Children's Home run by Orchid Care Ltd in Bury

Inspection report for children's home: 2741493 1 Registered provider: Orchid Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

This children's home is operated by a private organisation. The home provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The manager was registered in September 2024.

p.1

Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home and all 3 were spoken with.

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 good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2741493 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/06/2025 Full Good 14/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2741493 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children are happy living in this home and feel safe. Their views are listened to and taken seriously. Children experience consistent, stable care from an experienced and attuned staff team. Staff know children well and proactively address any worries they may have about them. Staff work collaboratively with families and professionals to maintain children's safety. This is the foundation for children's progress.

p.3

Summary of findings

Staff enjoy working in the home and are supported by leaders and managers to develop their practice. Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the functioning of the home, the progress children make and their goals. Written documents are comprehensive and well written.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All 3 children enjoy living in the home. Two children said that they never want to leave and the third is worried that when they do leave, they will miss the staff. This is testament to the positive, trusting relationships that children have with staff. Children feel a sense of belonging and experience stability while living in this home. One child's social worker said, '[Child's name] feels loved, respected and heard. Staff have helped them feel like they belong for the first time in a long time.' Another child's parent said that when they visit the home it feels like visiting their family or friends' homes.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress, although this is not linear. One child has completed their exams, despite only living in the country for 2 years. They were supported with additional tutoring so that they were as confident and prepared as possible to take the exams. The diversity of the team means that there are staff who speak the child's home language. This has supported and enabled the child to learn English to a high standard. The child's social worker explained that staff have connected the child well with the local community.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children experience barriers to education that existed before they moved into the home. Some of these challenges have continued and children's attendance continues to be an issue. Even when children are at school, they can struggle to engage in a way that enables them to make academic progress. Regular conversations take place with children to remind them of the importance of education.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to share their views. This is particularly important when changes to children's care plans have been suggested and children do not agree with them. For 2 children in the home, leaders and managers have enabled them to access independent advocates to support them in expressing their views. This shows children that their opinions are important and speaking out can result in positive changes. Inspection report for children's home: 2741493 4

p.3

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

Staff have positive and trusting relationships with children and their families. When children go missing, or there is a concerning incident in the community, staff respond swiftly, in line with children's plans. Staff liaise extensively with people who children spend time with, such as family and friends. This means that everyone works together to ensure that information is shared and children are located as quickly as possible.

p.4

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

Staff have a good understanding of children's vulnerabilities. Staff know when it is appropriate to escalate concerns to the emergency services, or other agencies. When children who have been missing return home, they are supported to understand the risks of them going missing and discourage them from repeated incidents.

p.4

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

Staff understand children's needs. When something seems unusual, staff speak with children to gain a better understanding. Staff are professionally curious and develop a better understanding of children's vulnerabilities. Additional information is shared with relevant professionals to get appropriate support to increase safety for children. Due to staff relationships and the de-escalation skills of staff, children have not needed to be held to keep them safe.

p.4

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

Children's records focus on what children are getting right and provide praise when children have made good decisions or improvements. Conversations with children are purposeful, focused and well planned for maximum impact. Typically, these discussions align to current concerns or in response to incidents. These are well-written records and supportive of children.

p.4

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

There has been one allegation. This was managed appropriately to keep everyone safe. Relevant agencies, such as the local authority and Ofsted, were informed appropriately.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management arrangements in the home are effective. There is a permanent, experienced and qualified manager. He is supported by an experienced deputy, who led the inspection as the manager was on leave.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is relatively stable and growing in experience. Leaders and managers are keen to support staff to progress and there are regular discussions and development plans to support staff. Staff enjoy working at the home. They feel valued and part of the wider team.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When new staff are recruited, this is completed in line with safer recruitment expectations. They have a probationary period, which can be extended if additional support is required. This is used effectively.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers have developed excellent working relationships with professionals and children's families. Managers ensure that information is shared appropriately so that Inspection report for children's home: 2741493 5 informed, multi-agency decisions can be made about children's plans. This ensures a prompt response to children's emerging needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions take place regularly. Children are discussed extensively and reflective discussions about incidents and staff practice takes place. Team meetings take place regularly and are used to discuss children in depth. However, there is a lack of analysis that leads to action. This is a theme across documents in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good oversight of the home. They know the children and staff well. All children's documents are regularly reviewed. However, this does not always result in analysis that improves practice. Examples of this include no consideration for one child's needs in relation to their neurodiversity. Inspection report for children's home: 2741493 6

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff understand and overcome barriers to children's education. The manager should support staff to consider innovative ways of ensuring that children make academic progress, in line with children's aspirations and plans. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 26, paragraph 5.3)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to understand and respond appropriately to children. This includes any needs and adjustments arising from neurodiversity. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 34, paragraph 7.12)  The registered person should use analysis to ensure that the quality of care for children is continuously improving and that staff are open to learning. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 54, paragraph

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: 2741493 7

p.6

Children's home details

Registered provider: Orchid Care Limited

p.7

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 168 Seymour Grove, Manchester M16 9GR

p.7

Inspectors

Joanna Scott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2741493 8 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 . 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