Children's Home run by St Mary’s Children’s Home Limited in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2807085 1 Registered provider: St Mary’s Children’s Home 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 registered with Ofsted in August 2025 and is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. One child spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

A new manager has been recruited 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

Date of last inspection: 3 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: 2807085 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/02/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2807085 3

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Summary of findings

Children make good progress in relation to their starting points and benefit from positive relationships with staff. Staff provide children with consistency and stability in their lives.

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Summary of findings

Staff ensure that children are kept safe and feel safe. Children benefit from a homely, comfortable and cosy living environment.

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Summary of findings

Staff maintain effective partnerships with professionals to meet the specific needs of children.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have not notified Ofsted of two significant incidents in order to ensure that there is regulatory oversight of the care provided for children.

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Summary of findings

The needs of children are carefully assessed. However, the manager’s compatibility assessment for one child moving into the home does not clearly show how children were matched to live together safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. They have settled in quickly and formed positive relationships with the staff. One child said, ‘I’m happy here. It’s good.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s needs are carefully assessed and the social workers for both children were consulted prior to one child moving into the home. However, the manager’s compatibility assessment did not include a clear evaluation of the matching process in order to show how the children were suitably matched. However, both children live together safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress and benefit from well-planned care that promotes their needs effectively. They benefit from stability and consistency in their lives. A social worker said, ‘I couldn’t be happier. I wouldn’t hesitate to place a child there again. I think [the child’s name] progress is massive.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff address the health needs of children effectively and ensure that they have access to the services that they need to be healthy. Medical consent is obtained and staff ensure that children’s medication is stored and administered safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school with the help, support and encouragement from staff. Staff have high aspirations for children and are supportive of their education and learning. Staff work in partnership with the education providers to promote children’s educational attainment and achievements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807085 4 Staff provide children with positive experiences. They promote family time so that children maintain meaningful relationships with the people who are most important to them. Children enjoy a range of positive activities with staff, including hair and beauty treatments, visits to amusement parks and attending music concerts.

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

Staff prioritise the children’s safety and take appropriate action to protect them from harm. Staff have a good understanding of their specific needs and vulnerabilities. A social worker said, ‘The [child’s name] has progressed with the safety measures in place. They are protected and safeguarded and staff are very proactive.’

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

Staff manage the behaviours of children safely. Staff are trained in the use of playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy, which enables them to develop trusting relationships and secure attachments with children. This helps children to feel safe and secure.

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

There have been no complaints, restraints or allegations since the last inspection. Staff have high expectations of behaviour and implement clear rules and boundaries to promote a safe and stable environment for children.

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

Staff take appropriate action when children go missing from home. They look for children and work closely with the police to secure their safe and quick return. Staff maintain effective partnerships with social workers, schools and other relevant professionals to ensure the safety of children. A teacher reported, ‘It is clear that the [child’s name] best interests are always at the centre of their support.’

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

Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities to promote the safety and well-being of children. A senior social worker said, ‘The staff are great. They attend meetings and provide regular updates.’ However, there have been two occasions where significant incidents were not notified to Ofsted, as required by regulation. As a result, Ofsted did not have regulatory oversight of these events.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, a new manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted. All staff vacancies have now been filled and the home is now fully staffed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The training needs of staff are identified and met effectively. Staff benefit from good- quality training to help them care for children safely and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular team meetings and practice-related supervision sessions. These provide opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice and support staff to develop their skills and performance in meeting the specific needs of children. Team meetings are child focused where the experiences and progress of the children are regularly reviewed. Staff speak positively about the support they receive, with one Inspection report for children’s home: 2807085 5 member of staff stating, ‘I have always felt supported and guided in all aspects. The management team are visible and approachable.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home on a regular basis to evaluate the quality of care provided to children. These visits assist leaders, managers and staff to understand the strengths and weaknesses in their practice, allowing them to address any shortfalls to secure improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Health and safety matters are addressed effectively. Children benefit from a physically safe, appropriately secure, comfortable and homely living environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are subject to robust safer recruitment checks to protect children from being cared for by unsuitable individuals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2807085 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 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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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that when accepting new children into the home full consideration is given to the suitability of children to live together. 22 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to,

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; 22 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2807085 7 there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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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: 2807085 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: St Mary’s Children’s Home Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 139 Junction Road, Bolton BL3 4NQ

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2807085 9 regulates and inspects to 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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