Children's Home run by After Care (NW) Limited in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2547837 1 Registered provider: After Care (NW) Limited 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 operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in December 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living at the home at the time of this inspection. They spoke to the inspector about their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2547837 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/02/2025 Full Good 07/06/2023 Full Good 15/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2547837 3

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Summary of findings

The child living at the home spends time with staff, and they have developed positive relationships. The child is progressing in their education, and staff support them with their learning. Friends are welcome at the home. The child is provided with opportunities to engage in different activities. There has been one occasion when the child’s liberty was unnecessarily restricted.

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Summary of findings

Management oversight of the home is ineffective, and shortfalls in staff practice are not always identified and addressed. Incident records are poorly recorded, and key information is sometimes missing. Furthermore, there is no clear record of which staff are on shift each day. Leaders and managers are taking action to improve the monitoring and reviewing systems; however, these changes are not yet fully embedded.

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improvement to be good

Staff know the child living at the home well and have warm, positive interactions with them. The child spends time with staff at the home, which helps them feel comfortable and a sense of belonging.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage the child to participate in activities. They use different ways to engage them, and despite some resistance, the child enjoys some activities, such as baking and going to water parks and coffee houses. These experiences support the child’s wellbeing and help them develop new skills and hobbies.

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improvement to be good

Staff help the child to build and maintain friendships with peers. The child enjoys friends visiting the home, and staff welcome them. Staff talk to the child about managing friendships and maintaining healthy boundaries, which helps develop their social skills.

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improvement to be good

The child attends school regularly. Staff work closely with school staff to support the child’s learning. One education professional said that staff communicate regularly and work effectively with them to promote the child’s education.

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improvement to be good

Staff talk to the child regularly about their wishes and feelings. These conversations are relevant to the child’s needs and experiences and help them feel listened to and respected.

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improvement to be good

When consequences are used, they do not always reflect the behaviour being addressed, and staff do not always explain them to children. Furthermore, leaders and managers do not always review the use of consequences or evaluate their effectiveness. As a result, children are not consistently supported to understand the impact of their behaviour or the reasons for the consequences they receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2547837 4

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improvement to be good

Risk management plans are in place; however, staff do not follow them consistently. On occasion, this has escalated incidents. Leaders and managers do not always identify and address these shortfalls in staff practice.

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improvement to be good

Recording of incidents is poor. When a child is restrained, the records do not always describe what happened clearly, and important information is missing. This limits management oversight and reduces opportunities for staff to learn and improve their practice.

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improvement to be good

When a child wants to leave the home to go outside, staff do not always respond proportionately. On one occasion, staff blocked a child from leaving, which meant that their liberty was unnecessarily restricted. Leaders and managers did not clearly record the actions taken in the child’s plan. During the inspection, leaders and managers amended the plan to provide clearer guidance to staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not support the child in maintaining a healthy and balanced diet. The child eats lots of takeaway and fast foods. Staff talk to the child about eating better, but they continue to provide unhealthy options. This prevents the child from developing healthy habits in relation to food and nutrition.

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

There is no registered manager in post. The home is currently being managed by a deputy manager with support from senior leaders.

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

There is insufficient management oversight across the home. This is affecting the child’s experiences, as well as staff wellbeing and practice. Leaders and managers are taking steps to improve monitoring and reviewing systems; however, these are not yet fully embedded.

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

When incidents occur, there is limited reflection or evaluation from leaders and managers in relation to staff practice. Consequently, opportunities are missed to identify and address shortfalls in staff practice and improve the quality of care provided to the child.

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

The home’s rota does not show who is working or has worked at the home, as required by regulation.

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

Staff receive regular training that is relevant to the child’s needs and risks. This ensures that the child is cared for by staff who have the necessary skills and knowledge.

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

Leaders and managers carry out a review of the quality of care; however, they do not always include children’s views. Inspection report for children’s home: 2547837 5

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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; and

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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)(a)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(h)) 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2547837 6 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that they have sufficient oversight across all areas of the home to ensure that children receive good-quality care.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that any shortfalls in staff practice are recognised and addressed to improve care and experiences for children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

These Regulations do not prevent a child from being deprived of liberty where that deprivation is authorised in accordance with a court order. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2) (3))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children who are not subject to deprivation of liberty safeguards are not locked in the home when this is not proportionate or necessary. 21 August 2026

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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

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2547837 7 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

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that records clearly reflect when children have been restrained and include necessary information, as required by regulation.

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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; 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2547837 8 children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are provided with a healthy, balanced diet and are supported to understand the importance of maintaining good health through nutrition.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the home’s rota contains clear information about which staff members have worked and when. This record must be retained and made available at the home for review. 21 August 2026

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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. 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2547837 9 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 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

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that, when carrying out a review of the quality of care provided to children, they include the feedback of children living at the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature and help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them, and the wider community. Additionally, consequences should be reviewed and evaluated for their effectiveness. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2547837 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: After Care (NW) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 45 Kensington Road, Southport PR9 0RT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Timothy Blundell

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Inspector

Danielle Allen, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2547837 11 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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