Children's Home run by Mainstay Care and Support Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children's home: 2813433 1 Registered provider: Mainstay Care and 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 and managed by a private provider. The home may provide care for one child with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, the home was caring for one child. The inspector spoke to the child at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The home registered with Ofsted in April 2025 and the manager registered on 30 September 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2813433 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2813433 3

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Summary of findings

Staff support the children to have a positive experience when moving in and out of the home. They understand the child's needs and risks well, including their previous history. The child is supported by staff to engage in activities and education and access health services. However, staff did not seek health intervention and/or advice when the child had an accident.

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Summary of findings

The child said that staff care for them and they are happy living in the home. Staff use physical intervention as a last resort to keep the child or others safe. However, following one physical intervention, the manager was not spoken to about their involvement.

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Summary of findings

The home is led by an experienced manager and a stable staff team. Staff like working in the home and feel supported. They have access to a wide variety of training and regularly take part in supervision. Chronologies recorded in the risk assessments and information recorded in the location risk assessment require updating to ensure that they are factually correct.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home and another child has moved in. Staff have been creative in supporting the child to experience a positive ending, helping them to understand their move out of the home. Staff visited the hospital setting and completed direct work with the child to support them to understand the reasons they were leaving the home. Once the child left the home, staff wrote them a letter to further support them to understand their move out of the home, which was signed by all the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When welcoming the new child, staff take the time to familiarise themselves with the child's likes and dislikes. They also liaise with key professionals to ensure a consistent and coordinated approach. This supports a smooth and nurturing transition into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a warm welcoming environment, which is clean and tidy. The child's bedroom is personalised to their taste and there are photographs displayed on the walls of the child and people who are important to them. The child's artwork is displayed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use a range of approaches to understand the child's wishes and feelings. This enables them to build a deeper understanding of the child and provide care that is tailored to their individual needs. Staff regularly engage the child in conversations that are led by the child's interests, as well as following any significant incidents. These discussions help the child to reflect, develop insight and build their understanding of risks. Inspection report for children's home: 2813433 4 Staff encourage the child to consider their future aspirations and are ambitious about what the child can achieve. The child had not been in education before moving into the home and is now engaged in an employability course. Staff have supported the child to apply for a place in college, and the child is proud to show off their art and cooking skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to attend all necessary health appointments, ensuring their physical health needs are met. The child and staff also benefit from guidance provided by the in-house therapeutic practitioner, which helps to promote the child's emotional wellbeing. However, on one occasion, staff did not seek appropriate health intervention or obtain relevant advice when a child sustained an injury. This meant that the child did not receive timely medical support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child with independence skills. For example, they help the child with learning to manage their own healthcare, and explore other key topics, such as money management and emergency safety skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child speaks positively about the care that staff provide and are happy living in the home. Professionals and the child's family members say that the child has made positive progress in areas of their lives such as education and health. They report that staff have taken their time to get to know the child and they have built positive relationships.

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

Individualised risk assessments are detailed documents that are regularly reviewed following incidents or significant events. Theses assessments provide clear actions for staff to follow in order to reduce risks to the child. Chronologies are included in each risk assessment. However, these are not consistently updated.

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

On the one occasion when the child had been missing from home, staff took appropriate action and worked collaboratively to ensure the child's safe return. They carried out searches in areas known to be frequented by the child and contacted the police, the child's family members and friends. The missing-from-home risk assessment provides clear steps for staff to follow to monitor and safeguard the child's welfare. Staff escalate concerns to relevant professionals to ensure that the child is offered an independent return home interview, and a strategy meeting is held in a timely manner.

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

The provider considered the location of the home, including local crime rates, emerging themes and the strengths and potential risk in relation to the child's needs. A separate location risk assessment has been completed for an area that the child is known to frequent, outlining specific actions for staff to follow to mitigate risks and consider the safety of the child. The manager attends the local policing events to enhance their understanding of the community and inform safeguarding practices.

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

There have been occasions when staff have needed to use physical intervention to keep a child or others safe. Such intervention is only used as a last resort when risks escalate and the child places themself or others at risk of significant harm. On one occasion, a Inspection report for children's home: 2813433 5 discussion did not take place with the manager after their involvement in a physical intervention. This was a missed opportunity for the manager to be able to reflect on their practice.

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

When children share concerns about staff practice, there are clear processes in place for staff to follow. Any concerns or allegations are appropriately reported to the relevant agencies, including the local authority social worker and the local authority designated officer. Staff who are not subject to the allegations support the child to feel protected and listen to them through ongoing key-working sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced manager, supported by a trainee manager and a deputy manager. The management team has implemented a range of systems to strengthen practice, including safer recruitment processes, assessments for gaps in employment, staff personal development plans and the redesign of induction booklets for new staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are effective systems in place to ensure that staff who are recruited are safe to work in the home. Rigorous pre-employment checks are consistently completed, including a standalone risk assessment to addresses gaps in their employment history. The home has a stable and consistent staff team, which has removed the need for agency staff and supports continuity of care for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The training and development of staff are effective. Staff have completed a wide variety of training, including medication training, safeguarding and first aid. They also access training that is specific to the child's individual needs and known risks, which supports their understanding and enables them to provide a more tailored approach to care. New staff members complete a structured induction programme that tracks, and provides opportunities to reflect on, their practice through regular discussions with the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place on a regular basis and are well attended by staff. These meetings provide staff with opportunities for staff to share updates on their roles and responsibilities as well as to discuss developments in practice. The child's needs and progress are discussed at each meeting. Resources are used in team meetings to discuss topics such as differentiating between allegations and complaints.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, practice-focused supervision that is centred on the needs of the child. Following any specific incidents, staff are provided with additional single-issue supervision, allowing time for reflection, challenge and support. Supervision also provides an opportunity for managers to test staff's knowledge of the home's policies and procedures, such as by asking how they would respond to a missing-from-home incident. Inspection report for children's home: 2813433 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 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that there is effective monitoring of key documents to ensure an accurate account is recorded.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 31 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and wellbeing.

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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

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)) 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2813433 7 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff obtain health intervention and/or advice for the child when they have sustained an injury.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff, including the manager, are spoken to about the measure. 31 July 2026

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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: 2813433 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Mainstay Care and Support Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 283 Woodchurch Road, Birkenhead, Wirral CH42 9LE

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Inspector

Vicky Byron, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2813433 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 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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