Children's Home run by Attivo Care Ltd in Halton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2680573 1 Registered provider: Attivo Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home, and they spoke to the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The home currently does not have a registered manager. An interim manager is in post 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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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 for children’s home: 2680573 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2025 Full Good 21/01/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/09/2024 Full Inadequate 03/10/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2680573 3

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Summary of findings

There is a new manager and staff team in place who understand the children’s needs. These changes have not affected the progress children are making, and they have developed trusting relationships with staff. Children feel safe, and staff support their health, independence and cultural needs effectively. However, progress in education is inconsistent, and missing-from-home incidents are not yet managed consistently. Staff access training, supervision and team meetings, although not all have completed required qualifications within timescales.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staffing arrangements in the home have gone through a period of change over the last 12 months. There has been a change in the manager and staff team. Despite this, children’s progress has remained stable. Children have developed positive and trusting relationships with staff. They are cared for by a nurturing and committed staff team who have a good understanding of each child’s individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of children’s health needs and past trauma. They work with other professionals and provide children with guidance on health -related issues. The company’s therapist provides staff with advice and guidance to support children’s emotional needs. This means that children are supported in leading a healthier lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Childrens educational progress is inconsistent. One child attend school regularly, is completing their GCSE exams and has clear future aspirations. In contrast, the other child is not currently attending school. Although the manager is working with professionals to identify a suitable alternative provision, staff do not provide a structured daily routine that includes formal and informal learning. As a result, opportunities to reinforce the importance of education are being missed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support children to engage in a wide range of community activities. These include bike rides, long walks, trips to the beach and water parks, as well as a recent camping trip to the Lake District. Through these experiences, children develop new skills, which builds on their self-esteem and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to have positive family time and to have regular phone contact with parents. Staff support children to spend time with their families to ensure that they develop and sustain close relationships with people who are most important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s independence by helping children develop age-appropriate life skills. Children learn budgeting, shopping, cooking and laundry skills, which increases their confidence and prepares them for independent living in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2680573 4 Staff support children to understand their cultural identity. One child regularly attends the local mosque, where staff have developed a good relationship with the Imam. Staff also ensure that both children celebrate significant cultural events, helping them to develop a strong sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a comfortable, tidy, and safe environment. Staff support them to personalise their bedrooms, creating a homely atmosphere. The manager has plans to further develop the home to better reflect the children’s needs and preferences. However, the manager has not ensured that children receive sufficient support to keep their en-suite bathrooms clean, which impacts the overall standard of the environment.

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

Children’s safety and welfare is at the heart of staff practice. Children say that they feel safe living in the home and understand how to raise any concerns. There have been no complaints. Staff regularly seek children’s views about their day-to-day care, ensuring that children feel listened to and that their opinions are valued.

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

The manager has strengthened staff knowledge through additional training. As a result, staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and individual needs. Clear and detailed risk assessments guide staff practice, ensuring that they have the knowledge and skills required to safeguard children effectively.

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

There are clear missing from home risk assessment in place. When a child goes missing from home, the staff report the child to the police in the appropriate timescales. However, on one occasion the manager did not ensure that staff who could drive were available to actively search for the child, which limited staff’s ability to follow agreed procedures. In addition, staff do not consistently offer children the opportunity to speak with an independent person following their return, which reduces opportunities to gather their views and understand their experiences.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour effectively. They use meaningful, individualised incentives and rewards to encourage positive behaviour. When staff apply consequences, they ensure that these are fair and proportionate. There have been no physical interventions.

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

Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks as part of developing independence. They encourage children to maintain friendships safely in the community and provide guidance to help them understand how their choice may affect their safety. As a result, risks have reduced and children are making, positive choices in keeping themselves safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has been without a registered manager since February 2025. The previous manager submitted an application to register with Ofsted before leaving and the current manager has since submitted his application. He is child centred, caring and dedicated Inspection report for children’s home: 2680573 5 and has a good understanding of children’s needs. He has a clear vision to improve the quality of care and is actively working towards his leadership and management qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective systems in place to ensure that he has good oversight of the day-to-day practice. The manager has completed a comprehensive review of the quality of care provided; however, this does not include feedback from children, staff or parents. This limits the managers ability to fully evaluate the impact of care and identify areas for further development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is now a stable staff team in place who are providing consistency for children. Staff share the same aspirations as the manager and want to make a positive difference to children’s lives. They speak positively about the new manager and the increased support they receive, which contributes to improved morale and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a comprehensive induction and training programme in place for staff. The manager ensures that staff complete specific training to meet the children’s individual needs. Staff said that the training gives them the confidence in their roles. However, some staff have not completed their required qualifications in the appropriate time scales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides regular and supportive supervision for staff. These sessions help staff to reflect on their practice and identify further learning needs. In addition, the area manager delivers monthly group supervision sessions focused on specific topics, which supports shared learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and give staff an opportunity to discuss current issues and share good practice and information effectively. This ensures that there is consistency in meeting children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that children’s plans are clear, up to date, and understood by staff. These plans accurately identify children’s needs and are regularly reviewed. The manager works proactively with partner agencies, building strong professional relationships to ensure that children’s holistic needs are met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2680573 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 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that suitably trained staff who can drive are available to implement the child’s risk assessment and actively search for them when they are missing from home 14 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2680573 7 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

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

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that when children are not in formal education they are provided with an alternative planned routine and structure of learning through the school day to help them understand the importance of education. 14 July 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

The requirements are that— 14 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2680573 8 the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification, and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered provider must ensure that staff that work in the home in a care role have obtained their relevant qualification by the relevant date.

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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—

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Requirement Due date

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. 14 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2680573 9 The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5)

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Requirement Due date

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

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. In particular, the manager should ensure that they escalate their concerns when the LA have not arranged for an independent person to speak to the child on their return. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.3)  The registered provider should ensure that the home is maintained and there are clear routines in place to support children in keeping their bedroom clean especially the en- suite bathroom (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2680573 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Attivo Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Office 1, 41 to 43 Liverpool Road, Manchester M44 5BQ

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2680573 11 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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