Children's Home run by Sphere Care Solutions in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 1 Registered provider: Sphere Care Solutions

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates this children’s home. The home is registered to provide care for one child with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. The inspector spoke with the child.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no registered manager in place. The previous registered manager of the home left in September 2025. A new manager is in place and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/07/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 3

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Summary of findings

Significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice, leadership and management have been identified. This has impacted on the child’s progression and the child being effectively safeguarded. As a result, a decision was made to serve a suspension notice with immediate effect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Shortfalls in safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home has impacted on the child’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home has not been maintained to provide the child with a nurturing or welcoming home environment. The flooring and some furnishings throughout the home are poorly fitted Internal areas of the home are unclean and damage to a bathroom door and wall has not been repaired. Communal bathroom locks are not accessible externally in the event of an emergency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not support the child to maintain a clean or safe bedroom. Their room was unclean, with clothes, empty bottles and food wrappers on the floor. There was evidence of crockery with old food remaining in areas of the room. There was broken bedroom furniture and no suitable safety measures on windows. Leaders and managers were aware of these concerns but failed to take timely action.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not have access to the local authority’s care plans and reviews for the child. This significantly limits their understanding of the child’s needs and impacts on their ability to support the child’s progress in key areas, including relationships, education, and preparation for independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child is not in education and staff are unclear of what the child’s education plan is. Leaders and managers have failed to put plans in place of alternative education activities for the child. This does not enable the child to achieve their full educational potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There is a lack of routine and structure for the child, they spend prolonged periods of time away from the home. Action has not been taken to address this and to ensure that the child has a clear structure and routine. Furthermore, staff had not ensured that arrangements for the child to spend time with family were safe and authorised by the local authority.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child is registered with relevant health services. Staff support the child to experience activities in line with their interests, including go karting. Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 4

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

Safeguarding practice in the home is poor. As a result, the child was at risk of significant harm. Due to the significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice, a decision was made to serve a suspension notice with immediate effect.

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

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the home environment is safe. The child has been able to access a screwdriver and knife from an unsecure cabinet. The child then held the knife to a staff members throat. Staff lack the necessary skills to effectively manage the child’s behaviour or appropriately deescalate situations. As a result, there has been an increase of aggression and assaults on staff.

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

An incident occurred at the home which placed the child at significant risk of harm. Due to not being able to gain access to the home, the child climbed onto the roof of the home. Emergency services were required to support the child down safely.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to implement robust risk management processes and have not responded appropriately to known risks to ensure that the child is adequately safeguarded. In addition, staff did not understand the risks posed to the child when staying with family overnight.

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

Staff lack the knowledge and skills to manage known risks for the child. Despite the child having engaged in previous fire setting in the home, the child continues to smoke in their bedroom. Staff are not vigilant in checking the child’s room or in ensuring that the child does not have access to items that pose a fire risk.

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

Staff responses to the child going missing from the home is poor. Staff do not take action to report the child missing or take the necessary action to locate them. When the child returns, they don’t always have the opportunity to speak with someone independent.

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

Staff did not seek medical advice when the child presented under the influence of substances following time in the community. This means that action was not taken to ensure that the child was safe.

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

The quality of incident recording is poor. Not all safeguarding incidents or physical interventions are recorded or shared with the relevant professionals in a timely manner. Staff do not receive debriefs following incidents. This is a missed opportunity for reflection and learning, and for assessing and supporting individual staff wellbeing.

