Children's Home run by Country Homes For Children Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 1 Registered provider: Country Homes For Children Ltd

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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 privately owned home registered in January 2025 and provides care for up to 3 children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025 and is suitably experienced.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, no children were living in the home.

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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 and young people are not protected and 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: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/06/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 3

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Summary of findings

Children’s experiences are poor, and they are not effectively safeguarded. Staff do not consistently recognise risks, respond appropriately to concerns or provide stable and consistent care. Behaviour is not managed safely. Staff rely too frequently on police intervention instead of using effective de-escalation strategies. This results in children being arrested and unnecessarily criminalised.

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Summary of findings

When staff are unable to manage children’s behaviour, leaders issue immediate notice, which means that children have to leave the home at very short notice and without effective planning. As a result, children experience disruption and instability.

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Summary of findings

Children’s education and health needs were not met. These widespread and serious failings demonstrate poor and inadequate care and result in consistently negative experiences for children living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There are shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home and in the protection and safety of children. This has impacted on the quality of care for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home, and 3 children have moved out. Staff did not provide the child who moved in with clear or appropriate information about the home. Leaders served immediate notice to all 3 children, who then left the home. This lack of planning did not align with their long-term plans and resulted in abrupt and unplanned moves. This approach caused distress and uncertainty for the children and demonstrates a failure to prioritise their welfare and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not provide effective support to meet children’s individual needs. As a result, children make limited progress during their time living at the home. The manager does not escalate concerns appropriately or respond to children’s emerging needs. Consequently, children do not receive the stability, consistency or forward planning to support their emotional security and wellbeing, resulting in negative experiences for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s health needs are not consistently met by staff. Not all children have up-to-date health appointments, and referrals to external professionals to support children’s emotional wellbeing have not been made in a timely way. These delays negatively affect children’s wellbeing. The lack of timely and coordinated support leaves children feeling unsupported and, at times, distressed. This hinders their progress and compromises their overall safety and development. Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 4 Children’s educational needs are not prioritised, which hinders their progress and wellbeing. None of the children were enrolled in any education provision during their time at the home. Managers have not ensured that children have clear, up-to-date education plans or challenged external professionals when education reviews have been overdue. A social worker said their child was bored and that the lack of education

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Daily routines, structure and clear boundaries are not consistently provided to children. This lack of routine and predictability has a negative impact on children’s experiences and limits the progress they are able to make. The absence of consistent support has had a serious impact on children’s educational development, wider development and future opportunities, further contributing to poor outcomes for children living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to spend time with their families and other people who are important to them. This support helps children to maintain relationships with those who are significant in their lives and supports their sense of identity and emotional wellbeing.

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

Leaders and managers have not ensured that staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children. Staff practice does not consistently reflect children’s needs and risks. As a result, children do not always receive the support, supervision and safeguarding responses required to keep them safe and promote their welfare. These failures in leadership and practice mean that children are not safeguarded effectively, and this has hindered their ability to make progress.

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

Staff do not consistently implement the guidance set out in children’s missing-from-home plans. The police and relevant external professionals are not always notified within required timescales. When children return to the home, staff do not ensure that they are supported to understand the dangers and risks associated with going missing. This undermines children’s safety and wellbeing. Managers and staff do not demonstrate sufficient professional curiosity when reviewing patterns and trends in missing-from- home incidents and have failed to put effective preventative measures in place.

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

When children injure themselves, staff do not always seek appropriate medical advice or provide timely first aid. Staff also do not consistently check the environment to remove items that may pose a risk to children. This lack of appropriate response and ineffective risk management means that children are not kept safe, and it creates an unsafe environment, placing children at increased risk of further harm.

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

Staff do not support children effectively through challenging situations. They fail to de- escalate incidents safely and proportionately and do not always use restraint appropriately, which places children and others at risk of harm. On several occasions, staff have relied on police intervention to manage incidents, leading to the unnecessary arrest and criminalisation of children. In addition, staff and children are not consistently Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 5 spoken to following incidents, which removes opportunities to reflect, learn from events or evaluate the impact on those involved. This lack of post-incident support, oversight and reflection undermines leaders’ ability to safeguard children and improve practice.

