Children's Home run by Thrive Childcare Services Ltd in Stockport

Inspection report for children's home: 2811704 1 Registered provider: Thrive Childcare Services Limited 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 company and provides care for up to 5 children who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

There were 3 children living in the home at the time of the visit.

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Information about this children's home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in December 2024.

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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: 2811704 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/05/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2811704 3

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Summary of findings

Staff provide warm, respectful and child-centred care, building trusting relationships that help children feel secure, valued and understood. Children benefit from living in the home and are making progress in all areas of their lives.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding is strong, with leaders responding promptly to concerns, reflecting on incidents and improving practice. Strong leadership, effective supervision, ongoing development and collaborative work with professionals create a coordinated approach that supports children's welfare, progress and wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build warm, positive relationships with children, treating them with dignity and respect while understanding their individual needs and personalities. Staff speak passionately and fondly about the children in their care, creating trusting relationships that help children feel emotionally secure, valued and cared for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to contribute to their daily care using their preferred communication methods, including symbols and objects of reference. They also use their strong relationships with children to recognise communication through behaviour, ensuring that children feel listened to and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff complete key-work sessions regularly with children. These sessions are targeted and meaningful sessions that are relevant to each child's individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children experience difficulties accessing suitable education placements, the manager actively challenges placing authorities, virtual schools and other relevant professionals to advocate on behalf of the children. When children are out of education, staff develop their independence skills in line with their age and ability, helping to prepare them for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to enjoy a wide range of meaningful activities and introduce them to new experiences. They plan activities around children's sensory needs, hobbies and interests, including walks, adapted cycling, cinema trips, shopping and visits to the beach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children's health needs and ensure that they attend health appointments. They work closely with a range of specialist professionals, including child and adolescent mental health services, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, to ensure that children have access to external support when needed. Inspection report for children's home: 2811704 4 Staff and managers welcome children sensitively into the home, with the best possible planning based on the child's individual circumstances. There are robust assessments completed prior to agreeing for children to move into the home. This ensures that there is a child-centred approach to assessing their needs, that staff can meet their needs and that children are suitable to live together.

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

Leaders and managers respond promptly and appropriately to safeguarding concerns, treating every concern seriously and working transparently with external professionals to ensure that information is shared and fully explored. The manager reflects on incidents, identifies lessons learned and uses these to strengthen future practice.

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

Staff understand and use the whistleblowing process when necessary. After identifying one delayed report, the manager acted promptly to address the issue with the staff involved.

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

Staff use detailed support plans that provide clear guidance and practical strategies for delivering consistent care. These plans enable staff to support children effectively and help them make progress across all areas of their lives.

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

Staff use positive relationships and consistently follow the strategies in children's support plans to de-escalate situations when children become distressed. Their proactive approach has meant that staff have not needed to use physical intervention to keep children safe, and there has been a reduction in the frequency and severity of incidents.

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

Staff support children suitably when they display behaviours that may cause injury to themselves. Staff ensure that children receive first aid and external medical input if needed. The manager has reviewed these incidents to recognise any triggers and to identify any ongoing support needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides strong leadership with a clear vision for improving children's lives. She is passionate about achieving positive outcomes and celebrates children's achievements. Staff describe her as approachable, supportive and readily available for guidance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced staff team knows the children well. After identifying issues within team dynamics, the manager addressed them through individual supervision and team meetings, ensuring that children's wellbeing remains central to practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager prioritises staff development by combining formal training with supervision sessions, team meetings and dedicated development sessions to strengthen staff knowledge and practice. Inspection report for children's home: 2811704 5 Staff have completed a range of formal training sessions. However, not all staff have completed training specific to the needs of children, such as training on self-harm, understanding seizures and communication.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff take part in regular supervision sessions that focus on children's needs while providing opportunities to review practice, reflect on significant events and support staff development and wellbeing. The manager also completes probation reviews and annual appraisals to monitor staff performance and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend regular team meetings that focus on children's needs and provide updates on their progress and changing circumstances. These meetings also promote staff development through workshops on topics such as attachment and trauma-informed practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work together with placing authorities, schools, foster carers, health professionals and other partner agencies to provide a coordinated, wraparound approach that promotes children's welfare and achieves positive outcomes. Inspection report for children's home: 2811704 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, 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 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—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff have all the necessary training to meet children's individual and specific needs. 25 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: 2811704 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Thrive Childcare Services Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 11 Gatley Road, Cheadle SK8 1LY

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Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2811704 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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Inspector

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