Children's Home run by Social Care Services (Clayton) Limited in Salford

Inspection report for children’s home: 2608484 1 Registered provider: Social Care Services (Clayton) Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and 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. One child had recently moved on to independence. The inspector spoke to both children about their experiences of living at the home.

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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: 2 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: 2608484 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/12/2024 Full Good 11/07/2023 Full Good 23/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2608484 3

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Summary of findings

Staff understand the child well. They identify changes in the child’s presentation and provide appropriate support to meet the child’s needs. Staff support the child to understand their behaviours and make positive changes.

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have implemented positive changes in the home. These changes have improved the quality of care provided to the child and the child has made good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child said that they are happy living at the home and they have good relationships with staff. The child is well cared for by the staff team. The child benefits from well- planned and individualised care that meets their needs effectively. The manager and staff are aspirational and advocate for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted and the child engages well in learning. When the child does not participate in school-based learning, staff engage them in tutoring and educational activities. Staff celebrate achievements to support attendance and engagement in learning, however large or small these may be. Staff have supported the child to pursue their interest in beauty therapy through an education provision alongside more formal education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. Staff understand the value of these relationships and make practical arrangements to ensure that the child can spend time with family and friends. When challenges arise in the child’s relationships, staff work sensitively with social workers and families to promote positive and safe interactions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming, with photographs of the child displayed throughout. The child is very proud of their room, which reflects their taste and preferences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to prepare for adulthood. The child who left the home experienced a positive move and had a detailed support plan in place. They are now settled in their new home and keep in regular contact with staff. This ongoing contact reflects the positive relationships that staff have built with the child.

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

Staff respond effectively when the child goes missing from the home. They take suitable action to locate the child and return them home, attempting to keep in contact with Inspection report for children’s home: 2608484 4 them throughout the period they are missing. Staff write chronological reports that detail the actions taken by staff and those professionals informed. Staff are trained in and aware of the home’s missing-from-home procedures.

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

Physical interventions are not used. Staff use effective strategies to de-escalate incidents of aggressive behaviour. They understand the child’s triggers and recognise factors that may affect their behaviours, which helps staff to intervene early. When staff use consequences, they ensure these are proportionate and record them appropriately.

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

Staff have regular conversations with the child about keeping themselves safe and reflecting on their behaviour. Staff support the child to manage their behaviour and feelings safely. They understand the child’s experiences, maintain appropriate boundaries and seek to understand the triggers for their behaviour.

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

Risk management strategies are in place and these are regularly reviewed. However, phone checks and the level of risks identified for children do not consistently provide sufficient detail for all staff to safely support children. This means that children may experience inconsistent care.

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

Professionals provide positive feedback about how staff safeguard the child. One professional said the staff ‘go above and beyond’ in their actions. Staff communicate effectively with social workers and other professionals, sharing updates about emerging risks.

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

Leaders and managers follow safer recruitment practices. This ensures that only suitable individuals are employed to care for children. These practices promote children’s safety and welfare and contribute to a secure living environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager knows the child well and promotes a nurturing approach across the staff team. He speaks fondly about the child and has a clear understanding of the support they need to develop their skills. He has a clear vision for how the child will achieve this and advocates effectively on their behalf to help them achieve the best possible outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions take place regularly. They focus on the child and encourage staff to reflect on practice, the progress children have made and any areas of development. Team meetings take place regularly and give staff the opportunity to share and reflect on good practice. However, managers do not review actions identified in team meetings at subsequent meetings to maintain practice standards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the supportive and collaborative culture created by the registered manager and deputy manager. Professionals also praise the consistency of staff responses to incidents. One professional said, ‘Communication from the management team and staff has been excellent throughout my involvement.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2608484 5 Managers do not have sufficient oversight of some of the systems in place to safeguard children. Improvements in these systems would enable all staff to safely support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a range of online and face-to-face training relevant to their roles. However, not all staff are up to date with their training and staff do not complete fire safety training regularly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has not ensured that the independent person’s report is sent to the regulator within the required timescales. Inspection report for children’s home: 2608484 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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that safety plans and risk assessments are written clearly and kept up to date to enable staff to keep children safe. 26 August 2026

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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— 26 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2608484 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person must maintain clear oversight of agreed daily phone checks.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, that the registered person must ensure that all staff are up to date on training and that team meetings review previous tasks set.

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Requirement Due date

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

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to —

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the provider must ensure that the independent person submits the reports to the regulator within the required timeframe. 26 August 2026

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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: 2608484 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Social Care Services (Clayton) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 31 Shaw Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 4AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Annabella Foulkes

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Inspectors

Hannah Longdon, Social Care Inspector Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2608484 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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