Lower Roach End Farm

Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 1 SC005048 Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It provides care for up to 8 children with social and emotional difficulties. There were 5 children living in the home at the time of inspection and all children spoke with the inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The previous registered manager resigned in April 2026. The new manager has applied to be registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is in a remote area. The organisation has an independent school on the same site, which has a separate Ofsted registration. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, a police investigation was ongoing and is not yet concluded.

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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: SC005048 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/06/2025 Full Good 19/06/2024 Full Good 04/07/2023 Full Good 22/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 3

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Summary of findings

Staff provide warm, nurturing care. Children report feeling safe, supported and listened to. They make good educational progress, enjoy a wide range of activities and are encouraged to build friendships and maintain family connections. Staff manage risks effectively, promote positive behaviour and follow safeguarding procedures appropriately. The manager is child focused and staff feel supported in their roles. Staff receive good- quality training and reflective supervision. However, some areas of the home require redecoration, and when children raise concerns, outcomes are not always shared with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move on from the home in a planned and sensitive way. One child has successfully returned to their mother’s care, while another is progressing through a planned reunification. Staff and the home’s therapist have provided effective outreach support to families, which has strengthened successful reunification planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and children are positive and nurturing. Staff are warm, sensitive and responsive to children’s needs. Children enjoy spending time with staff and speak positively about them. They say they feel safe living in the home and have trusted adults they can speak with if they have any worries or concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in education. Some children have gained confidence in reading and writing. Their attendance is good, and effective communication between staff and educational professionals helps to ensure that children receive consistent support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help promote and maintain important family relationships. For one child, staff have helped to re-establish family connections after a significant period of separation. Staff provide transport and supervision when required, helping children to spend meaningful time with their families.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a wide range of fun activities that are specific to their interests. For example, children attend swimming lessons, enjoy regular trips to parks and attend football training sessions. Furthermore, children are supported to develop and maintain friendships. Their friends are welcomed into the home, and opportunities are provided to meet friends in the community. This helps children to build confidence, develop social skills and enjoy positive social experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment has benefited from improvements to the furnishings, outdoor areas and driveway. However, the decoration in some children’s bedrooms and the hallway area is damaged and worn. These areas require redecoration to ensure that the environment remains welcoming and homely for children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s risks and are confident in implementing support strategies. Individualised plans are in place and reflect children’s views, helping staff to respond in ways that children find helpful and reassuring. The recently introduced one-page profiles clearly set out what works best for each child and provide staff with accessible and effective guidance.

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

Physical intervention is only used as a last resort to keep children safe. Children are supported to reflect on incidents and develop strategies to manage their emotions. All incidents are reviewed by the manager and the home’s therapist, enabling reflective analysis, which strengthens staff practices and promotes consistent responses. As a result, incidents and the need for physical intervention have reduced for some children.

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

Staff promote positive behaviour through consistent encouragement and praise. A range of incentives are used to recognise achievements, positive relationships and progress. Children receive certificates, rewards from the prize box and regular verbal praise, helping to build their confidence, motivation and self-esteem.

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

Staff regularly speak with children about the things that are important to them. They help children understand the importance of making positive choices, using kind hands and treating others with respect. Staff use a range of age-appropriate resources and worksheets to support learning and reinforce key messages, helping children to develop their understanding.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and are confident in escalating concerns should they need to. When concerns have been raised by children, these are taken seriously and shared promptly with safeguarding professionals. Investigations are thorough, with clear reflection and learning where needed. However, children are not always informed of outcomes following raising concerns. This does not provide children with the reassurance that their concerns have been taken seriously.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager has worked in the home for a long time. He knows the children well and has a strong understanding of their lived experiences. He is committed to developing the home’s environment and the staff team. Staff speak positively about the support they receive and enjoy working in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular children’s meetings and one-to-one discussions provide opportunities for children to share their views and influence decisions about their care. The manager also seeks children’s feedback on staff performance, helping to improve staff practice and ensure that children’s voices are central to the running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s therapist meets regularly with the manager to review children’s progress and support plans. They work closely with staff to develop and adapt strategies that help Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 5 children achieve positive outcomes. For example, the use of visual aids has been incorporated into one child’s plans, helping the child to better understand and express their feelings and emotions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a wide range of training available to them that is specific to the children’s needs. Team meetings are held regularly. These meetings include additional learning opportunities on relevant topics, such as attachment theory. The manager also uses safeguarding quizzes to test and reinforce staff knowledge, helping to promote reflective practice and maintain safeguarding awareness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision takes place regularly, providing staff with opportunities to discuss their welfare, practice, children’s progress and any challenges they may face. These sessions encourage professional curiosity and reflection, helping staff to develop their skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and family members is positive. They value the good communication from staff and say that children receive care that meets their needs. One social worker said, ‘They are very good advocates for children.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are informed of outcomes when they raise concerns about staff practice. 20 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; 20 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 7 ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s bedrooms and communal spaces are appropriately decorated and any damage to the home decoration is repaired in a timely manner.

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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: SC005048 8

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Partnership of Care Today

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 6LR

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Inspectors

Kirsty Truesdale, Social Care Inspector Shabana Warne, His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC005048 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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