Children's Home run by Embrace Care North West Limited in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 1 Registered provider: Embrace Care North West Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private company. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The inspector spoke with the child during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in December 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 2

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Summary of findings

Significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and in the leadership and management have impacted on the quality of care the child living at the home has received.

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Summary of findings

The child’s move into the home was not well planned. Leaders, managers and staff did not ensure that all risks for the child were known or understand. As a result, staff do not have the skills, knowledge and understanding to meet the child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the home registered, there has only been one child who has lived at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Care planning for the child’s move into the home was not thorough. The manager did not demonstrate adequate professional curiosity when assessing and evaluating the referral information. As a result, the child’s plans do not fully reflect all known risks, vulnerabilities and support needs. This limits the staff’s ability to provide care that is informed, consistent and responsive to the child’s individual circumstances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not ensure that the child’s health needs are always met. The child had an outstanding vaccination that had been identified prior to them moving into the home, yet no effective action has been taken to ensure the child receives this. At the time of inspection, this vaccination remained outstanding.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The manager has not obtained a copy of the child’s local authority pathway plan. In addition, the home’s support plan is not regularly reviewed and does not reflect all of the child’s identified needs. This significantly limits the staff’s understanding of the child’s needs and impacts on their ability to support the child’s progress in key areas, including preparation for independence. This shortfall affects the child’s opportunities to develop the independent living skills required to prepare for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child is making progress in some areas of their life. They have successfully completed a 12-week educational course. Family time has increased and is now unsupervised. Staff do support the child to spend time with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is clean and tidy. There are photos of the child and their family on display in the home. Staff provide opportunities for the child to engage in activities aligned to their interests, including playing snooker and going to football matches to watch their favourite team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 3

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

Shortfalls in safeguarding practice mean that the child is not safeguarded effectively. On one occasion, staff did not intervene effectively to prevent the child from self-harming. In addition, the child was able to go missing from home while under increased supervision from staff, resulting in the child being found on a dual carriageway. The child is not always provided with an independent return home interview following incidents of going missing from home.

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

Risk management plans do not include all known risks for the child and are not consistently updated following incidents. They do not provide clear guidance for staff on how to respond to emerging or ongoing risk, including minors visiting the home. Furthermore, staff do not have access to the child’s missing-from-home plans. These gaps in guidance expose the child to potential harm and leave staff without the direction they need to respond safely and effectively.

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

Staff lack the knowledge and skills to manage known risks for the child. For example, when the child has self-harmed or there are concerns about potential self-harming, room searches are not always completed or there is a delay. Staff do not take appropriate action to prevent the child from vaping in the home. Staff also failed to inform the manager of incidents of property damage. These shortfalls placed the child at potential risk of harm.

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

Staff do not consistently follow the child’s safety plan in relation to daily mobile phone checks. In addition, on one occasion, when overnight welfare checks were required, there was no recorded evidence to demonstrate that these checks had been completed. This leaves the child at risk of further harm.

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

Direct work with the child is not effective. Staff do not always speak with the child following incidents. This is a missed opportunity to support the child to develop strategies to manage their emotions and to safeguard them by educating them on potential risks and how to stay safe.

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

Leaders and managers do not ensure that all recruitment checks are completed before staff start to work at the home. For example, gaps in employment histories that did not correspond were not explored, and proof of identification for staff is not always checked and verified. This means that the child may be cared for by unsafe adults.

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

The child reported feeling safe at the home. They have been able to open up to staff about historic trauma.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight of the care provided to the child is poor. The responsible individual has other work commitments, which limits the amount of time they are able to spend at the home and their ability to have oversight of the home and the care provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 4 Systems are not in place to support leaders and managers to maintain effective oversight of the care being provided at the home. This limits the opportunities for the manager to identify shortfalls in staff practice, including recording, and any patterns or trends in relation to incidents.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Records demonstrate that the manager reviews safeguarding incidents. However, shortfalls in staff practice are not identified, and follow-up actions are not completed. Furthermore, staff debriefs have been done jointly following other safeguarding incidents. This means that individual incidents are not always reflected on. This limits opportunities for staff to learn and reflect on how they support the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not have access to all the child’s case records, as this information is held by the manager. This impacts their ability to provide consistent care, support the child effectively, and meet their identified needs. The manager has not conducted lone worker risk assessments in accordance with the provider’s lone working policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers could not demonstrate that staff have completed all relevant training, including first aid, self-harming and other risk-related training, to be able to meet the needs of the child. This will impact on staff’s ability to respond to safeguarding incidents and put both the child and staff at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff spoken to are positive about the support they receive from the manager. They benefit from regular supervision and team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers are failing to escalate concerns appropriately with local authorities when essential care plans are not shared. Furthermore, independent visitors’ visits have not occurred each month, and they do not include unannounced visits or consultation with the child’s family.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers and staff have developed positive working relationships with other professionals and family members. Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 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 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff take action to safeguard the child at all times. 23 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 6 Ensure that plans are in place to safeguard the child from all known risks and that these plans include clear guidance for staff to follow.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have the skills, knowledge and understanding to meet the child’s needs and manage risks.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that meaningful work is completed with the child to help them understand how to keep safe. This should include following all incidents.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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 has sufficient staff to provide care for 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h)) 23 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 7 In particular, ensure that there is oversight of all of the care being provided in the home. This includes ensuring that care is provided to the child in line with local authority care plans.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all incidents are reviewed and that all shortfalls in staff practice are identified and action is taken to address these. This should also include undertaking debriefs with the child and staff following all incidents.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff develop their knowledge, skills and understanding to undertake their role effectively.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that leaders and managers monitor and review staff practice, identify any development needs and take action to address these.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff actively support the child to access and receive all outstanding immunisations, in line with their health needs and healthcare plans. 23 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and 23 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 8 have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority; (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, managers and leaders must ensure that when a child is admitted to the home, they are able to meet the child’s needs. Plans must identify all known risks and support needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff support children in developing independence skills in accordance with their age and level of understanding.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the children’s home from abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the missing child policy”) setting out—

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Requirement Due date

the steps taken, and to be taken, to prevent children from being absent without permission; and

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Requirement Due date

the procedures to be followed, and the roles and responsibilities of persons working at the home, in relation to a child who is, or has been, so absent.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep under review and, as necessary, revise the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 34 (1)(a) (4)(a)(b) (6) 23 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 9 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that the child’s missing-from-care protocol is regularly reviewed, kept up to date and contains all relevant information. Staff should also have easy access to this document.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have easy access to the child’s case records and are able to locate key information promptly. In addition, all welfare checks undertaken on the child must be recorded comprehensively, including the time of each check and the outcome. 23 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they escalate concerns when local authority documents are not received, namely pathway plans.

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Requirement Due date

Independent person: visits and reports The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a) (3))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that independent visits take place each month, include unannounced visits and consultation with the child’s parents. 23 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 10 In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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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 (c)) 23 August 2026

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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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(a)(d)) 23 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2862725 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Embrace Care North West Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Douglas Fairless Partnership, Seymour Chambers, 92 London Road, Liverpool L3 5NW

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Inspector

Michelle McGrath, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2862725 12 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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