Children's Home run by Fledglings Child Care Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2842707 1 Registered provider: Fledglings Child Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It provides care for one child who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The inspector spoke with the child as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in August 2025.

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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: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2842707 2

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improvement to be good

The child living at the home moved in shortly after the home registered. The child’s needs were carefully considered as part of the referral process, and the transition to the home was well planned.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the child’s health needs. They support the child in accessing universal healthcare services when needed. The manager and staff advocate for specialist assessments and therapeutic intervention when needed. This helps the child to better understand their lived experiences and supports their emotional wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Education is promoted in the home. Staff encourage the child to attend tutoring sessions and provide support and reassurance when the child is reluctant to engage. The manager and staff work effectively with education professionals and other agencies to reduce barriers to learning.

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improvement to be good

The child is encouraged to maintain positive relationships with the people who are important to them. Staff encourage and support time with family members when this is in the child’s best interests. The child has recently been able to have a friend stay overnight, which allows them to maintain social relationships and creates age- appropriate experiences in the home.

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improvement to be good

The home is presented to a high standard, and the child’s bedroom is personalised with their belongings. This contributes to a welcoming and homely environment. The child can participate in a range of activities if they wish.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the child’s vulnerabilities and risks. They help the child feel stable; however, there have been some shortfalls in how incidents are managed. On occasion, staff have not followed expected procedures to check the child’s room during a period of distress, which has led to delays in identifying and removing unsafe items and increased the risk of harm. The registered manager has since reviewed and strengthened the child’s risk assessment to ensure that they receive appropriate support.

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improvement to be good

The child can identify trusted adults they can speak to, and they are encouraged to express their wishes and feelings. The manager ensures that staff and the child have opportunities to reflect on incidents, which promotes learning and improved practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff work therapeutically with the child and encourage positive choices through incentives and rewards. Physical intervention is rarely used. When physical intervention is used, it is necessary, proportionate and well recorded. Inspection report for children’s home: 2842707 3 Staff provide effective oversight during the child’s free time, including regular welfare checks. This helps to ensure that the child is safe when spending time in the community.

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

The registered manager is experienced in residential childcare and holds the relevant qualification. The registered manager is child focused and is supported by a committed staff team.

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

The registered manager has developed strong working relationships with other agencies and reports concerns to the relevant safeguarding bodies when appropriate. However, on one occasion, the registered manager did not inform Ofsted of a serious incident, which limits external oversight and reduces the scrutiny of the provider’s decision-making.

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

Safer recruitment practices are not consistently followed. In one case, gaps in a staff member’s employment history were not fully explored.

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

New members of staff receive an induction before being enrolled in the recognised childcare qualifications. Staff have access to a wide range of training to enable them to develop their skills to meet the child’s needs. The registered manager ensures that staff have access to specialist training to ensure that they can manage children’s emerging needs effectively.

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

Staff say they feel well supported by the manager. Staff receive regular supervision sessions, which help them reflect on and develop their practice. Regular team meetings provide opportunities for discussion, reflection and shared learning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2842707 4

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns by visually checking on the child during times of crisis and carrying out timely room searches to remove any items that may pose a risk. 11 March 2026

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to,

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Requirement Due date

sexual exploitation; 18 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2842707 5 an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that significant incidents are reported to Ofsted in a timely manner. This requirement is restated.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that recruitment records clearly document any gaps that have been explored in the employment histories of staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2842707 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Fledglings Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Collonade House, 1st Floor, 163 Kingsway, Manchester M19 2ND

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Inspector

Sonja Vega, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2842707 7 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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Inspector

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