Children's Home run by Family Care Associates Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC020595 1 SC020595

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Registered provider: Family Care Associates Ltd

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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 owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to 4 children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023 and has the relevant qualifications and experience.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children are living in the home. The inspector spoke to 2 of the children.

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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: 27 January 2026

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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: SC020595 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/01/2026 Full Good 18/03/2025 Full Good 21/02/2024 Full Good 08/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC020595 3

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Summary of findings

This home has a consistent good or outstanding inspection judgement history.

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, 2 children have remained living in the home. Two children have moved into the home. One child moved out after a few months due to emerging behaviours and needs that the staff could not meet, which affected the other children living in the home. The manager took several steps to reduce the impact on both children and staff.

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Summary of findings

Another child has recently moved into the home and has settled well.

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Summary of findings

The manager reflects on practice and is committed to continuous improvement. While there are some areas for further development, these do not detract from children’s overall good experiences and progress, which are supported by a committed and caring staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that is clean and tidy. Children enjoy spending time in the large lounge area and spending mealtimes with each other and staff at the table. Children grow flowers, vegetables and fruit in the garden. They also plant something of their choice when they leave the home. This is a tradition that helps validate the children’s time there, reinforcing that their presence mattered.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child’s placement in the home was an emergency, following their experience of several unplanned moves. These experiences affected their ability to trust adults, despite staff’s best efforts. The social worker stated, ‘[Child’s name] had built lovely relationships with the care team and was making progress, but things were so overwhelming for [Child’s name].’ A social story and planned visits to their new home helped create a positive move. This supports children to settle into their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Another child has recently moved into the home. The child shared that they felt welcomed, safe and would not change anything about the home. Plans have supported the child to begin forming positive relationships with staff and the other children. This supports children to feel cared for and settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences in education and are progressing from their starting points. They enjoy after-school activities, and one child was able to take part in their first school residential trip. Another child has secured a college place to support their career aspirations after successfully completing exams. The child’s school said, ‘There has been significant progress despite their complex needs.’ The support provided by staff has been instrumental in achieving positive educational and future outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020595 4 Children enjoy an active lifestyle, and their hobbies and interests are well supported. They engage in fun activities in the home, such as ‘murder mystery nights’ organised by staff. Children also enjoy outdoor hobbies, such as horse riding, golf and swimming. These experiences enrich children’s lives and support them to develop their confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend regular time with people who are important to them. Staff work proactively with professionals and family members to ensure that time spent together is safe, meaningful and in children’s best interests. This strengthens children’s sense of identity.

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

Children said they feel safe in the home, and that the staff keep them safe. The provider’s therapist works closely with staff to support their understanding of children’s behaviours, enabling them to respond in a therapeutic and informed manner. This informed approach enabled staff to implement an effective nighttime routine that led to a reduction of incidents.

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

Detailed and regularly reviewed care plans provide clear guidance and steps for staff to help keep children safe. Staff supported one child to devise their own safety plan for when they were feeling low. This helps children to understand risk, make safer choices and feel confident in sharing concerns. Staff have a good understanding of how to support children when they are feeling low. However, not all the staff were aware of the full contents of this safety plan. The manager put steps in place to address this.

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

Staff use de-escalation techniques to defuse situations so that the use of physical intervention is used as a last resort. When incidents do occur, staff and children have an opportunity to discuss and reflect on the events. The manager maintains a good level of oversight by assessing what could have been done differently. This develops staff practice to better support children.

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

Children have been supported to make complaints. They receive a letter of acknowledgment. The manager speaks to children about clear actions to mitigate their concerns. The children were happy with the outcome of their complaint. One child said, ‘I told [Manager’s name] and she helped sort it out.’ This helps children to feel listened to, valued and that their concerns will be taken seriously.

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

Bedroom door alarms are used when necessary and proportionate to children’s safety. Not all of the children’s plans have been updated. The manager stated this would be addressed.

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

There has been one medication error, and the manager addressed this. The staff member received increased supervision and additional training to strengthen practice and reduce the likelihood of the issue reoccurring. No further incidents have occurred. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020595 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about ensuring that children receive a good level of care. There has been a period of the home being unsettled. Five members of staff have also left. This has reduced the consistency of care for children. The manager improved staffing ratios and used bank staff who had good relationships with the children, where possible. The manager also worked longer hours to ensure that the children could continue to have routine in the morning and evening. This included the manager driving the children to school. This helped to create stability for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff have been recruited and the home is stabilising. Staff genuinely care for the children, and despite challenges, staff morale has remained high, they work well as a team, and they have demonstrated resilience to ensure children are settled and their needs met. This means children are cared for by a team of staff who are committed to helping children progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that the staff have the necessary skills to meet children’s needs. All staff have completed mandatory training. When new vulnerabilities emerge for children, bespoke training is provided by the therapist. This included a full day of autism training. This helped to ensure the staff hold the necessary skills to care for children more effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel very supported by managers. They attend regular team meetings, where they are provided an opportunity to explore what has worked well for the children and reflect on what could have been done differently. Children’s progress is spoken about in-depth and further actions identified. As a result, children are cared for by a team of staff who are supported to provide consistency and strive to continuously improve the quality of care they provide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight is mostly effective, with monitoring systems identifying and driving continuous improvement. The independent visitor does not effectively gather the views of children, staff, professionals and other relevant people involved in children’s care. This prevents Ofsted from gaining independent views about the support children are receiving. The management team identified this shortfall and are addressing this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous requirement for staff to complete the necessary qualification within the required timescale has not been met. This delay is due to factors outside of the registered manager’s control. One member of staff continues to complete their diploma with a clear system in place to monitor their progress effectively. This provides assurance that the completion of the qualification is tracked and completed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC020595 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 recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of the paragraph above, an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual— does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period;

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Requirement Due date

or works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 2 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC020595 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the use of door alarms is regularly reviewed and is proportionate, necessary and clearly linked to children’s individual risk assessments and care plans, so that restrictions on children’s privacy are not used unnecessarily. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 19, paragraph 3.36)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand children’s individual needs and provide them with personalised care and support in line with their relevant plans. In particular, ensure all staff read, understand, and consistently implement the agreed strategies in children’s care plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 11.1)

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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: SC020595 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Family Care Associates Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: First Floor Offices, The Unit Berry Way, Euxton, Chorley PR7 6RA

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Inspector

Emma Hutton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC020595 9 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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