Children's Home run by New Focus Child Care LTD in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 1 Registered provider: New Focus Child Care 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

This home is operated by a private company. It can provide care for up to 3 children with social and emotional difficulties and/or special educational needs.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager at the home, who is suitably experienced. They are working towards completing a relevant qualification in leaderships and management.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were 2 children living at the home. They both spoke about their experiences of living in 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/08/2025 Full Good 28/01/2025 Full Good 21/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive highly individualised care from the home’s committed staff, who understand their needs, aspirations and plans. Strong advocacy promotes, education, future care planning arrangements and access to services. Children benefit from trusting relationships, a stable and nurturing home, effective health support and opportunities to influence decisions about their care.

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Summary of findings

Staff promote positive behaviour, manage peer relationships well and provide trauma- informed support that enhances emotional wellbeing and safety. Leaders and managers have high aspirations for children, maintain effective oversight, support staff development and challenge other agencies when required.

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Summary of findings

A shortfall remains in staff training specific to some children’s diagnosed health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care that is tailored to their needs and aspirations. Staff have a good understanding of children’s plans and future goals. Managers and staff recognise the importance of securing future care arrangements for one child, who is approaching adulthood. They provide strong advocacy to ensure there is sufficient time for the child to be appropriately prepared for their transition into adult services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive relationships with the staff, who are committed to making a meaningful difference to their lives. For example, staff have purchased a series of books that are particularly relevant to one child’s experiences and interests. These books help the child to explore topics such as building self-esteem, managing worries, handling anger and practising gratitude. The child enjoys reading these books with staff as part of their bedtime routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff manage peer relationships effectively. They recognise challenges and provide sensitive support to help children live together successfully. Children are offered opportunities to participate in activities both individually and as a group. This approach is helping children to strengthen and maintain positive relationships with one another.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from living in this stable and nurturing home, where they have developed a strong sense of belonging. Both children take pride in their home environment. One child particularly enjoys helping to maintain the garden and keeping the car clean. For another child, since moving into the home, there has been a significant reduction in incidents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s emotional and physical health effectively. Children are encouraged to attend health appointments, and their medication is managed safely. Staff support children to access specialist services, including child and adolescent mental Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 4 health services. The home also benefits from clinical consultations provided by an independent psychologist commissioned by the organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly seek and value children’s views, wishes and feelings. These are considered when planning and delivering care. For example, separate meal arrangements have been implemented at the request of one child, and each child’s bedroom is personalised to reflect their preferences and interests. Children are encouraged to contribute to day-to-day decisions about the home. For example, they are supported to meet prospective staff during the recruitment process. The manager actively seeks feedback from children, which informs recruitment decisions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the importance of education and learning. When barriers to education arise, managers act proactively to advocate for children and escalate concerns where necessary. They supported one child in raising concerns to the children’s commissioner about delays in accessing formal education. As a result, the child attended a virtual meeting with the commissioner, who agreed to provide support. Staff are equally proactive in promoting learning opportunities at home and have supported the child to secure work experience in their chosen career pathway. The child’s social worker commented that managers and staff ‘go above and beyond to support the child’s learning, despite the barriers they have faced’.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been one missing-from-home incident. Staff managed this effectively, taking appropriate action to safeguard the child. They maintained active searches, worked closely with the police and welcomed the child home with curiosity and support. Staff also sought feedback from the independent person who spoke with the child, ensuring that this information informed future plans to promote their safety.

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

Incentive systems are used effectively to encourage positive behaviour and support children to make progress. Consequences are used occasionally and are proportionate, helping children understand acceptable behaviour and personal responsibility. There have been no physical interventions since the last inspection, demonstrating improvement from the previous inspection period.

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

Children’s emotional needs are well supported. Staff respond in a trauma-informed manner and apply therapeutic parenting principles, including playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy. Children are encouraged to recognise and explore their feelings through meaningful discussions. Managers and staff have a strong understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and actively promote their emotional wellbeing and safety.

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

There has been one allegation against a member of staff since the last inspection. Information was shared appropriately with relevant professionals. Although the threshold for referral to the local authority designated officer was not met, an internal review was completed. The outcome was shared sensitively with the child. The manager maintained appropriate oversight and ensured that the child’s views were considered throughout. Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 5 Safe recruitment practices are in place. All required pre-employment checks are completed before staff commence work, reducing the risk of children being cared for by unsuitable adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a clear vision for the home. They know children well, have high aspirations for them and advocate strongly for their needs. Effective monitoring systems help managers understand children’s experiences and progress. They have a good understanding of team strengths and regularly reflect on practice, which supports continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the support they receive from managers. Supervision and team meetings provide valuable opportunities for reflection and professional development. Managers encourage staff to contribute to care planning and practice decisions, helping to ensure that children receive consistent care and benefit from structured routines.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers maintain positive and effective relationships with professionals involved in children’s care. They challenge services appropriately when children’s needs are not being met, particularly regarding one child’s access to education and future care planning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Equality, diversity and inclusion are promoted well. Staff provide children with opportunities to attend places of worship in line with their beliefs. Both children recently attended a community festival celebrating the LGBTQ+ community. For one child, this increased their understanding of inclusion, while for the other it provided a safe and supportive social environment that promoted acceptance of others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Three staff members hold relevant qualifications, and the remaining staff are working towards achieving them. Managers ensure that staff complete mandatory training. However, staff do not always receive training specific to children’s diagnosed health needs. As a result, some staff do not fully understand how these needs affect children’s daily lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 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 ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff receive appropriate support and guidance to understand the diagnosed health conditions of children in their care. 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: 2724156 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Focus Child Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit A4, City Trading Park Dewsbury Road, Stoke-on- Trent ST4 2TE

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Inspector

Helen Dunn, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2724156 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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