Children's Home run by Tulip Mental Health and Community Care Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 1 Registered provider: Tulip Mental Health and Community Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 2 children who have a mental health diagnosis.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2023.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/04/2025 Full Good 08/04/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making progress from their individual starting points due to the consistent, child-centred care provided by staff. Risks are well managed, and safeguarding practice is effective. Leaders and managers have taken actions to strengthen practice where shortfalls have been identified. While some recording and maintenance issues remain, children benefit from stable care, advocacy and support that promotes positive outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making positive progress from their individual starting point. Staff support this through their understanding of the child's mental health needs and their consistent, individualised child-centred care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made significant progress with educational engagement. This has led to the child undertaking English examinations and having a wish to attend college. The child's teacher reports that the consistent support from staff has contributed to this progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child can identify trusted staff members who they have a positive relationship with. Staff understand the child's difficulties in meeting new people and recognise that building relationships can be a lengthy process. They remain consistent with their approaches to support this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of the child's day-to-day experiences has improved. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the barriers the child faces in accessing the community. Despite these challenges, staff remain committed to identifying and implementing different strategies and incentives to support this. As a result, the child has increased their access to the community, including going to their favourite coffee shop and trips to the cinema.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made progress in accessing local mental health services. The child has expressed that they do not wish to engage in routine health appointments. Staff continue to promote the importance of accessing health services while respecting their views and encouraging informed decision-making. The manager is clearly identifying and recording strategies to help to inform the development of new approaches, such as changes to incentives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child regularly spends positive time with their family. Staff consistently respect and use the child's chosen pronouns in all interactions, promoting the child's identity, dignity and sense of belonging. Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 4 The home requires ongoing maintenance to provide a consistent homely environment for children. Several shortfalls in the home environment distract from the home's presentation. For example, the external fascia boards require repair and redecoration. The bedroom prepared for a new child contained broken furniture that has not been replaced. In addition, a storage room contains items, including pillows, that are not fit for purpose.

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

Staff have a strong understanding of their role in keeping children safe. Risks are identified effectively, understood and carefully managed. Comprehensive risk assessments provide clear guidance for staff, enabling them to take appropriate action to keep children safe.

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

The manager advocates effectively for a child who is subject to a deprivation of liberty order. The restrictions in place are regularly reviewed and appropriately challenged to ensure that they reflect the child's current risks and remain the least restrictive option. This promotes the child's rights while maintaining their safety and welfare.

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

Staff have developed positive and effective working relationships with partner agencies. Weekly multi-agency meetings ensure that the child's needs are continually reviewed, and plans are adapted when required to support their progress. One professional spoke highly of the care and safeguarding arrangements in place, recognising the positive impact these have had on the child's progress and safety.

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

The child's self-injurious behaviour has considerably reduced, and they now have long periods without incident. When incidents occur, staff respond promptly to ensure that the child receives appropriate medical attention. Safety plans are reviewed without delay, and additional safeguarding measures are implemented. Incident records and daily logs demonstrate that staff reflect on incidents and consider potential triggers and contributing factors affecting the child's wellbeing.

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

Staff respond appropriately when children go missing from the home, taking prompt action to support their safe return. Safety plans are reviewed and updated following incidents to reflect the current risk. However, independent return home interviews are not always carried out or recorded. This reduces the manager's ability to fully evaluate, respond to and consider the reasons why children go missing.

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

One child experienced a high number of physical interventions to maintain their safety and the safety of others. Records do not consistently provide sufficient detail to explain why some holds were required for extended periods and what de-escalation strategies were implemented. In addition, due to the home's incident recording format, dates and times of debriefs are not captured. Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 5 Leaders and the manager reviewed the use of physical intervention. As a result of this, additional behaviour management was provided to staff. One staff member reported that this improved their confidence in supporting children during periods of distress.

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

Allegations are taken seriously and responded to appropriately. The manager notifies all relevant safeguarding agencies and follows the advice and guidance provided. Records demonstrate that concerns are thoroughly investigated, information is appropriately shared and safeguarding procedures are followed.

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

The manager maintains effective oversight of the home's health and safety arrangements. He makes sure that required actions identified through routine checks and assessments are addressed promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified to lead the home. His background as a registered mental health nurse provides him with valuable insight into children's emotional wellbeing and mental health needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about improving children's lives and has high expectations of staff. He fosters a positive and supportive culture within the home. Staff report feeling well supported and can seek guidance from the manager when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive monthly supervision sessions and annual appraisals. These provide opportunities to reflect on practice, identify strengths and consider areas for development. Discussions are focused on children's needs and how care and support can be improved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are used effectively to review practice and consider areas for improvement. This supports staff development and helps to strengthen the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager maintains effective oversight of staff training and monitors progress towards the qualifications required for their roles. However, the manager has not fully considered the qualifications of one bank member of staff who regularly works at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders did not follow the home's admission policy when agreeing to a child moving into the home during the registered manager's absence. Consequently, the child's needs were not fully understood before the move took place. After a short period of time, notice was served on the placement due to the home not being suitable to meet the child's needs. The decision to move a child into the home without sufficient information negatively affected the stability and progress of the other child living at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A review by leaders and the manager has led to changes to the statement of purpose, strengthening admission procedures and reinforcing expectation that these are Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 6 consistently followed. The manager has since declined referrals and has communicated to leaders the importance of carefully considering the compatibility of children's needs. The manager has completed 2 reports on the quality of care provided to children. However, one review did not include children's feedback, and the actions included in both reviews did not set out measurable targets to improve the quality of care children receive. This is a missed opportunity for the manager to fully capture children's progress. Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 7

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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 registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children's home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that there is a quality of care review that focuses on the care provided to children. In particular, ensure that when carrying out a review of the quality of care, children's feedback is considered and measurable actions are set from the findings in the report. 30 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home (Regulation 6 (1)(c)(i)(ii)) 30 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— 30 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 8 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(f)(g)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph.

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b)) 30 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 9 In particular, ensure that bank members of staff that work at the home for a consistent and considerable amount of time have or are working towards the relevant qualifications.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 30 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 10

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children who have been missing from home receive an independent return home interview. The registered person should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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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: 2745274 11

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Tulip Mental Health and Community Care Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Suite 2, Parkway 5 Parkway Business Centre, 300 Princess Road, Manchester M14 7HR

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Inspector

Alexandra Pearson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2745274 12 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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