Children's Home run by Social AdVentures Limited in Salford

Inspection report for children's home: 2785828 1 Registered provider: Social AdVentures Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is run by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to 3 children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home was registered with Ofsted in July 2024. The home has a registered manager who has been in role since its registration.

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Information about this children's home

There were 3 children living in the home at the time of the inspection. One child spoke to inspectors.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2785828 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/08/2025 Full Good 16/12/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2785828 3

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Summary of findings

The registered manager and staff provide a caring and nurturing environment for the children. Staff have developed positive relationships with the children, their families and professionals.

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Summary of findings

Care plans are child-centred, and family time is supported by staff. Education is a high priority in the home, resulting in the children making significant educational progress.

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Summary of findings

There are weaknesses in staff supervision and risk assessments. The registered manager has identified changes to improve these areas of practice.

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Summary of findings

Staff support the children to progress and have positive experiences through structured activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to providing stability for the children. They know the children well and protect and promote their welfare. Positive relationships between staff and children were observed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see people who are important to them. Family and friends are included in the children's lives. Two parents provided positive feedback about the care that their children receive. These relationships help the children feel valued and promote their identity. Staff have also referred a child to advocacy services to empower and support the child's planned return to their parent's care in another country.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of education and encourage the children to attend school. The children have made significant progress, partly thanks to staff's hard work and creativity in encouraging the children's engagement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff involve children in a range of positive experiences and community-based activities. These activities are planned during regular children's meetings and are recorded in memory and praise books. One child is preparing to move back into the care of their parents. Although staff do not have a copy of the pathway plan, they are still supporting the child to develop independence skills in preparation for leaving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions and direct discussions show clear attempts to help children develop their internal strategies for managing wishes, feelings, choices, self-esteem and life choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff engage with children to promote a healthy lifestyle by improving sleep habits, encouraging healthy eating and offering incentives to support personal hygiene. Staff Inspection report for children's home: 2785828 4 prioritise children's health and proactively access services, resulting in children flourishing physically, emotionally and socially.

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

Allegations that had been made against a staff member were taken seriously. Decisive action was taken, and investigations were completed in consultation with the local authority designated officer.

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

Staff use a caring approach that includes therapeutic support. Regular guidance from therapists and other professionals helps staff to better understand the children's needs and strengthens relationships.

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

Staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe. Incidents are rare and are managed consistently and proactively. However, there have been occasions when staff were assaulted in a playful manner, and these incidents were neither recorded as incidents nor risk assessed. They were recorded in key-work sessions. This results in a lack of managerial evaluation, monitoring and oversight.

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

Risk assessments contain detailed information about each child's needs and risks. However, they lack focus on specific risks. On one occasion, a child had kicked a member of staff. This behaviour was not captured within the child risk assessment. Although there was no impact for the child, this could escalate. The manager accepted this shortfall and will address this.

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

On one occasion, the child attended at an unapproved family member's address. This incident was reported and addressed but was not reflected in the child's plan. However, proactive steps have been arranged to assess the suitability of this for the child through the responsible authority.

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

The children have robust missing-from-home plans, and staff know the procedures to follow should a child go missing. However, there have been no missing-from-home incidents during this inspection period, which is a significant improvement. Consequences are rarely used, but staff do not record their effectiveness or gather the children's views. Without evaluation, staff cannot understand whether the consequences are effective.

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

Recruitment procedures and practices are safe and effective. All staff are checked and vetted before starting work at the home, ensuring that only suitable adults are employed to care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified registered manager. The manager demonstrates a clear understanding of therapeutic approaches when supporting children Inspection report for children's home: 2785828 5 with complex needs and ensures that staff implement these approaches into their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders provide opportunities for staff to develop. The manager is completing a degree relevant to his role. Another staff member is being supported to learn to drive. These opportunities allow for staff to learn and gain confidence, and they support their role. Staff attend regular training, which helps them to develop their skills. The registered manager monitors and reviews staff training to ensure that staff are equipped to meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff receive an induction that provides them with a detailed programme of training and guidance for their new role. On completion of their probation period, staff are enrolled to work towards a suitable qualification if they are not already qualified. This leads to consistency in care and support for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive supervision. However, some staff have not received this in line with the provider's policy. The records in place do demonstrate that staff talk about their practices and wellbeing. The registered manager is aware of this shortfall and confirmed a plan for additional support from a new service director and deputy manager. Staff attend regular team meetings and development days and have opportunities to reflect on their practice. Appraisals are completed with staff on a yearly basis.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses effective monitoring systems through incident monitoring and audits to ensure that the high-quality care provided to the children is maintained. However, there are missed opportunities to capture feedback from stakeholders. This could improve the service and increase the feelings of investment in the care provided. Inspection report for children's home: 2785828 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;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk management plans clearly outline children's risks and required staff actions and that action is taken when there are concerns for children's safety. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 6 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

mutual respect and trust; 6 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2785828 7 an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that all staff are provided with supervision in line with policy. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(x))

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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: 2785828 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Social AdVentures Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: The Angel Centre, 1 St Philip's Place, Salford M3 6FA

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Melanie McGuinness

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Inspectors

Shane North, Social Care Inspector (lead) Nicola Forrester, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2785828 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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