Children's Home run by Ebury Care in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2775796 1 Registered provider: Ebury Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. The inspector spent time with both children and gathered feedback from one child.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager 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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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2775796 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/10/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2775796 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a warm, welcoming and homely environment. One child has been helped to personalise their bedroom, and staff are working towards creating a comfortable and individualised space for the other child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Planning for children moving into the home is improving. One child moved in without any plans in place. Although a range of information was gathered before their arrival, the manager did not evaluate it with sufficient professional curiosity. Children’s needs are not always fully understood when they move into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Not all children experience positive daily routines. One child spends most of the day in bed and is awake during the night. They rarely leave their room, often eat their meals there and sometimes neglect their personal hygiene. Staff are gathering information about the child’s complex needs and are trying different approaches to support them; however, progress has been minimal. Staff do not always record how they care for the child in daily records and do not yet know how to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff clearly understand children’s emotional and psychological needs. They provide well-planned and meaningful support for one child to engage in therapeutic life-story work. Staff also hold regular, constructive conversations with children about important topics and offer resources that enable them to better understand their life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s differing communication styles. One child does not communicate verbally, and staff have implemented a range of techniques to help them participate in day-to-day decisions. Staff also acknowledge that children’s behaviour is a form of communication, and they use this insight to plan individualised care. Children’s views are clearly reflected in all care planning documents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote children’s education. Each child has a detailed education and daily planner, providing informal opportunities for learning throughout the day. Staff also offer a range of activities and consistently seek opportunities to promote learning. They understand the importance of education and their role in supporting children’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with people who are important to children. One child’s parent said, ‘I know that this (the home) is the best place for [name of child] to be while he heals.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff now manage safeguarding concerns more effectively. Previously, there were frequent serious incidents in which staff regularly contacted emergency services to help manage children’s behaviour. The manager’s oversight and support have strengthened staff practice and improved the team’s abilities. Staff have acquired the skills to respond Inspection report for children’s home: 2775796 4 more confidently during times of crisis. They are now able to de-escalate incidents safely without police involvement.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff have reduced the risk of children going missing from the home. One child, who was previously going missing regularly, has not had any such incidents for 9 months. The manager ensures that staff receive relevant training, discuss risks during supervision sessions and team meetings, and receive constructive feedback following each incident. Staff clearly understand their roles and responsibilities when children go missing.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff clearly understand children’s individual risks. Risk assessments provide useful guidance to help staff manage risks effectively. The manager provides constructive feedback following incidents, fostering continuous improvement in understanding and responding to risks. Staff know what to do to keep children safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff usually safely store and administer medication. There has been one incident in which staff did not follow medication administration protocols. The manager has robustly addressed this with the team through training, information-sharing and improved systems. The manager maintains effective oversight of staff practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The manager carries out comprehensive pre-employment checks. When concerns arise, the manager liaises effectively with local authorities, police and other professionals. Risk assessments about members of staff are detailed and evidence based. Only safe adults care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers use effective systems of oversight. Their monitoring is analytical and results in feedback that is constructive and focused on improving outcomes for children. Records demonstrate that any issues identified are followed up thoroughly, leading to timely and appropriate action. This approach ensures that practice continues to develop and that children benefit from well-informed, responsive care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager monitors staff’s skills and training effectively. Staff regularly receive training that is relevant to their day-to-day care of children. As the team has developed its skills and confidence, children’s risks have reduced, and their daily experiences have improved. Training has a direct and positive impact on children’s lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home each month to provide external oversight. Their reports frequently fail to include feedback from children, family members or professionals. This is a missed opportunity to learn about children’s experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers generally build effective working relationships with other professionals, and feedback from external agencies is consistently positive. A support worker said, ‘[Name of manager] is child centred, therapeutic and dedicated. I am very grateful [name of child] is placed there.’ However, for one child, there has been significant delay in local authority care planning. Although the manager has repeatedly Inspection report for children’s home: 2775796 5 raised this issue with senior leaders, they have not escalated the concern effectively to secure meaningful progress for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling valued and well supported. They receive regular supervision that is detailed, reflective and focused on improving the quality and consistency of the care children receive. Regular team meetings are held to discuss how to best meet children’s needs and share information about practice issues. Children are cared for by a consistent, skilled team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2775796 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are encouraged to enjoy a healthy daily routine. Children’s daily records must provide clear information about what staff have been doing to support them each day.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff help children meet their personal hygiene needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children access specialist help, support and assessments when necessary and 31 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775796 7 that such input is used to better understand their needs and inform care planning.

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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 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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(e)(i)) 31 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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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; and

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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 31 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2775796 8 needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s placing authorities are challenged in a sufficient and effective manner when the care planning is unclear or does not meet children’s needs. Such challenge must be escalated in a timely manner to avoid drift and delay for children.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare. This should include regularly gathering feedback from children, their families and professionals involved in their care planning. (‘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: 2775796 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Godfrey Anderson & Co Chartered Accountants, 6 Portland Business Centre, Manor House Lane, Datchet, Slough SL3 9EG

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Inspector

Nicola Shaw, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2775796 10 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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