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

Direct work with the child is not effective. Staff do not always speak with the child following incidents or when new risks are identified. This is a missed opportunity to support the child to develop strategies to manage their emotions and to safeguard them by educating them on potential risks and how to stay safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 5 Appropriate action is not always taken when the child has raised concerns regarding staff practice. Leaders and managers do not always investigate allegations thoroughly, and records of any actions taken are poor. The child is not always informed of the outcome of investigations. This leaves the child at risk of feeling unsupported and that they are not listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are serious shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home that compromise the quality of care provided to the child. Leaders and managers do not understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. The manager has not demonstrated sufficient assurance to the regulator that all necessary actions are being taken to meet the child’s support needs and safeguard them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Records demonstrate that the leaders and managers do not have oversight of all safeguarding incidents. This means that shortfalls in practice are not always identified and limits opportunities for staff to learn and reflect on how they support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not escalate concerns when local authority care planning documents and reviews have not been shared. Care planning documents including health reviews and pathway plans are either out of date or not relevant to the child’s current circumstances.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not ensure that all recruitment checks are completed before staff start to work in the home. For example, online DBS service checks do not correspond with DBS certificates on file, references are not verified, and discrepancies in employment histories are not identified or explored. This does not ensure that all staff working in the home are safe to work with the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff spoken to are positive about the support they receive from the manager. However, staff do not receive regular supervision. Records demonstrate that supervision is not personalised to the specific staff member and there is limited reflection on the care being provided to the child. This is a missed opportunity for staff to reflect on their practice and professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff have completed relevant training to be able to meet the needs of the child, including first aid, PACE, ADHD and refresher training on other relevant topics. This has impacted on staff’s ability to deescalate incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers lack understanding around safeguarding notifications to the regulator. As a result, not all serious incidents have been notified. The statement of purpose is not regularly reviewed, and it does not include the details and experience of all staff working in the home. Furthermore, the Annexe A form is not factually accurate. Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 6 Management and staff have developed positive working relationships with other professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 7

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 8 (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff take action to safeguard children at all times.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff seek medical advice when a child presents under the influence of a substance.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children’s records are maintained to include all known risks and regularly reviewed.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have the skills, knowledge and understanding to meet children’s needs and manage risks.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that meaningful work around the child’s known risk is completed with child to help them understand how to keep safe.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that meaningful direct work is done with the child following safeguarding incidents.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff take action to search for children when they are missing.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure at all times sharp items are kept in a secure and locked storage unit.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all bathroom’s door locks are accessible externally and any exit pathways from the home are clear of hazards.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure window restrictors are on the child’s bedroom window.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that including broken bedroom furniture is removed.

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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— 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 9 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure all incidents are reviewed and that all shortfalls in staff practice are identified and action is taken to address these.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that debriefs are done with staff and the child following safeguarding incidents.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff are provided with the guidance to meet children’s individual needs and safeguard them at all times.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that systems are in place for the manager to monitor and review the quality of care in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 10 Ensure that all staff have completed all required training to meet all children’s needs.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission; or

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(c)(d)(e)(i)(ii)(f)) 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 11 Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that they have a copy of all local authority plans for the child including those that have been reviewed.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff know and understand the local authority’s agreed family time arrangements for the child.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the child is supported to contribute to their plans.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular—

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provide for records to be kept of an allegation of abuse or neglect, and the action taken in response;

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describe the measures which may be necessary to protect children following an allegation of abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

describe how and to whom staff are to report, without delay, any concern about abuse or neglect of a child.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that allegations made by the child against staff members are thoroughly investigated and recorded. That the outcome of the allegation is shared with the child. 24 June 2026

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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. 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 12 The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 13 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that any physical interventions are recorded in detail and that debriefs are completed with both children and staff.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring the child’s placement plans are completed and reviewed regularly. That they reflect the local authority’s care plan for the child including their support needs, health, education and care plan.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that search of the child’s personal belongings are recorded correctly.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the Annexe A is factual accurate 24 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

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b)) 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 14 Specifically, leaders and managers to ensure DBS update service information checks correspondence with the DBS certificate provided.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that where staff employment dates don’t correspond with those on their applications forms, CVs and references these are scrutinised and there is evidence of scrutiny.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all employment references are verified along with dates of employment.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all forms of identification are verified and if there is any difference in details these are scrutinised.

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Requirement Due date

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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that the child is supported to maintain their bedrooms to a good standard.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all areas of the home are free from hazards that action is taken to address all maintenance issues.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure maintenance work is completed to a good standard. 24 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. 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 15 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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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

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 a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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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

(Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when the child is not attending an education setting, they are actively encouraged to engage in alternative educational activities and provided with a structured routine which is kept under review.

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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

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 any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that Ofsted is informed of all serious incidents in the home including 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 16 when the child has been missing for periods of time. Where the child has access items within the home that should have been secure such as sharps and staff computer.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they escalate concerns when local authority documents are not received. 24 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that the statement of purpose is review when there is a change to staff. That it includes details of the experience and qualifications of staff. 24 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 17

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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: 2819939 18

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sphere Care Solutions

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 152a Deansgate, Bolton BL1 1BB

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Olugbenga Odebunmi

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Inspectors

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Michelle McGrath, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2819939 19 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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