Children's Home run by The Care Advantage Limited in Wigan

Inspection report children's home: 2827995 1 Registered provider: The Care Advantage 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

The home is owned by a private provider and provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

There was one child living at the home and they were observed and given opportunities to speak to the inspector.

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Information about this children's home

This is the home’s first inspection since registration. The home has been without a registered manager since 26 March 2026. The new manager has yet to apply to register with Ofsted.

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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 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 children's home: 2827995 2

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Summary of findings

One child has moved into the home since registration. The manager has since given notice, having identified that the home cannot meet the child’s needs or ensure long- term safety. Consequently, the child has not had a positive outcome.

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Summary of findings

A new manager is in post and has identified shortfalls in the referral and admission processes. He is implementing more robust arrangements.

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Summary of findings

The child is not in education and lacks a structured daily learning routine.

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Summary of findings

Staff work well with health professionals and understand the child’s risks, placing safety at the centre of practice. However, not all serious incidents have been notified to Ofsted. The home is clean but requires minor repairs. Staffing changes have impacted relationship stability, although staff remain nurturing, supportive, and well trained.

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improvement to be good

The child is cared for by nurturing staff. They promote a positive and supportive environment and work hard to form positive relationships with the child. However, the previous manager did not complete a sufficiently robust pre-admission assessment. This assessment did not fully identify the child’s complexities and vulnerabilities. As a result, staff are unable to meet the child’s specific needs to ensure their long-term safety. The current manager has therefore served notice on the placement. The child has not experienced consistently positive outcomes.

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improvement to be good

The home has recently experienced a change in management. An experienced manager is now in post and has identified the shortfalls in the referral and admission process. He is developing a more robust system to ensure that children’s needs are fully assessed and matched against the skills, knowledge and experience of the staff team before admission. This will help ensure that staff can meet children’s individual needs safely and effectively in the future.

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improvement to be good

The child has not attended education for the last couple of years due to their mental health needs. Staff encourage the child to engage in informal learning through activities and the development of life skills. However, the manager has not ensured that the child has a clear daily structure or consistent opportunities to engage in both formal and informal learning.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to maintain positive relationships with their family. Despite living a significant distance from the family home, the child has daily telephone contact with Inspection report children's home: 2827995 3 their parents. The family also visit regularly and spend time with the child in the local community. This helps the child to sustain meaningful and positive family relationships.

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improvement to be good

The staff understand the child’s complex emotional and mental health needs. They work with other professionals to ensure that the child receives the appropriate guidance and support. Staff also regularly talk to the child about the importance of taking prescribed medication to help regulate their emotions and promote their wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

Staff actively encourage the child to engage in community activities. Before moving to the home, the child had limited opportunities to access the community safely due to their mental health and anxiety. Staff now support the child to try new activities, including go-karting, shopping trips, going for walks and meals out. These experiences help to build the child’s confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage the child to share their wishes and feelings through daily conversations and regular time with keyworkers. Staff support the child to be involved in day-to-day decisions about their care, including choosing activities and contributing to the weekly menus.

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

Staff consistently place the child’s safety and welfare at the centre of their practice. The child is subject to a deprivation of liberty order, which requires staff to provide a high level of support to meet their complex emotional and mental health needs safely.

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

Staff actively promote positive behaviour. They use clear incentives and rewards and have regular discussions with the child to help them understand how their behaviours are affecting their safety. There have been no incidents of the child going missing from the home.

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

Staff understand the child’s emotional needs, risk and vulnerabilities. The manager ensures that detailed risk assessments give staff clear guidance. He regularly reviews and updates these assessments following incidents and when new risks emerge. This ensures that staff always have up-to-date information to keep the child safe.

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

Staff use physical intervention only when necessary to prevent the child from harming themselves or others. Following each incident, staff and the child are given opportunities to reflect. The manager reviews incident records to identify any learning opportunities and reduce the likelihood of repeat incidents.

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

The manager responds promptly and appropriately to safeguarding concerns. When allegations were raised about staff practice, he took swift action by removing staff from duty during investigations and notifying all relevant safeguarding agencies. He dismissed a staff member and informed the local authority when concerns arose regarding Inspection report children's home: 2827995 4 suitability to work with children. However, on this occasion, the manager did not notify the regulator, which limits full transparency.

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

The home environment is clean and tidy, staff have adapted it to meet the child’s needs. The child has access to age-appropriate games and arts and crafts, which the child enjoys completing with staff. However, some minor repairs remain outstanding. These include refitting a toilet seat in the downstairs bathroom and repainting several marked walls.

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

The new manager is experienced and has the appropriate qualifications. He is child centred, enthusiastic and wants the best for the child. An experienced deputy manager supports him in his role. Together, the management team are ambitious and share a clear vision for developing the home and strengthening staff practice. However, the manager has not yet applied to register with the regulator.

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

Staff show care, commitment and a genuine desire to make a positive difference to children’s lives. However, they do not yet work effectively in line with the objectives set out in the home’s statement of purpose. As a result, the home has not achieved its intended outcomes for the child. In the short period since registration, the child’s placement will be ending prematurely .

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

Changes within the staff team have affected the child’s stability. The child’s complex needs mean that high staffing levels are required to keep them safe. The manager relies heavily on agency staff to maintain safe staffing levels. This has limited the child’s ability to develop consistent, trusting relationships. The manager recognises this shortfall and is actively recruiting permanent staff with the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to improve stability.

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

The manager ensures that the home’s statement of purpose remains under review and ensures it is up to date. However, he has not yet established effective systems to routinely share this document with the regulator. This limits external oversight.

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

There is a comprehensive training programme in place, and all permanent staff have completed their mandatory training. The manager also ensures that they receive additional training around the specific needs of the child. He has good oversight of the training and understands the skills and knowledge within the team. This supports his ability to ensure staff are equipped to meet children’s needs in the future.

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

The management team prioritises supervision and staff support. Supervisions take place regularly and provide staff with opportunities to reflect on practice and receive clear guidance. Staff report that supervision is meaningful and helps them develop confidence, skills and knowledge. They feel well supported by the new management team. Inspection report children's home: 2827995 5 Team meetings take place regularly and provide staff with opportunities to share knowledge and experience. Staff contribute actively and reflect on practice. This supports the ongoing development of care in the home and promotes shared responsibility for improving practice and keeping the child safe. Inspection report children's home: 2827995 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 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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child's placing authority; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child's relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that they only accept children coming to live at the home when they are satisfied that the staff can respond effectively to the child's needs. 9 June 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, 9 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2827995 7 sexual exploitation.

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Requirement Due date

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 — 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that all significant incidents are notified to Ofsted. The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that issues of maintenance in the home are addressed. Specifically, some walls around the home need repainting due to marks being visible and the toilet seat in the downstairs bathroom needs fixing. 9 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. 9 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2827995 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

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

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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.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that when children are not in full time education, there is clear structure and routine in place at the home to support both formal and informal learning opportunities during the school day. The registered person must compile in relation to the children's home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 9 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2827995 9 In particular, the registered provider must ensure that the homes Statement of purpose is sent to the regulator when changes in staffing occur.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the manager of the home applies for registration with Ofsted. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 60, paragraph 12.1)

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Recommendations

 As outlined in 10.1, the registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. Staffing structures should promote continuity of care for the child ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 54, paragraphs 10.15)

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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 children's home: 2827995 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: The Care Advantage Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Suite 3 115 London Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 5HP

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Andrea Threlfall

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2827995 11 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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