Children's Home run by Headway Adolescent Resources Limited in Bristol

Inspection report for children's home: SC066250 1 SC066250 Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This children's home is owned by a private provider and is registered to provide care for up to 3 children. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. On the second day of inspection, a third child moved into the home.

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Information about this children's home

The manager has been in post since June 2025 and registered with Ofsted in March 2026.

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Information about this children's home

During the inspection, time was spent with all children.

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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: SC066250 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/04/2025 Full Good 16/07/2024 Full Good 09/08/2023 Full Good 12/04/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC066250 3

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Summary of findings

This home provides good-quality care to children. Staff support children well and understand their specific needs. They have built trusting relationships with children, so they feel settled and secure in their home. The registered manager is committed to ensuring that children have positive experiences in the home and understands areas of weakness and development.

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Summary of findings

There are gaps in safer recruitment practices, and leaders and managers are taking steps to address these. Children have not been harmed as a result of this shortfall. However, leaders recognise that learning and change is needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy living at the home, and they enjoy spending time with staff. Staff have developed warm and caring relationships with children. Children readily engage with staff because they are kind, nurturing and trustworthy adults. Staff are committed to ensuring that children make progress, and they support them to reach their potential. One child is looking forward to attending their prom, and staff have thoughtfully arranged a celebration with their friends and family, which will give the child positive memories to cherish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take children on regular activities and day trips, and they have fun going away for the summer holidays. Children interact positively together and enjoy time playing in the garden. Children are encouraged to spend time with their friends and family, and friends are welcome to stay over. Staff support children to develop their communication and independence skills, which helps build their confidence and self-esteem. For example, they have encouraged one child to volunteer in the local community, creating an opportunity for them to enhance their social and practical skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children engage in education and learning. Staff support them to participate in educational activities when they are struggling to attend education settings. Since living at the home, one child has returned to school and is excited to go each day. Staff are proud of this achievement and are teaching the child to read, which is helping them thrive. School staff have noticed a significant improvement in the child's behaviour because staff have helped them to follow a structured routine and use consistent boundaries. There is effective communication between staff and school professionals because there is positive joined-up working.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into, or on from, the home, the registered manager makes plans with professionals, so children have positive experiences that help them prepare for the next steps. Staff maintain contact with children once they leave the home, and they are keen to hear how children are doing. Professionals shared positive feedback, highlighting Inspection report for children's home: SC066250 4 the excellent support that staff provide children and that they recognise and understand children's individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and cosy for children. Staff listen to children's suggestions and ideas for the home, which helps children feel included. The home is well furnished and welcoming. Children have personalised their bedrooms, so they feel settled and content in their own space.

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

Children are safe in the home. Managers and staff collaborate with external professionals and manage any risks that could impact children's safety effectively. Safeguarding concerns are infrequent, but, when they do occur, there is a strong multi-agency approach. Staff dedicate one-to-one time with children to teach them about different topics and so they understand risk and how to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff respond positively to children's behaviours. They are skilled at managing incidents, for example, by using the positive relationships they build with children to intervene and support them with healthy coping strategies. Physical restraint is not used in the home, as staff use a therapeutic approach to help children learn how to manage their emotions.

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

Children have access to internet-enabled devices, but there are safety measures in place. These include parental controls, device checks and filtering systems. Staff support children to understand how to behave online but have not taught children how to keep themselves safe when accessing social media.

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

When one child made a complaint, the registered manager spent time with them to listen to their views and provided an appropriate response to their concerns. However, she did not complete internal enquiries to further understand the issue, and, consequently, she could not share any meaningful outcome with the child.

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

The registered manager has oversight of recruitment. However, she did not follow safer recruitment guidance. She did not consistently explore gaps in staff's employment histories, and this absence of information could place children at risk of harm. Leaders and managers accept this shortfall, and they are taking steps to address it.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a competent and confident manager with the support of an experienced deputy. They work well together as a team. They have the same high standards and aspirations for the children and staff, as well as a shared vision for the home. Leaders and managers clearly understand the strengths and areas for development in the home. Their detailed understanding of the quality of care children receive is informed by effective monitoring and review systems. Inspection report for children's home: SC066250 5 Staff are well supported by leaders and managers. They enjoy working in the home and caring for the children. They complete a range of training, so they feel equipped for their role. They are guided by an insightful and approachable manager who is proud of the open culture in the home. This helps staff feel confident about raising concerns or ideas for improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager demonstrates a strong level of commitment to supporting children in the home. She has an exceptional understanding of the children's needs and how to support them effectively, using a proactive and child-centred approach.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive supervision and engage in regular team meetings, which supports them to enhance their knowledge and develop their practice. They benefit from regular input from a clinical psychologist, who attends team meetings and supports them to reflect on their experiences with the children. This supports staff to improve their practice and strengthens the standard of care. Inspection report for children's home: SC066250 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 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

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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual's duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does 16 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC066250 7 not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual's duties. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(a)(d) (7)(a)(b)(d) (8))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they explore gaps in employment histories during the recruitment process to satisfy themselves that new staff are safe to work with children. If information remains outstanding after the new employee starts working in the home, the registered person must ensure that they are supervised while carrying out their duties in the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are taught how to keep themselves safe online and how to use social media safely. Furthermore, the registered person should ensure that staff have the confidence, knowledge and skills to teach children about online safety. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 43, paragraph 9.9).  The registered person should ensure that when children make complaints, internal enquiries are completed to understand the situation in detail, learning is taken from it and actions are considered if required. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 52, paragraph 10.4).

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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: SC066250 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Headway Adolescent Resources Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Headway, Malvern View, Saxon Business Park, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove B60 4AD

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Inspector

Emma Fryer, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC066250 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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