16 words
- Next steps
- 2
- typical 4
- Hedged sentences
- 2%
- “some”, “not always”, “most”…
Where the words go
Full report text
Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 1 Registered provider: Attivo Care Limited
p.1
Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework
p.1
Information about this children’s home
This home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.
p.1
Information about this children’s home
At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.
p.1
Information about this children’s home
The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2023.
p.1
Overall experiences and progress of
children and young people, taking into account
p.1
good
How well children and young people are helped and protected good
p.1
good
The effectiveness of leaders and managers good
p.1
good
The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.
p.1
good
Overall judgement at last inspection: good
p.1
good
Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 2
p.1
Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement
17/07/2024 Full Good 14/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/11/2022 Full Good 08/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 3
p.2
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Both children living in the home spoke about their positive experiences of living in the home. Children said that they liked living in the home and the staff care about them and keep them safe.
p.3
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Children have positive experiences of living in the home and share nurturing and trusting relationships with the staff, who know them well. Staff have meaningful and effective conversations that help develop the children’s abilities to make positive choices and navigate challenges. The manager and staff show empathy and are sensitive to the children’s individual needs. As a result, the children can confide in staff about their vulnerabilities and worries.
p.3
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Two children have moved out of the home since the last inspection. Staff provide opportunities for children to develop their independence skills in preparation for adulthood. As a result, one child was able to move on from the home and live independently due to the skills they acquired. However, one child moved from the home abruptly due to their needs being unmet.
p.3
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Children’s progress in education is variable. One child has private tuition, and one child does not have an identified provision. A lack of routine and structure does not support children’s engagement in education or informal learning. Managers and staff have not been creative in their thinking to encourage children’s participation in learning around important areas. This limits opportunities for children to achieve their academic potential. In addition, staff and children rarely spend time together doing activities or developing hobbies and interests.
p.3
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Staff encourage children to attend health appointments. They are advocates for children to have good overall health. However, for one child, there had been missed appointments, but staff remained consistent in their approach and as a result, the child is now accessing routine support in relation to their medical condition.
p.3
Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good
Staff understand children’s previous life experiences and how this may affect their behaviour. Staff support children to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff work in partnership with children’s families and other agencies to ensure that the time they spend together is safe.
p.3
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
Staff understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Staff respond well to emerging and known risks, they follow policies and procedures to ensure that children are safeguarded. Individual risk assessments are in place for each child and specific to their individual needs and behaviours. However, actions taken by staff to locate children when missing, are not recorded clearly. Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 4 Children and staff have regular discussions that are adapted to children’s individual needs to promote their learning and understanding about risk. Discussions cover a range of topics, including substance misuse, knife crime, positive peer relationships and sexual and health.
p.3
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
When children express worrying ideologies, staff work with them and other professionals to explore the reasons behind these views and provide appropriate learning and understanding. Children are reassured so they do not experience shame. This supportive approach enables them to safely explore their thoughts while helping them to understand societal norms, respect, and acceptance.
p.4
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
Staff demonstrate professional curiosity and make informed decisions when there are concerns for children. They act quickly to safeguard children promptly, inform relevant agencies and escalate concerns when they need additional support from others to reduce the risk to children.
p.4
How well children and young people are helped and protected: good
Staff have prioritised safeguarding in the home. This approach, although required, has at times been detriment to children’s routine and engagement with other services.
p.4
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
An experienced manager leads the home; she is enthusiastic and child focussed. The registered manager is supported in her role by a responsible individual, safeguarding lead, and a competent staff team. All those involved in the care of children demonstrate a good knowledge of each child’s needs.
p.4
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
The manager has oversight of all aspects of the home. Her presence is evident both through her direct engagement in the home and through her oversight of decision- making for children.
p.4
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
The manager adopts a strong multi-agency approach in caring for the children and has developed good relationships with professionals involved in their care. A professional involved with a child reported positive working relationships with staff and the manager, detailing them as proactiveness in times of crisis, as a strength.
p.4
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
Leaders and managers ensure that staff are involved in training which is specific to the needs of the children. When new behaviours or risks arise for children, leaders and managers identify appropriate training either online or through appropriate multi agency partners to support staffs understanding of the current needs of the children.
p.4
The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good
There is a full and stable staff team, whose members describe a positive working environment. Consequently, children experience stability and continuity of care from staff who enjoy their roles and are invested in the children’s wellbeing and progress. Staff receive regular supervision to reflect on their practice and discuss their development. Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 5
p.4
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.5
Requirement Due date
The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.
p.5
Requirement Due date
In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—
p.5
Requirement Due date
help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;
p.5
Requirement Due date
support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;
p.5
Requirement Due date
promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; and
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
Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are supported to learn informally and prepare for their future. 23 April 2026
p.5
Requirement Due date
The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—
p.5
Requirement Due date
include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child.
p.5
Requirement Due date
(Regulation 36 (1)(a)) 23 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 6 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff record and detail all actions when children are missing from home, to locate them.
p.5
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: 2570070 7
p.6
Children’s home details
Registered provider address: Attivo Care, Office 1, 41–43 Liverpool Road, Manchester M44 5BQ
p.7
Inspectors
Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Anthony Kyem, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2570070 8 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.
p.7
Inspectors
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p.8
Inspectors
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p.8
Inspectors
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Inspectors
T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted
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