Children's Home run by Excel Residential Care Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2631698 1 Registered provider: Excel Residential Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to 3 children who have social and emotional difficulties. There are currently 3 children living in the home. Two children were present and were spoken with during this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager resigned in December 2025, following their appointment by the provider as the responsible individual after the previous responsible individual resigned in July 2025. Ofsted considers the newly appointed responsible individual to have the appropriate capacity, experience and skills required for the role.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager has been in post since January 2026. They hold a suitable qualification and are registered after completing a recent fit person interview.

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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: 2631698 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/05/2024 Full Good 18/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2631698 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have continued to live in the home. Children benefit from stability, which provides them with a sense of belonging. One child experienced a planned move from the home and remains in contact with managers and staff. Staff are planning a leaving party and will maintain contact with one child who is preparing to move from the home. This practice helps children to feel supported through significant life events and prepare for adulthood. One child was supported well by managers and staff when they moved into the home, helping them to settle quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with individualised care. They have positive relationships with the children and understand children’s past experiences. This helps children to feel valued and respected. One child said that they enjoy spending time on their own in the community and are happy with their plans for keeping in touch with people who are important to them and the support they get. Another child said: ‘In general, it is dead nice.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with each other and are encouraged by staff to be kind and respectful. When there are conflicts between children, staff support them to reflect and consider the effect on themselves and others. Family time is supported and promoted by staff. As a result, one child now spends more time with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Learning is promoted by staff, who encourage children to attend a school or college that meets their individual learning needs. Extra-curricular and leisure activities are promoted to further children’s learning and widen their life experiences. This helps them to prepare for the future and have aspirations for their further education or future career.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend routine health appointments and establish routines that help them to manage their personal hygiene. Staff identify when there are concerns and seek specialist support from relevant health professionals. Children are encouraged to be active and eat a varied diet. This helps ensure that children are healthy and thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak with children regularly to understand what is important to them. This informs staff practice and enables them to respond appropriately to the needs of each child. Staff encourage children to talk about their feelings. This helps children to feel heard and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities. One child attends horse riding lessons. Another child attends a performing arts class and is a Girl Guide Ranger. Special occasions, such as birthdays and Christmas, are planned by staff and celebrated considering children’s likes and dislikes. These experiences promote children’s personal interests, provide a sense of fulfilment and promote their identity, which benefits their emotional wellbeing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2631698 4 Leaders and managers ensure that children can access art therapy. One child said that she loves the sessions. This helps children to express themselves and provides them with a safe space to express their emotions in a creative way.

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

Managers and staff respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns. They notify relevant professionals and work collaboratively to review and investigate these concerns and to agree actions. Staff provide emotional support, responding to children with empathy and understanding, which helps them feel safe and builds trust.

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

Risks and behaviours are well understood and responded to by staff. Risks reduce over time. For example, missing-from-home incidents decrease and staff support children to find positive ways of managing their emotions. There have been no behaviours that require physical intervention. Incentives systems motivate children to make positive choices. Staff recognise children’s achievements through praise and giving rewards.

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

Staff support children to safely use the internet. They are curious about how children spend time online. When they identify concerns, they talk to children and people who are important to them to agree ways to help keep children safe. For example, children are helped to identify online risks, parental controls are installed on devices, and on some occasions random internet search histories are completed. These control measures are kept under regular review and consider children’s understanding of online risk and progress made.

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

Staff and children have positive, trusting relationships with each other. This helps them to manage complex behaviours. Children benefit from consistent boundaries that are clearly communicated to them by staff. This helps children to understand what is expected of them and contributes to feeling safe and cared for.

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

Leaders and managers investigate complaints raised by children or those connected to them. They ensure that all relevant individuals are informed of the concerns and that agreed actions are implemented. Where the complainant is known, the outcomes of complaints are shared with them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Following the resignation of the previous responsible individual, the provider has promoted some staff within the home. This means new leaders and managers have established relationships with children and are familiar with the organisation’s systems. Changes in management have not affected the day-to-day care of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual and manager understand children’s needs. They use their understanding to encourage staff to be ambitious for children. This means that children gain skills and have experiences that help them to achieve their potential and enrich their lives. Children are supported by managers and staff to develop awareness of Inspection report for children’s home: 2631698 5 different cultures and celebrate equality. For example, children have recently celebrated Chinese New Year and International Women’s Day.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the responsible individual and manager. They are both visible and accessible to provide staff with support and guidance to ensure that the child- centred ethos is understood. As a result, staff are better equipped to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular supervision and team meetings provide staff with opportunities to reflect on how they contribute as individuals and as a team to children’s experiences. The organisation’s forensic psychologist attends team meetings and offers trauma-informed guidance that is specific to children’s lived experiences. This means children receive individualised care that helps them to process life events and develop their resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff performance is formally reviewed annually. These meetings provide opportunities to identify training needs that enable them to improve practice, which positively affects children’s experiences. Furthermore, it supports staff to develop their experience and gain skills that help career progression.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers seek feedback about the care children receive from people who are important to them. This helps managers to understand the home’s strengths and identifies areas they want to develop in the future. One parent said: ‘The staff are absolutely fantastic and offer [child’s name] nothing but love, care and support.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers work well with professionals who support children. They raise concerns appropriately when care planning decisions are not considered to be in the best interest of the child and do not align with the child’s views, wishes and feelings. On one occasion, managers supported a child to access an advocate. As a result, the future care arrangements are being reviewed by the child’s social worker. This helps children to feel empowered and supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are sufficient experienced staff who provide consistent care to children. Most staff hold a relevant qualification and complete training specific to their role. However, there are some gaps in some staff completing training that is specific to the needs of children who live in the home. The responsible individual arranged for staff to access the required training during this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2631698 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. In particular, staff should complete training that is specific to the needs of children who live in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 2631698 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Excel Residential Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5 Rockside, Mow Cop, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 4PG

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Inspectors

Helen Dunn, Social Care Inspector Nusarat Bibi, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2631698 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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