Children's Home run by Staffordshire County Council in Staffordshire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC065679 1 SC065679

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Registered provider: Staffordshire County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is managed by a local authority and provides residential short breaks for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post who is suitably qualified and experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. Both children were present during the inspection and chose to speak with the inspector.

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Inspection date: 24 March 2026

Date of last inspection: 9 September 2025

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Inspection date: 24 March 2026

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 24 March 2026

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC065679 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

At the last inspection, the organisation was reviewing its service offer. Since then, a formal request has been submitted to the regulator for a variation to the conditions under which the home operates. Leaders have consistently communicated the emerging demands on the service to support children who require emergency care. The registered manager has kept the regulator informed of changes made to internal policies to reflect this development. Since the last inspection, no families have received planned short breaks. A total of 14 children have used the service for emergency accommodation.

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Findings from the inspection

Three of the 6 requirements raised at the last full inspection have been repeated following this inspection. The remaining 3 requirements have been met. In addition, both recommendations made at the last inspection have been completed.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, the quality of care planning for children when they arrive at the home and when they move on has improved. Staff support children to establish clear and consistent routines as they settle into the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are supported to access appropriate education provision, and all necessary routine health appointments are attended. Staff make arrangements to help children maintain pre-existing positive relationships and to develop new social activities that reflect their individual interests and hobbies. This approach supports children to build stability, develop a sense of belonging and make positive progress in their overall wellbeing and development.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff and leaders actively seek and respond to children’s views, wishes and feelings. Children benefit from a wide range of meaningful planned discussions, during which staff consistently invest time in helping them explore both past and current experiences. For example, one child was supported to complete a family tree, which provided valuable opportunities to explore and understand key relationships in their life. This approach supports children to develop trusting and safe relationships and strengthens their sense of identity.

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Findings from the inspection

When children go missing from the home, staff take appropriate and timely action to ensure that they are safely located and returned. Each child has an individualised risk plan in place that provides clear guidance for staff to follow. Information is shared, escalated and reviewed effectively through regular multi-agency meetings. This ensures that professionals carefully consider all factors that may increase a child’s vulnerability to harm. This coordinated approach enables professionals to implement targeted plans to reduce and disrupt the risks associated with children going missing from home. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC065679 3 When children experience difficulties in safely regulating their behaviour, staff do not consistently apply behaviour management strategies approved by managers to minimise risk at the earliest opportunity. This results in missed opportunities to prevent children from becoming at risk of criminalisation. When additional agency

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Findings from the inspection

staff are deployed to support children with complex safety needs, leaders do not ensure that children’s individual behaviour management plans are accurately updated to reflect the full range of measures of control used in practice. This shortfall limits the effectiveness of behaviour management approaches and reduces the consistency of care that children experience.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders do not consistently provide the home’s quality of care review and the monthly independent visitor reports to the regulator as required. These delays reduce the effectiveness of external oversight in ensuring that children’s experiences consistently meet the required standards. Systems for monitoring and reviewing staff supervision records, as well as oversight of staff’s progress in completing required training, lack efficiency. As a result, leaders do not yet have sufficiently robust systems in place to ensure that all staff are effectively supported and suitably skilled to consistently meet children’s needs. The leadership team has recognised these shortfalls and has started to take steps to strengthen monitoring and review systems. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC065679 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/05/2024 Full Outstanding 23/05/2023 Full Good 09/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC065679 5

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff consistently following the guidance set out in children’s individual risk assessments, to ensure children are safeguarded effectively when there is a serious concern raised about their welfare. 8 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— 8 May 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC065679 6 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person maintaining good oversight to ensure that there are effective monitoring and review systems in place to improve practice, particularly around staff training and development.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the timely and proportionate use of effective measures of control to ensure children do not experience delays in staff supporting them to safely manage their behaviours to minimise their exposure to harm. 8 May 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC065679 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Staffordshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Staffordshire Place, Stafford, Staffordshire ST16 2DH

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Inspector

Charlotte Tippett, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC065679 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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