Children's Home run by Thrive Childcare Services Ltd in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2679810 1 Registered provider: Thrive Childcare Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and provides care for up to 3 children who experience emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home, all of whom were spoken to by the inspector.

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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

Date of last inspection: 24 September 2025

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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: 2679810 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/03/2025 Full Good 21/02/2024 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2679810 3

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Summary of findings

This home was judged as requires improvement at the last inspection. Leaders have strengthened their oversight and risk management since this inspection; there have been improvements to the quality of care provided to children. Children confirm they are happy with the care they receive and have raised no concerns.

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Summary of findings

At the time of this inspection, there was some considerable damage to the property that had not been promptly repaired. This detracts from a warm and homely environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living in the home. Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved out, and 2 children have moved into the home. One child moved out of the home sooner than anticipated; this was not a well-planned move. Another child received a careful and well-planned move to supported accommodation after living at the home for over 3 years. When children move into the home at short notice, staff take steps to make them feel welcome. This helps children to settle quickly and promotes a sense of belonging despite moving into the home at short notice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive and trusting relationships with staff. Staff spend meaningful time with children, getting to know their interests and engaging in a range of activities with them, such as visiting theme parks, dining out and participating in charity events. This shared time helps to promote positive relationships and provides children with opportunities to feel valued and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop practical skills and increase their responsibility and independence in line with their age and abilities. Some older children have plans that set out clear goals and aims to help them prepare for adulthood. Younger children are encouraged to undertake age-appropriate responsibilities, such as doing cooking, tidying their bedrooms and helping with house chores. This approach helps children to develop the confidence and skills they need to support a move into independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise that children’s previous experiences with adults may have affected their ability to trust. They adopt a patient and trauma-informed approach to building positive relationships with children. The manager advocates strongly on behalf of children, ensuring that their views, wishes and feelings are heard and acted on. This approach has helped children to develop trusting and meaningful relationships with the adults who care for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are in education and are making progress. Staff provide practical support to encourage attendance when this is required. One child has successfully completed a college course, which is a significant achievement when considering their starting point. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679810 4 The valuable skills and qualifications they have gained will help support them in achieving their future goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides children with a welcoming and comfortable environment. Since the last inspection, redecoration has taken place in several areas of the home. However, some maintenance issues, including a boarded-up window, damaged paintwork, and a missing bedsheet on one child’s bed, have not been addressed in a timely manner. This does not promote a welcoming and nurturing environment.

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

There has been a significant reduction in incidents. Children benefit from staff giving them clear boundaries, individualised support and strategies that help reduce risk and promote safer behaviours. As a result, children are becoming settled and able to manage their emotions and make safer choices.

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

The manager is prompt to respond and take appropriate action to address concerns. This demonstrates the home’s commitment to listening to feedback and continually improving the service. When a child raised concerns about an individual outside the home, leaders and managers demonstrated a commitment to safeguarding and advocating for the child. They took the concerns seriously and ensured that the child felt listened to and protected.

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

Staff use consequences proportionately, and children receive more praise and rewards than consequences. This reinforces positive behaviour and recognition of children’s achievements. Where financial reparations have been used, staff adopt an approach by reducing the amount payable in recognition of positive behaviour. This encourages children to reflect on their behaviour and make positive choices. However, the manager has not always evaluated the effectiveness of these measures to ensure that they remain in line with the home’s model of care. Consequently, management oversight of behaviour management practice is not strong.

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

Children have individualised missing-from-home plans that provide staff with guidance on actions to take should they go missing. However, these plans do not always have regard to police protocols. Consequently, the guidance provided to staff does not contain all the relevant information about multi-agency arrangements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and qualified, and she is dedicated to the children and her staff team. She is proactive in seeking new ways to develop staff knowledge and improve practice. Monthly team meetings include relevant training and reflective sessions that are responsive to the needs of the children. This helps staff to build on their skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback received during the inspection was unanimously positive. Staff say that the home is a cohesive and supportive working environment where they feel able to provide Inspection report for children’s home: 2679810 5 children with good-quality care. Professionals also speak positively about the home and identify communication as a particular strength.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management arrangements have continued to strengthen since the last inspection. The manager has reviewed and enhanced the home’s quality assurance processes and introduced a range of auditing and monitoring systems. This provides greater oversight of practice and the experiences of children. There is a new responsible individual who visits the home regularly and provides constructive challenge and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has taken effective action to improve staff development. Staff who were previously outside the required timescales for completing their mandatory qualification have now achieved this. In addition, newly appointed staff are enrolled on the relevant qualification at an earlier stage in their employment, providing greater opportunity to complete it within the required regulatory timescales. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679810 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the regis- tered person to—

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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

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all damage in the home is promptly addressed. 17 July 2026

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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

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)) 5 August 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s procedures take into account the views of appropriate local services and have regard to police and local authority protocols for responding to missing person incidents in the area where the home is located. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.29) Inspection report for children’s home: 2679810 7

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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: 2679810 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Thrive Childcare Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 11 Gatley Road, Cheadle SK8 1LY

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Inspector

Chrisoula Contoyianni, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2679810 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 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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