Children's Home run by Kingsway Children’s Home Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: 2742235 1 Registered provider: Kingsway Children’s Home Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider. It offers care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in October 2023.

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

Date of last inspection: 14 October 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2742235 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/10/2025 Full Good 19/06/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2742235 3

p.2

Summary of findings

The child benefits from nurturing and consistent care from staff, who take time to understand and are committed to the child. The child is making progress, considering their individual starting point, and is supported to build trusting relationships with staff.

p.3

Summary of findings

There are appropriate safeguarding arrangements in place to reduce the risks for the child. The child is included in their own safety planning and supported to make positive choices in line with their plan of moving to independence.

p.3

Summary of findings

The registered manager is experienced, leading the staff by example. The manager is supported by a stable staff team.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child in this home experiences consistent and nurturing care. Restorative practice of staff has improved the child’s ability to trust adults. The child can tell staff how they are feeling and seek help from staff more frequently. The child spends more time in the home due to having positive relationships with staff, reducing the risks in the community. The child reports feeling safe and likes the adults who care for them.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Changes in care planning for the child have not impacted the care the child experiences in the home. The manager and staff understand the child’s plan for independence and continue to focus their care on getting the child ready for moving out, whenever that may be. The manager and staff remain committed to the child. The child has lived in the home for a significant period, providing stability and the opportunity to create connections.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocacy for the child is strong. Staff understand the child’s rights and professionally challenge others to obtain essential legal documents, ensuring stability as they move toward independence. The child is helped to attend clubs and activities important to them, such as football and wrestling. Praise is given to the child frequently, increasing the child’s sense of self-worth.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is championed. The child has made good progress in comparison to their attendance levels over the previous 12 months. The child has attended school consistently and achieved their qualifications. Staff help the child explore their goals for the future. The manager is proactive, identifying further education provisions in line with the child’s interests.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Cultural needs are well understood and promoted. Staff use curiosity to encourage the child to share their cultural experiences. The home is personalised by the child in line with their cultural heritage. The child enjoys cooking meals for staff with ingredients the child and staff have researched together. Inspection report for children’s home: 2742235 4 The child’s views are captured using meaningful methods individual to the child. The child is listened to, and their voice is used in the manager’s decision-making. All records are written to the child and are free from blaming or stigmatising language.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A healthy lifestyle for the child is promoted. The child’s physical health needs are understood. Sensory sound tools, chosen by the child, are encouraged by staff to help the child manage their emotional health and support an improved sleep routine.

p.4

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

The manager and staff understand the risks for the child. The manager is creative and collaborative, engaging key stakeholders to disrupt the risk of criminality in the community for the child. Child-focused responses to incidents of criminality have reduced the impact of criminalisation on the child. The child’s social worker said, ‘They [the manager and staff] have continuously considered how to alleviate pressures for the child and be realistic in response to risk.’

p.4

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

Responses of the staff when the child is missing from home are strong and effective. Staff take appropriate and creative actions to look for the child, reporting to the relevant professionals for a multi-agency safeguarding approach. The child is welcomed home with kindness. Professional curiosity is embedded in staff responses, and in the manager’s evaluation of all missing-from-home experiences. Lessons learned are shared with staff to support continuous development of safeguarding responses. The staff response has helped to reduce the frequency of the child’s whereabouts being unknown.

p.4

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

A culture of learning and reflection is embedded in the home. The child is supported to understand how to stay safe in the community and the potential impact of choices on their future outcomes. Discussions with the child are timely, and the child is always supported to understand the manager’s decisions following concerns for the child’s safety. When the child does not agree with these decisions, they are listened to with empathy. The frequency of positive choices made by the child in the community has increased.

p.4

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

Staff responses to the child are nurturing and calm. Staff understand the child’s individual behaviours and what upsets them very well. Staff communicate effectively with the child, using trusted relationships to help the child regulate their emotions without the use of physical intervention.

p.4

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

The child is cared for by suitable and safe adults. Staff recruitment processes are robust. All staff working in the home are vetted and assessed as suitable before any appointment is confirmed.

p.4

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

The manager understands the local area well, seeking updated information from relevant professionals to assess all current risks to the child. Staff use this advice. However, this information is not collated coherently, reducing the ability of all staff to be aware of and mitigate the risks in the local area if the manager is not available. Inspection report for children’s home: 2742235 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are led by an experienced and dedicated manager, who is registered to manage another home for the provider The manager has good knowledge of the child’s needs and plan for the future, including clear and achievable goals for the child as they move towards independence.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads by example; he is an active part of the team. The manager models effective relationship building with the child, based on individualised understanding of the child’s communication style and experience of being cared for. The child has a very positive and trusting relationship with the manager. The manager ensures that the child knows how to speak to him when the manager is spending time at another home, further promoting trust.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff consistently report they feel supported the manager. Dual registration has not had a significant impact on the manager’s ability to provide both formal and informal supervision sessions for staff, although some senior staff supervisions do not take place within the manager’s preferred timescales. Staff supervision sessions are goal focused, reflective and consider the staff’s skills and knowledge in meeting the child’s needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager reviews complaints inconsistently without using a formal policy. Documents relating to complaints are not stored appropriately, and in some instances are missing from records. There is a lack of management evaluation, learning and resolution from complaints to drive improvement in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear focus for staff development and progression. Staff are appropriately qualified or enrolled on relevant qualifications. Staff have the skills and knowledge required to care for the child safely. The manager has an effective system in place to monitor staff training and development. Staff consistently demonstrate that training is embedded in their practice.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A stable team of staff care for the child. The manager understands how using agency staff negatively impacts the child’s emotional wellbeing and works closely with deputy managers to ensure that the child is cared for by trusted adults. The manager has been proactive in staff recruitment to sustain consistent care for the child. New staff report their induction process and training are supportive, helping them to understand how to care for the child safely and effectively.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems are in place to review standards of care. Recently introduced monthly progress reports are detailed and child focused, enabling a clear picture of progress and areas of development for the child and staff. However, these do not include regular feedback from key stakeholders, which misses an opportunity to further improve learning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2742235 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.6

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(g)(ii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that all complaints are managed effectively, and in line with the setting’s complaints process, regardless of the source or severity. 30 October 2026

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered manager should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home, developing and implementing a regular feedback system. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered manager should hold an up-to-date assessment of all information about the location of the home and any risks associated with that location. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2742235 7

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: 2742235 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Kingsway Children’s Home Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Kingsway Children’s Homes Ltd, 163 Kingsway, Manchester M19 2ND

p.8

Inspectors

Beth Bird, Social Care Inspector Sylvia Eboigbe, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: 2742235 9 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.

p.8

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.9

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9