Children's Home run by Affinity Childrens Services Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2746965 1 Registered provider: Affinity Children's Services 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

The home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to 3 children who experience emotional and behavioural difficulties. There were 2 children living in the home at the time of the inspection. Both children were spoken to by the inspector.

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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 or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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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: 2746965 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/05/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2746965 3

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Summary of findings

The home environment is well maintained, and children are supported to personalise their bedrooms. Children have experienced a high number of staff working at the home since the last inspection which.

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Summary of findings

Recruitment processes do not provide assurance that staff are suitable and safe to work in the home. The care of children is not informed by their local authority care plan due to these documents not being available to staff.

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Summary of findings

Leadership and management of the home have been unsettled since the last inspection. There is currently no registered manager or responsible individual in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, no children have moved into or out of the home. The children currently living in the home have resided there for over two years.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children have developed relationships with some of the staff who care for them. However, the high number of staff who have worked at the home, including those who have not been suitably vetted, has negatively impacted the quality and consistency of care that children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children continue to attend their education provisions. There is some evidence that staff support and encourage attendance; however, this has been inconsistent due to frequent changes in the staff supporting children. Despite this, education professionals report that children are making progress and doing well in school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is well presented and maintained. It is comfortably furnished and provides spaces where children can relax. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms in line with their individual preferences. This supports children to develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are approaching significant periods in the development for adulthood. However, placing authority plans are not available to staff or followed in practice. This has been exacerbated by multiple changes to the home's recording systems. As a result, staff are unable to consistently implement agreed plans. This limits children's opportunities to develop the skills they need for independence.

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

Children's safety plans have not been reviewed to reflect recent risks to children; information is not consistently available to all staff. Staff have not received training to Inspection report for children's home: 2746965 4 access the home's electronic recording system. This impacts staff being able to access information about how to care for and safeguard children.

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

When serious incidents occur, staff take appropriate action to protect children. However, not all incidents have been notified to Ofsted, or were notified late. This impacts the regulator's understanding of the provider's capacity to assess and respond to risk.

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

When children have made allegations, the investigations that follow have involved consultation with staff who have not been suitably vetted. This compromises the quality of the investigation and significantly undermines safeguarding practice, leaving children at risk of further harm.

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

Although there has been a reduction of recorded incidents in the home, poor oversight from leaders and inconsistent access to children's plans and records leave uncertainty of the accuracy of these records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management have been unstable since the last inspection. A high turnover of managers and responsible individuals has significantly weakened monitoring and oversight of the home. This has increased risks to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders have failed to ensure safe recruitment practices. As a result, children have been cared for by adults who have not been appropriately vetted. Unvetted staff, who are not named in the home's statement of purpose, are working in the home. This creates uncertainty about who is caring for children and significantly compromises safeguarding arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers lack the necessary skills and knowledge to ensure that children receive safe and effective care. They do not demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the children's homes regulations and fail to ensure that care is informed by placing authorities' plans. This has resulted in inconsistent practice, weak safeguarding arrangements and poor outcomes for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2746965 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the 'Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards'. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)) 29 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children's home that—

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2746965 6 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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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.

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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 staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(i)(iii)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children's important plans and records, including local authority care plans or 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2746965 7 pathway plans are accessible and inform the care that staff provide to children.

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children's home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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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

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1) (5)(a)(b) (7)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that recruitment checks for all staff, including the responsible individual and manager, are thorough and provide assurance that those appointed to work in the home are suitable and safe. 29 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

* Requirement under Regulation 13 is subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2746965 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Affinity Childrens Services Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: The Old Coach House, Horse Fair, Rugeley WS15 2EL

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Inspector

Becky Rutter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2746965 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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