Children's Home run by Positive Futures Support Care Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children's home: 2859322 1 Registered provider: Positive Futures Support Care 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

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, there was one child living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025.

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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/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2859322 2

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Summary of findings

Weaknesses in leadership and management, particularly in care planning, have meant that children's moves into the home have not been sufficiently planned. This has negatively impacted a child's safety, progress and lived experience while living in the home.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have not taken a consistent approach to managing risks that exist for children. As a result, critical work linked to managing these risks has been missed.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to ensure that staff recruitment supports the safeguarding of children and provides consistency of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children's experiences of living at the home are mixed. One child moved into the home on an emergency basis. The poor planning for this child's move meant that the staff were unable to meet the child's complex needs. As a result, their time living in the home ended prematurely. Leaders and managers did not fully consider all relevant risk factors before the child moved in, and staff skills and experience did not adequately meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff's relationships with the child were poor and they were unable to maintain consistent daily routines. As a result, the child did not regularly access activities in the community or educational opportunities. The child spent significant periods of time in their bedroom, which left them isolated and impacted their sense of permanence. This significantly limited the child's overall experiences and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Following the end of the child's time at the home, changes were made to better support children's moves. These included improvements to planning processes ahead of their move. Despite this change, leaders and managers failed to fully understand and manage risks associated with the child's complex needs. As a consequence, they remain at risk of exploitation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child currently living in the home has appropriate routines and structure in place. The manager has supported them to access education regularly, and work has been completed to build their future aspirations as a construction worker. They have been able to take part in activities, such as go-karting, paintball and bowling. The child has also been able to have meals in restaurants in the community, which have broadened their overall life experiences. The child's cultural needs are understood, and they have been supported in celebrating their birthday with family and friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff understand how important it is for children to spend time with the people who Inspection report for children's home: 2859322 3 matter to them. The manager collaborates with children's services and parents to ensure that contact is handled sensitively and more opportunities for family time are explored.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

During the inspection, the child spoke positively about their time spent with staff. They appreciate the support from staff and the positive relationships they have formed with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is warm and comfortable. The child has opportunities to personalise their bedroom and share their ideas for its decoration.

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

Systems for reviewing and evaluating incidents lack consistency. Records of physical interventions used by staff in the home lack clarity. Holds used by staff are not recorded accurately and there have also been instances where agency staff have supported staff in the home to hold children without the requisite training. This could lead to children being physically harmed.

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

Risk assessments are completed and updated following incidents. Despite this, risks linked to children's access to social media and offending in the community have not been adequately recognised within assessments. This means that staff do not have a sufficient understanding of children's risks, and specific key work used to reduce risks has not been prioritised.

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

Children have benefited from restorative approaches to consequences and rewards are used to promote positive behaviour. Children have not gone missing from the home and staff have demonstrated a positive understanding of the strategies used to deter periods where children are missing from home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that sufficient checks have been completed to ensure that staff are safe to work with children. Managers and leaders have not been curious with regards to gaps in employment and concerns raised by previous employers have not been appropriately understood or risk assessed. Leaders and managers have also failed to ensure that sufficient checks have been completed with directors in the organisation prior to them having contact with children living in the home. This has left children vulnerable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staffing in the home has lacked stability and, as a consequence, there has been a reliance on agency staff. Staffing rotas have not adequately identified which staff have been employed on shift. This has meant that there has been a lack of clarity with regards to who has been working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home's statement of purpose has not been kept up to date. The staffing list does not reflect those working in the home or the delivery of therapeutic support. This limits the regulator's oversight of those caring for the children. Inspection report for children's home: 2859322 4 Due to a lack of available staff, the manager made the decision to covers shifts in the home on a temporary basis. This subsequently impacted on her ability to sustain her responsibilities as a manager. Changes in the staff team to support resilience within the home have been made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff report that morale has improved and that there is more consistency in the home. This has included improvements to staff training and the development of a new staff team. Despite these developments, there remain shortfalls in the consistency of staff supervision and team meetings. This limits opportunities for reflection and professional development. Inspection report for children's home: 2859322 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—

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that there are clear plans in place for staff to follow to safeguard the child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that key work is delivered that prioritises a reduction in the risks that children face. 15 June 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; 15 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2859322 6 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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that there is consistent leadership and management of the home; that systems are in place to review the quality of care in the home; that there is sufficient staffing in the home; and that all incidents are reviewed to ensure that they are in compliance with regulation.

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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, if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

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

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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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. (Regulation 32 (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 15 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2859322 7 In particular, the registered person should ensure that sufficient checks are completed to verify gaps in employment, determine why the employment of staff ended and manage potential risks raised that are linked to staff's previous employment.

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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

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child's welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that staff employed in the home are able to deliver high-quality, individualised care and help children to fulfil their potential. 15 August 2026

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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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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— 15 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2859322 8 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that sufficient assessment is completed ahead of children's arrivals to ensure the needs of children can be met by the skills and experience of the staff working in the home.

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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. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the name, qualifications and professional supervision of the staff involved in providing any healthcare or therapy are recorded. 15 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff receive supervision that is completed in line with the service operating procedure. Specifically, this supervision should be sufficiently reflective to support staff professional development. 15 August 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. 15 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2859322 9 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;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used, or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The use of external agency staff can be a positive choice to complement the skills and experiences of the permanent workforce. Any external agency staff should meet the requirements in regulation 32(4) regarding mandatory qualifications and the registered person should consider their skills, qualifications and any induction necessary before they commence work in the home. The use of agency staff should be carefully monitored and reviewed to ensure children receive continuity of care. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 10, paragraph 16)

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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: 2859322 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Positive Futures Support Care Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 25 Goodlass Road Unit A310, Valleyfield Accountants, Liverpool L24 9HJ

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Inspectors

Jon Dutton, Social Care Inspector Julie Elder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2859322 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 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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