Children's Home run by Phoenix Adolescent Care Limited in Tameside

Inspection report children's home: 2823999 1 Registered provider: Phoenix Adolescent 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 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in December 2025.

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Information about this children's home

This is the homes first inspection since it was registered. 1 child was living at the home at the time of this inspection. The child spoke with the inspector about their experiences of living at the home.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children's home: 2823999 2 Inspection report children's home: 2823999 3

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Summary of findings

One child has moved into the home since it was registered. The child benefits from good-quality care that contributes to them making good progress. Staff have a clear understanding of the needs of the child in their care. There are clear procedures for reporting and managing safeguarding concerns and staff have a good understanding of these processes. Not all safer recruitment processes have been followed. Records of what training staff have completed are not accurate. Leaders and managers have good oversight of the service. They are reflective and value feedback from stakeholders.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and the child are positive. This helps create a settled environment where the child can discuss any issues or concerns with staff in confidence. Because of this, the child has formed strong attachments with staff, which creates trust and respect. This helps the child to develop emotional resilience and to move forward positively in their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to ensure that the child lives in a safe, caring and supportive environment. This coordinated approach helps to improve outcomes for the child, especially in their behaviour and education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Suitable education arrangements are in place for the child. These are tailored to their needs and consider their previous educational circumstances. Staff work in partnership with education providers and other relevant professionals to ensure that the child has every opportunity to reach their full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to attend all health appointments. The manager ensures that appropriate support is in place to meet the child’s individual health needs. This support enables the child to achieve good health outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time and remain in contact with their family. This encourages the child to stay connected with people who are important to them and supports their identity and sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff undertake regular key work sessions with the child and there are further opportunities for them to express their wishes and feelings during children’s meetings. As a result, the child is involved in decisions about their daily care and in contributing to the running of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to develop their independence skills. They provide consistent encouragement and praise to help the child learn new skills. This approach Inspection report children's home: 2823999 4 increased the child’s confidence to try new things which is helping them to develop important life skills for their future.

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

The child feels safe living at the home. The quality of relationships between the child and staff is a strength of the home. These positive relationships help the child to address previous concerning behaviours and work towards more positive outcomes. Staff promote open and honest communication that supports the child to share any worries or concerns

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

Staff complete detailed risk assessments for the child and keep these up to date through regular review. This ensures that as the child’s circumstances or needs change, staff remain alert to any emerging risks and can respond promptly to keep them safe.

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

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding practice and know how to protect the welfare of the child. There is good partnership working with external agencies, including the local authority and the police, to maintain a strong multi-agency approach to safeguarding the child.

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

There are clear and consistent boundaries in place for managing challenging behaviour. Although the child can present with difficult behaviours, staff respond consistently and use the strength of their relationships with the child to manage these situations. This means that staff have not needed to use physical intervention to manage behaviour.

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

There have been no incidents of the child not being where they are expected to be. Staff have a good understanding of what to do should the child go missing from home.

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

Safer recruitment processes are not consistently followed. Some staff are working in the home without all required employment checks being fully completed and verified, including verification of references and exploration of gaps in employment history. This shortfall places children at risk of harm as the provider cannot be assured that staff are safe and suitable to work with vulnerable children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective and passionate about his role. He has a clear understanding of both his own and the staff team’s strengths and areas for development. He has a strong vision for the home and has plans in place to achieve this. As a result, there is a clear drive to ensure that staff deliver the best possible care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is well supported by the responsible individual and a deputy manager who both share his vision for the standard of care provided to the child. This strong management structure ensures that the home is achieving its stated aims and objectives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff have access to a range of training opportunities. Inspection report children's home: 2823999 5 However, training records are not accurate with gaps where completed training has been recorded. This lack of effective oversight does not support the manager in monitoring or reviewing staff training and limits his ability to ensure that all staff have the required knowledge and skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff enjoy working at the home and say that they feel well supported by the management team. Staff benefit from regular supervision and team meetings which consider the individual needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are well attended and occur monthly. They cover topics that are relevant to the current issues arising at the home. They are used as a development opportunity for the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have formed positive relationships with a range of agencies, including police, teachers and social workers. This collaborative approach ensures that the child’s needs are fully met. Inspection report children's home: 2823999 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, 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have effective oversight of training records to ensure they are accurate and up to date. 22 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home; or if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(d)) 22 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2823999 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that when recruiting staff checking dates in work history and verifying all references.

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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: 2823999 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Phoenix Adolescent Care Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Flat 110, Victoria Mill, Houldsworth Street, Reddish, Stockport SK5 6AX

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Inspector

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2823999 9 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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