Children's Home run by Arborvitae Care Services Ltd in Manchester

Inspection report for children's home: 2805759 1 Registered provider: Arborvitae Care Services Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to 2 children who experience emotional and behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children's home

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

p.1

Information about this children's home

There is no registered manager in the home. An interim manager has been in post since December 2025.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 16 December 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2805759 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/12/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2805759 3

p.2

Summary of findings

The child lives in a warm and welcoming home.

p.3

Summary of findings

The child is making progress. However, current support arrangements to prepare the child for independence are not sufficiently robust.

p.3

Summary of findings

Staff demonstrate generally safe and well-considered practice. However, some practice limits opportunities for the child to develop resilience.

p.3

Summary of findings

The manager has good oversight of the home, and staff say that they feel fully supported by managers.

p.3

Overall experiences and of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, no children have moved into or out of the home. One child has lived in the home for several months. The staff have developed a warm and trusting relationship with the child, particularly with their allocated key worker.

p.3

Overall experiences and of children and young people: good

The child's health needs are well understood by staff. Staff encourage the child to attend health appointments, and the child has attended the opticians and the dentist. Their social worker said, 'Staff have provided lots of encouragement which has resulted in good progress.'

p.3

Overall experiences and of children and young people: good

The manager and the staff team advocate for the child to spend time with people who are important to them. The child has maintained contact with their previous foster carer, who they lived with for several years. This helps the child to maintain meaningful social connections.

p.3

Overall experiences and of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage the child with their daily education tuition. The manager advocates for the child with external educational professionals to ensure that a suitable education provision is found for the child.

p.3

Overall experiences and of children and young people: good

The child's personal belongings are visible throughout the home, creating a space that genuinely feels like their own. Staff interact with the child with warmth and care. This supports the child's sense of belonging in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and of children and young people: good

The home is warm, spacious, nicely furnished and decorated, although there are some general maintenance tasks to be completed. New garden gates and furniture have weathered and need replacing. Adjustments also need to be made to the door locks to ensure that the child can leave the home without unnecessary restrictions. Inspection report for children's home: 2805759 4

p.3

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

The manager engages in monthly consultations with the mental health team and shares recommendations for practice with the staff. This ensures that staff practice adapts to the child's changing needs.

p.4

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

Behaviour management plans are individualised and include clear information about known behaviours, alongside guidance for staff to follow. Risk management plans include a range of general information but are not tailored to help staff to understand and respond appropriately to the child's specific vulnerabilities.

p.4

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

Incidents for the child are infrequent. Staff support the child to help them understand the impact of their behaviour through direct work sessions. Staff help the child understand what happened and how to make safer choices.

p.4

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

The child has positive relationships with most staff. They benefit from regular key-work sessions on a range of topics. This provides opportunities for staff to explore the child's experiences and emotional wellbeing. However, sessions on more difficult subjects specific to the child have not taken place.

p.4

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

There is a full-time interim manager in post who maintains good oversight of the care provided for the child. The manager has not registered with Ofsted.

p.4

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

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced. He knows the child well and has a good understanding of their individual needs. He is a good advocate for the child and provides clear direction to the staff team.

p.4

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

The manager has identified the need for life-story work for the child but has not taken action to secure a clear decision from the local authority. This leaves the child without timely access to support that would help them understand their history.

p.4

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

The home's statement of purpose has been updated. However, the revised document has not been provided to Ofsted. The document does not currently include the details of staff's experience and relevant qualifications.

p.4

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

Staff said that they felt well supported and well led by managers. They shared that the home's manager was always available and led by example. Staff say, 'The management team are approachable and provide guidance when needed.' This helps the staff to carry out their roles effectively. Inspection report for children's home: 2805759 5

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children's home if—

p.5

Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

p.5

Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect.

p.5

Requirement Due date

(Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must apply to register with Ofsted. 18 August 2026

p.5

Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children's home's premises; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child's privacy or access to any area of the home's premises—

p.5

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

p.5

Requirement Due date

is necessary and proportionate. 18 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2805759 6 (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must replace the door locks fitted to the front and rear doors to the home to ensure that the child can leave the premises safely in the event of fire without any restrictions.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children's home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must include staff's details, experience and relevant qualifications in their statement of purpose. Additionally, any revisions to the statement of purpose should be sent to Ofsted. 18 August 2026

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person and staff in children's homes should play a full role in advocating for life story work in children’s best interests. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should ensure that they provide an environment that is welcoming, for example replacing garden gates and furniture for the rear garden, as these items have weathered. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered manager must ensure that the risk assessment in respect of sharps is considered in line with the child's presenting needs and development stage. Children should be allowed to take appropriate risks. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.7)

p.6

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: 2805759 7

p.6

Children's home details

Registered provider: Arborvitae Care Services Ltd

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 73 Liverpool Road, Crosby, Liverpool L23 5SE

p.7

Inspectors

Sam Baird, Social Care Inspector Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2805759 8 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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8