Children's Home run by iMap Centre Limited in Cheshire West and Chester

Inspection report for children's home: SC481295 1 SC481295 Registered provider: iMap Centre Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is run by a private provider that specialises in delivering services for children with autism, learning disabilities and complex needs. The home provides care for up to 4 children. At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

The inspector observed 3 children during the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2021.

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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: SC481295 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/06/2025 Full Good 12/02/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/03/2024 Full Good 14/11/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: SC481295 3

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Summary of findings

Children are well supported by staff who have a clear understanding of their needs and risks. The manager and staff are attuned to children's social needs and use children's preferred methods to help them in their everyday lives.

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Summary of findings

Children are kept safe. Staff are skilled and knowledgeable in working with children who have learning disabilities. They use a calm, nurturing approach to help children feel safe and settled. Staff are committed to providing consistent care to children.

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Summary of findings

A permanent manager and deputy manager oversee their home. Staff feel supported and enthusiastic in their roles. External professionals speak highly about the experience and care provided to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to providing children with stability and helping them to feel safe. Two children have remained settled in the home for a significant period. One child has moved in a carefully planned way, with consideration of their needs, which has helped them settle quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved out of the home as a natural move to adulthood. The manager and staff worked with a range of professionals to ensure that the move was carefully planned over time. Alongside the move, the staff supported the child in continuing to develop life skills, using the child's preferred methods of communication and ensuring that they were well prepared.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to learn and attend school. Staff support children to ensure that they have regular school attendance, including transporting them to and from education where needed. The manager has advocated for and worked with education professionals effectively to ensure that a child who had been excluded could remain in their school. This promoted stability for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed positive working relationships with other professionals and families. They are in regular communication to ensure that children are getting the support they need. Professionals speak highly of the commitment and care provided to the children living there.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's health needs are well met. Staff support children to attend all health appointments and access specialist health provision when needed. They work closely with child and adolescent mental health services to ensure that children receive the right support to improve their emotional wellbeing. Inspection report for children's home: SC481295 4 The children are supported to communicate using their preferred methods. Staff use social stories to help children understand day-to-day living and events. They encourage sharing their views and making choices regarding meals, times and activities.

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

Staff are committed to the care they provide to children and understand their needs and risks well. Children are helped to understand appropriate behaviour through clear explanations and by ensuring that they have a clear structure and routines in their day.

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

Staff are calm and nurturing. They use clear instructions and additional communication tools to help children understand behaviours. As a result, physical interventions are rarely used, because staff have the skills to de-escalate unwanted behaviour effectively.

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

Children do not go missing from the home. However, staff know what action to take if they were to go missing. The missing-from-home Philomena profiles are complete and provide all relevant information about the children to share with the police and other professionals.

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

Risk assessments are detailed and thorough, and they provide clear guidance for staff. Staff support children to understand risk. When children are subject to deprivation of liberty orders, these are carefully reviewed in collaboration with other professionals to ensure that they remain in the children's best interests and are appropriate to keep children safe.

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

Medication is safely managed. All staff are trained and assessed for medical competency to ensure that they understand how to administer medication safely. There have been no medication errors.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported by an experienced deputy and an experienced staff team. There have been some staff changes, which have been well managed. New staff are supported through an induction period, including working alongside other experienced and skilled staff members.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the home is a safe space for children to live in. The home is decorated and personalised to reflect the children living there. However, some areas of the home are looking tired and in need of attention. This does not create a welcoming environment for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager implements safe recruitment of new staff. This includes ensuring that all the necessary checks are completed before staff are employed. New staff are supported through a probationary and induction period. Any issues about staff practice are raised promptly. When adults are not suitable to care for the children in the home, processes are followed to end employment. Inspection report for children's home: SC481295 5 Staff supervision sessions are reflective and child focused, and staff have the opportunity to discuss personal and wider-team issues. Staff are supported to reflect on learning and development to improve their knowledge and skills. They also receive annual appraisals. However, children's views of the care provided by staff are not included. This was a recommendation from the previous inspection and is therefore restated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has clear systems in place to monitor children's progress and care provided. The manager is proactive in discussing challenges with staff and identifying the actions needed to reduce incidents. Inspection report for children's home: SC481295 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is well maintained and that the environment remains clean and well presented to meet the needs of the child. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.1)  The registered person should ensure that children have the opportunity to provide feedback on the staff who support them and that this feedback forms part of staff appraisals. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.5). This recommendation has been restated.

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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: SC481295 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: iMap Centre Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: iMap School, Barrowmore Estate, Barnhouse Lane, Great Barrow, Chester CH3 7JA

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Inspector

Sarah Probert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC481295 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 children looked after , safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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