Children's Home run by Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2836657 1 Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns and manages this home. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children who have had adverse childhood experiences that have led to associated trauma and complex behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 28 July 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: 10 February 2026

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2836657 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/02/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2836657 3

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Summary of findings

The child living in the home is making progress and is settled. The child has developed strong relationships with key members of staff and is being supported to spend time with their birth family in preparation for their next steps.

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Summary of findings

Incidents in the home have significantly reduced. The child is supported to make positive decisions. Staffing arrangements have been strengthened so that less experienced staff work alongside more experienced colleagues. This has supported relationship-building between the child and newer members of the team. Incidents of the child going missing from home are managed effectively, and the child is supported appropriately on their return.

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Summary of findings

Managers have reflected on practice since the last inspection, and learning from incidents has led to positive changes. Although there have been further changes to the staff team, there is now greater consideration of how these are managed to minimise the impact on the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The same child has lived in the home since the last inspection, with no other children moving in or out. While there have been some changes to the staff team, over half the team were in post at the last inspection. Several staff members have supported the child for a significant period. This continuity provides stability and reassurance and ensures that the child is cared for by trusted adults.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively support the child to contribute to decisions about their care. Reflective conversations, along with regular monthly meetings, are routinely held to understand the child’s views. The manager maintains strong oversight and provides timely and detailed responses. The child was supported to advocate for their needs at a recent care planning meeting. As a result, their views were considered, and future planning is progressing at a pace that reflects their wishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child continues to attend school. This represents significant progress, given their previous gap in education and the barriers to learning they have faced. After 6 months in education, professionals have identified that the current provision is not the best match for the child’s needs. The manager is working effectively with education providers to identify a more suitable placement. In the meantime, staff have adopted creative approaches to maintain the child’s engagement and motivation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s wishes and feelings are central to practice. Staff support the child to maintain relationships with friends and family and to pursue their interests. Investment in resources, such as new garden furniture and a trampoline, has enhanced the child’s Inspection report for children’s home: 2836657 4 experiences. The child regularly spends time with friends, attends weekly trampolining sessions and benefited from a holiday at Easter.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is well supported, with staff assisting with transport arrangements and facilitating time in the child’s local community. The manager has worked proactively to build positive relationships with family members. This helps to support the child in preparation for their future.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how to keep the child safe. They are knowledgeable about the child’s individual needs and associated risks and respond with appropriate and supportive strategies. As a result, incidents are infrequent and have reduced in severity. Consequently, staffing ratios have been safely reduced over time.

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

Following any incidents that do occur, staff engage the child in reflective discussions to help them understand and learn from their experiences. This approach contributes to a reduction in future incidents.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no allegations, complaints, incidents of self- harm or use of physical restraint.

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

Staff understand how to respond to incidents of the child going missing from home. There have been 8 episodes since the last inspection, typically occurring when the child stays out beyond agreed curfews when spending time with friends. The manager has developed strong relationships with the parents of the child’s friends and the child’s own family. This enables staff to locate the child quickly, and episodes are usually resolved within a few hours.

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

Return home interviews are carried out and there is effective partnership working with the placing social worker to identify patterns and reduce risk. Learning from these incidents is reflected in updated care plans, ensuring staff have current information to support the child effectively.

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

The home environment is well maintained and personalised to the child’s preferences. Any maintenance issues are addressed promptly, ensuring a comfortable and homely setting that promotes the child’s wellbeing. Recruitment processes are robust, helping to ensure that staff are suitably skilled and experienced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced, child-centred manager, supported by a full staff team. However, there have been further changes to the staff team since the last inspection, despite the relatively short timescale. This has had some impact on team cohesion and stability. Inspection report for children’s home: 2836657 5 There is clear evidence of reflection since the last inspection. Newer team members are working collaboratively as they build relationships with the child and develop confidence in their roles. Staff speak positively about the manager, saying they feel supported and listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has strengthened team development through reflective staff meetings and learning reviews. This includes discussions following the ending of a previous child’s placement, helping to embed learning in the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is generally of good quality and reflective in nature. However, contingency arrangements are not sufficiently robust to ensure supervision continues in the manager’s absence. In addition, supervision for staff in their probation period has not consistently met the frequency set out in the workforce development plan.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers maintain effective oversight of the quality of care. Incidents are reviewed, with input from both the manager and the responsible individual. Audits are regularly completed, with clear actions identified and follow-up review meetings used to monitor progress and learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the time of inspection, the organisation was moving to a new recording system. Although records were available, they were not always easily accessible, as they had not yet been centralised. This creates a risk that key information may not be readily available in the manager’s absence. While this is expected to improve once the new system is fully embedded, leaders must ensure that all relevant information is accurately recorded and accessible during the transition period. Inspection report for children’s home: 2836657 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records that are kept electronically (regulation 38) can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view them and, if required, be reproduced in an accessible form. In particular, the registered person should ensure that information stored by the manager can be accessed if needed when they are away from the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision of their practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2836657 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Positive Outcomes Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Agriculture House, Southwater Way, Telford, Shropshire TF3 4NR

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Inspector

Joanne Hawkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2836657 8 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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