Children's Home run by Continuum Support - Care Services Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 1 Registered provider: CONTINUUM SUPPORT - CARE SERVICES 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 is owned and managed by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since October 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 requires improvement to be 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: 2509800 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/04/2025 Full Good 23/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/09/2023 Full Good 27/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 3

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Summary of findings

Children experience a stable, welcoming, and generally supportive environment where they feel safe, listened to, and enjoy living.

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Summary of findings

The home is well maintained, children’s health, education, independence and relationships are largely well supported and positive progress has been made since changes in management.

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Summary of findings

Children report improved openness and trust with staff, incidents are rare, and staff promote positive relationships and meaningful opportunities. However, there are shortfalls in management oversight and practice, including gaps in staff training, insufficient challenge to external professionals and weaknesses in record keeping.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection there have been no changes to the children living at this home. This provides children with stability and the time to continue developing relationships with staff and each other, as well as learning skills for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean and well presented. Photographs of the children, including images they have taken themselves are proudly displayed throughout the communal areas. The garden is tidy, featuring a paved space and outdoor seating beneath a gazebo. Children are encouraged to take pride in both the home and garden, and their bedrooms are personalised and kept neat.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children have appropriate educational placements. One child is sitting their exams and looking forward to going to college in September. Another child has struggled with their attendance at college recently. However, the staff continue to encourage them to attend and work with the child and relevant professionals to support attendance improvement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of family relationships and friendships for children and consistently take account of their views, wishes and feelings. Children are supported to maintain regular contact with their families and friends. Staff have also arranged opportunities for children to see family members they had not seen for some time. One child has recently experienced a bereavement and staff have responded with sensitivity, continuing to provide reassurance and care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met and there are appropriate external services in place to support the children’s physical and emotional wellbeing. The staff have regular open and honest conversations with children. However, there have been occasions when Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 4 children have misused substances and the staff have not spoken to the children about the risks associated with doing so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children have made good progress with their independence skills and have clear plans for the children to work through. This ensures that the children have the skills needed when they move on from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy living at the home and staff are currently making plans for one child’s prom. Special occasions are consistently celebrated and the children are preparing for a trip abroad in the summer. Children feel listened to and are given regular opportunities to share their views. Where appropriate, their requests are acted upon. Children attend their reviews, which helps to ensure that they feel valued and heard.

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

Children say that they feel safe living in the home and that they have good relationships with staff. One child said, ‘I have been much more open since the previous manager left, I feel much better I know they can help me’.

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

Children were listened to when they raised concerns about the previous manager. Appropriate and swift action was taken to ensure the children’s safety. Additionally, Children were kept informed of decisions and provided with the outcome of their complaint in a child friendly way.

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

Generally, incidents are rare. The staff and children know each other well and they enjoy positive relationships. When incidents have occurred, the staff are skilled at having difficult conversations with the children and being able to engage them positively which has resulted in incidents decreasing.

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

There have been some concerns and updates relating to the local area that were not included in the manager’s location suitability review. These were addressed during the inspection. However, this highlights the need for greater oversight and timely updates to ensure that the review remains current and comprehensive.

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

The staff are guided by robust plans that are regularly reviewed and updated. The staff work with children to manage risk safely and reduce restrictions. For example, children are working towards being able to have their phones overnight and the manager has evaluated the effectiveness of consequences that have been put in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the registered manager resigned during an investigation into their conduct that would have resulted in their dismissal. The deputy manager has since stepped into the role and has applied to register with Ofsted. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 5 The children, professionals and staff have all been complimentary of the changes to the management of the home. The manager is reflective and is keen to learn and develop their skills. They are aware of the areas for improvement, and they are proactive in addressing these. However, there remain shortfalls in this area that are impacting on children’s progress and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has not sufficiently challenged other professionals to gain a clear understanding of the work being undertaken with children. As a result, staff are not always fully informed about the support being provided or the assessments in progress, which limits their ability to offer appropriate support within the home. In addition, one child does not have a pathway plan in place, which impacts on the planning and preparation for their future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff say they now feel supported by the manager and receive regular supervision sessions. The manager holds regular team meetings that are child focussed and include training sessions for the staff. However, staff have not all completed the offered bereavement training to help them to support a child. Additionally, there are gaps in staff training that are preventing them from supporting children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has a good level of oversight of children’s experiences and reviews all children’s records. However, a complaint raised by a child about a staff member was not available for review. This limits the regulator’s ability to fully understand what is happening for children in the home and how such matters are identified, recorded and managed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they actively collaborate with other professionals involved in the children’s care to ensure that they understand how best to support and reinforce this work within the home.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to the registered person escalating the need for timely pathway planning, ensuring that children’s views, wishes, and feelings about their future are fully considered and that planning is not delayed.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that they have a clear understanding of the purpose of assessments and sessions that are being completed with children away from the home. 24 July 2026

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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

promotes their welfare. 24 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that the appropriate training is made available to staff in a timely manner that enables them to meet the individual needs of the children and ensuring that all identified training courses are completed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI’s request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint.

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that all complaints are recorded and that the investigation and outcome is available for HMCI to review. 24 July 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are offered advice, support and guidance on the use of drugs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 8

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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: 2509800 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: CONTINUUM SUPPORT - CARE SERVICES LTD

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sinclair Accounting Co Ltd, 300 St. Marys Road, Garston, Liverpool L19 0NQ

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Inspector

Kerri Lynch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509800 10 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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