Children's Home run by Compassionate Children’s Care & Support Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report for children’s home: 2824900 1 Registered provider: Compassionate Children’s Care & Support 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 owned by a private provider. It provides care for one child who may have social and/or emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living at the home at the time of the inspection. No children have moved in or out of the home since the last inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in March 2025.

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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: 2824900 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/08/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2824900 3

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Summary of findings

Managers and staff ensure that the child’s voice is at the heart of their practice.

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Summary of findings

Managers lead by example to ensure that staff practice is continuously developing.

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Summary of findings

The child sees this as their home and is making good progress in all aspects of their life.

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Summary of findings

Staff know how to keep the child safe and are attuned to their needs and how they communicate them.

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Summary of findings

Guidance provided to staff on the child’s personal care needs should be strengthened to prevent any safeguarding issues, and repairs to the home need to be timely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child lives in a home where they are genuinely cherished by the adults caring for them. Managers and staff provide consistent, nurturing care and celebrate their progress. The child has developed a strong sense of belonging to the home and strong bonds with the staff who help them feel safe and loved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consistently use a child-led approach in their practice, encouraging the child to take the lead in interactions. This means that the child is making progress in expressing their thoughts and feelings. They have recently begun to smile and laugh in response to things that bring them joy, such as listening to their favourite music. This empowers the child to communicate their needs and express their individual preferences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff have well-established lines of communication with education professionals. This means that the child’s attendance at school has significantly improved. When the child does experience emotional barriers to going to school, managers lead a multi-agency meeting to understand the triggers of anxiety for the child and how they can help her feel safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys walks with staff as well as their favourite activity of going out with staff in the van. When the child chooses to have quiet time in their room, staff recognise this and give space while remaining close by. Staff are attuned and responsive to the child’s needs and wishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff continuously rethink areas of the home to reflect the child’s interests and help them to develop important skills. They have added a small ‘hair salon’ to the sensory room to encourage the child to care for their hair. The child’s artwork is proudly on display, and there are a variety of sensory items around the home. However, repairs are sometimes delayed, such as minor damage to the living room ceiling and a leak in Inspection report for children’s home: 2824900 4 the conservatory. There are also occasions when the standard household bins are insufficient for managing the disposal of personal hygiene products. This does not ensure that the child lives in a consistently well-maintained home with high standards of cleanliness.

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

Staff understand the risks for the child and know how to keep them safe. Staff communicate calmly and clearly with each other when they are caring for the child. This consistent dialogue helps them to develop effective strategies to keep the child safe in the moment, as well as plan for future situations that may present challenges for the child.

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

The use of physical intervention by staff is minimal. When the child is upset, staff use a coordinated approach to give them the space they need but also remain close by. During times of distress, the child has started to actively seek out the people caring for them as a source of comfort.

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

Several new staff have joined the team since the last inspection. Leaders and managers ensure that new staff complete an induction that includes completing shadow shifts with more experienced staff. However, the current guidance for staff on the child’s personal care lacks clarity. This means that there is sometimes uncertainty about who is responsible for specific tasks and how these should be carried out. Although this has not resulted in a safeguarding incident, it is a missed opportunity to ensure that staff practice maintains the child’s dignity and ensures they are safeguarded.

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

Leaders and managers complete safer-recruitment checks with diligence. The manager has full oversight of the checks completed on new staff. This ensures that all staff working in the home are safe to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel valued by leaders and managers, who provide them with recognition for their achievements. Partner agencies praise the commitment of the managers and staff, and they say that the registered manager is a strong advocate for the child. The child lives in a home filled with positivity, and their voice is at the centre of their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a positive presence in the home. Managers often practise alongside staff, and staff feel confident in speaking with them about any concerns. As a result, managers identify and address any areas for development in staff practice immediately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong multi-agency approach to the child’s care led by leaders and managers. Managers promote a high level of accountability across all the different agencies involved in the child’s life. They also share information and strategies to ensure that their Inspection report for children’s home: 2824900 5 responses to the child’s needs are aligned. This ensures that the child’s care is consistent and reflects their developing needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have robust oversight of the child’s health needs. They ensure that medical professionals are furnished with the information they need when the child’s medication is being reviewed. This ensures that decisions made about the child’s health needs are always in their best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions and appraisals by managers. There are spaces where staff can reflect on their practice and identify areas for development with a solution-focused approach. This means that there is a high level of ownership by staff in developing their practice. However, although the manager spends time gathering feedback from different agencies that have worked alongside the staff members, this is not used in appraisals to help establish future development goals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2824900 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; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child’s plans provide staff with clear guidance to follow to keep children safe and protect their dignity. This relates specifically to the child’s personal care needs. 17 July 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the child lives in a warm and welcoming environment that has a homely feel and ensure that repairs are completed to the conservatory and living-room ceiling. Additionally, the registered person should arrange for the timely and safe disposal of personal hygiene products. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff appraisals take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other agencies that have worked with the staff member over the year. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 2824900 7

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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: 2824900 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Compassionate Children’s Care & Support Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Castle Hill Court, Mill Lane, Ashley, Altrincham WA15 0RE

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Inspectors

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Inspector Jayne Lord, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2824900 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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