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

Children are not supported well enough to understand how their behaviour affects others. Although staff talk to children about their current and previous behaviour, these discussions are often of poor quality and lack depth or purpose. As a result, children do not develop sufficient insight into their actions or learn how to manage their behaviour safely. This limits the progress children can make and reduces their ability to keep themselves and others safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Those responsible for leading the home are not providing effective leadership. The registered manager is supported by an experienced responsible individual; however, this arrangement does not provide the clear, consistent and accountable leadership required to sustain improvement. Although the management team is knowledgeable and supportive, leaders have not taken effective action to address identified shortfalls or ensure sustained improvements in practice. As a result, weaknesses continue and children’s experiences and safety have not improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders fail to identify shortfalls in staff practice or take appropriate action to safeguard children and promote their wellbeing. Leaders do not demonstrate adequate professional curiosity when reviewing staff practice or analysing concerns. Systems used to monitor and review practice are ineffective and do not provide leaders with sufficient oversight or assurance. As a result, these significant leadership weaknesses have led to ongoing failings in the quality of care and the protection of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Communication between leaders and staff is ineffective. Leaders are not consistently leading the home in line with the ethos and approach set out in the statement of purpose. Staff reported that not all members of the staff team understand their roles and responsibilities, and practice across the team is inconsistent. Staff also described guidance from the leaders as unclear. This demonstrates a disconnect between leaders and the staff team, which contributes to a lack of clarity, direction and consistency in care practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have not ensured that all staff have the necessary skills and experience to meet children’s needs. Staff are not sufficiently equipped to respond effectively when incidents occur and, without the required knowledge and skills, are unable to protect children appropriately or support them in a safe and informed way. Some staff have not received training in key areas, including managing incidents of self-harm and responding appropriately when children go missing from home. This lack of training has had a direct and negative impact on children’s safety, experiences and wellbeing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

When complaints and allegations are made, the manager does not always share information with relevant professionals within the required timescales. Incidents are not Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 6 investigated thoroughly or robustly, and children are not consistently informed of outcomes. This lack of effective communication undermines children’s trust in leaders and does not promote a culture of openness and transparency in the home. Consequently, children are not reassured that their concerns are taken seriously, which reduces their confidence to report worries or raise concerns in the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite the significant shortfalls identified, social workers reported that staff tried their best to support the children. However, this external feedback does not mitigate the serious concerns identified in practice, particularly in relation to safeguarding, leadership oversight and the consistency of care provided to children. Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 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

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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 located so that children are effectively safeguarded. 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 8 (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that there is clear written guidance to support staff in understanding each child’s risks and how these will be appropriately addressed. Staff and leaders must manage complaints and allegations thoroughly and effectively, ensuring that children are kept appropriately informed of the outcomes.

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

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Requirement Due date

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 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 9 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that all staff are trained to meet each child’s needs and that their monitoring systems are robust and effective to ensure children received a good quality of care.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that children are encouraged to attend all their health appointments and that referrals to external agencies are made to support children with their emotional wellbeing. 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 10 The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

and positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children. 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 11 (Reg 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that staff support and educate children to understand their risks and how to stay safe and manage their behaviours.

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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

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, 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; 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 12 the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(d)(e)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that children’s moves into and out of the home are positive and planned.

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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.

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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

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

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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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. 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 13 (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that children’s educational needs are promoted, and that children have an education plan for weekdays that suits their ability and needs.

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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.

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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. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that staff and child conversations are held within timescales after incidents and that these conversations are completed by someone who is independent. 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 14

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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: 2804883 15

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Country Homes For Children Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Manor House Farm, Hall Lane, Hilderstone, Stone, Staffordshire ST15 8SQ

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Inspector

Jas Nahar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2804883 16 and inspects 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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Inspector

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