Children's Home run by Oakfield Psychological Services in Trafford

Inspection report children’s home: 2799377 1 Registered provider: Oakfield Psychological Services

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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 operated 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

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home and they spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2025

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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 children’s home: 2799377 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/04/2025 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2799377 3

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Summary of findings

The child is happy, settled and making good progress across many areas of their life. A nurturing, highly motivated staff team supports them and holds high aspirations for their future. An internal therapist provides oversight of the therapeutic model, which ensures consistency in meeting the child’s emotional and mental health needs.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand the child’s needs and their safeguarding responsibilities, and they manage incidents effectively. Staff feel well supported and valued through meaningful supervision and training. However, not all serious incidents have been notified to Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lived at the home for over 12 months and has made significant progress in many aspects of their life. They speak positively about the care and support they receive from staff and describe their experiences of living in the home as positive. The child said they liked the staff and have developed strong and trusting relationships with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has effective arrangements in place to meet the child’s complex emotional and mental health needs. An in-house therapist provides regular direct support to the child and offers ongoing advice and guidance to staff. This therapeutic input supports consistent practice and contributes to improvements in the child’s mental health and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In the interim, the manager ensures that the child follows a clear and structured daily routine. The child engages in both formal and informal learning opportunities, including morning tutoring sessions, afternoon activities and the development of life skills. As a result, the child is gaining confidence in their abilities and now speaks positively about attending school in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to maintain positive family relationships. The child spends regular family time with their father, brother and sisters, who visit the home frequently. With staff support, the child also spends time with family members in the local community. This helps the child to build positive memories with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is encouraged and supported to try new activities in the community. They regularly attend a local gymnastics club, go swimming, take walks with staff and visit fun fairs. These experiences help to build the child’s confidence and promote their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to develop age-appropriate life skills, including cooking, completing household tasks, managing their laundry, budgeting and shopping. This helps the child to build confidence and develop skills that will support increased independence in the future. Inspection report children’s home: 2799377 4 The home environment is clean, tidy and relaxed. The home has a range of age- appropriate games, which the child enjoys playing with staff. The manager is proactive in identifying and making improvements to the home, including work to make the environment more personal to the child.

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

The child is subject to a deprivation of liberty (DoL) order. In response to the progress the child has made, clear plans are now in place to begin a gradual reduction of restrictions. The child is fully involved in this process and understands the positive changes they are making. This promotes their engagement and sense of achievement.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s vulnerabilities and emotional needs. The manager ensures that comprehensive risk assessments and positive behaviour support plans are in place, regularly reviewed and updated. This provides staff a clear understanding of the child’s needs and ensure appropriate support is consistently provided.

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

Staff approach the child in a calm and caring way. They promote positive behaviour through clear incentives and rewards. Staff support the child to understand how their behaviour can affect their safety and well-being. As a result, the number of incidents has reduced and there have been no missing- from-home incidents.

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

The child said that they feel safe in the home and know how to raise any worries or concerns. The manager ensures that the child’s wishes and feelings are gathered regularly and are acted upon. This approach promotes the child’s sense of security, trust and belonging.

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

Staff use physical interventions only when necessary to prevent the child from harming themselves. The manager maintains clear oversight of all incidents and works closely with the in-house clinical team to identify patterns and triggers. Together, they develop strategies to help the child understand and manage their emotions and reduce risks to their safety.

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

When incidents of self-injury occur, staff respond promptly and seek appropriate support for the child. They speak to the child to understand the triggers for these incidents and put safeguards in place, such as room searches. Staff carry out these measures sensitively to protect the child’s dignity.

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

Significant incidents and allegations are generally managed well. When concerns about a staff members practice is raised, the manager takes appropriate action to ensure the child’s safety. The manager informs the local authority, however on one occasion the manager did not inform the regulator to ensure full transparency. Inspection report children’s home: 2799377 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child centred, caring and supportive. She has a good understanding of the child’s complex needs and has developed a positive and trusting relationship with the child. She acts as a positive role model for staff. As a result, staff are motivated and well equipped to provide consistent and nurturing care. The manager is currently working towards completing her management qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a strong focus on the quality of care provided to the child. She has effective systems in place that give her clear oversight of the day-to-day practice. She has completed a quality-of-care review; however, this does not include an evaluation of feedback from the child, parents, professionals and staff. This prevents the manager having full oversight of the quality of care being provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a committed staff team in place who supports the child well. Staff work effectively together, know the child well and communicate clearly. They share relevant information during daily handovers, which promotes consistency and stability for the child. Staff speak positively about the support they receive from the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a comprehensive training programme in place. The manager ensures that staff receive additional, specialist training to meet the child’s individual needs. The in-house therapist supports staff learning and provides oversight of the therapeutic model of care. Staff said that they valued this support, as it increases their confidence in meeting the child’s emotional and mental health needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff receive regular supervision and appraisals. These sessions are supportive and give staff opportunities to reflect on their practice and receive clear guidance to develop their skills and knowledge in line with the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend regular team meetings, which provide opportunities to share information, discuss effective practice and identify areas for development. The child is invited to attend part of these meetings to share their views and experiences of living at the home. This promotes consistent care and helps the child feel involved in decisions about their day-to-day life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work proactively with other professionals and the child’s parents to ensure the child’s holistic needs are met. The manager provides weekly updates to families and professionals, ensuring that they remain informed about the child’s progress and ongoing plans. Inspection report children’s home: 2799377 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 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, 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 —

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all significant incidents of concerns about staffs practice are notified to Ofsted.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restate 21 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality-of-care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating— 21 August 2026 Inspection report children’s home: 2799377 7 the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the review of the quality of care includes the views of children, staff, external professionals and family members to help inform the strengths and any areas for improvement.

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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: 2799377 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oakfield Psychological Services

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 10 Ambassador Place, Stockport Road, Altrincham WA15 8DB

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2799377 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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