Children's Home run by Homes for Support in Cheshire East

Inspection report for children’s home: 2647770 1 Registered provider: Homes for Support Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 6 children who may experience emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living in the home. One child spoke to the inspectors during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2026.

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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: 2647770 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/04/2025 Full Good 15/07/2024 Full Good 20/03/2024 Full Good 09/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2647770 3

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Summary of findings

Children make progress in this home. They are supported to access education and health services. Children maintain links with their families and friends.

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Summary of findings

Children can express their feelings and wishes and exercise some control over their lives. They are kept safe by staff who provide effective support; however, some practices are not therapeutic in nature.

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Summary of findings

The manager works with external professionals and those who are important to children to secure good outcomes. However, 2 children have experienced unexpected endings to their placements at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a warm, welcoming and safe environment, and thought has been given as to how spaces can be best used for children. For example, a new lounge and therapy room have recently been created. Children can personalise their bedrooms, which creates a sense of ownership and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved into the home, and 4 children have moved out. Some children have moved out in a child-centred and well-managed way. Staff work alongside external professionals and family members to ensure that children are prepared to move to their next home. One child’s move to their next home was not successful, and the child was able to return. This has given the child stability and consistency. However, 2 children have moved out in an unplanned way after staff were unable to sustain safe and effective responses to emerging risks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is valued, and staff and the manager want children to do well. When children are not in education, the manager works with other professionals to identify suitable school provision. Children’s interests are promoted and encouraged and form the basis of educational opportunities. One child has grown flowers and vegetables to promote an understanding of the natural world.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand children’s health needs. When children are reluctant to attend appointments, they receive support and encouragement from staff. Specialist referrals are made to dieticians, smoking cessation and substance misuse services when required. The provider employs a therapy team that provides guidance to staff on how to support children’s emotional health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can spend time with their families and friends in a safe way. Staff and the manager form positive relationships with family members and those who are important to children. Family members can visit the home where appropriate, which creates a sense of normality for children and promotes typical childhood experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 2647770 4 Good routines and boundaries are in place in the home. Incentives are offered to children to promote positive behaviour. However, some negative consequences used have not been fully effective or time limited.

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

Staff know the children well and have a good understanding of their needs and vulnerabilities. There is good joint working with safeguarding partners to keep children safe. There are effective processes in place to ensure that children are safe. Staff work hard to build supportive and trusting relationships with children. Staff speak positively and warmly about children and have their best interests at heart.

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

Incidents in the home are usually well managed by staff, who seek to de-escalate situations in line with their training. There have been many occasions when staff have needed to use physical intervention to keep children or themselves safe. When this has happened, there is clear recording, and children are given the opportunity to reflect on the incident afterwards. However, on one occasion, the intervention was not proportionate to the presenting risk. It is positive that over the inspection period there has been a reduction in the number of incidents in the home and the use of physical intervention.

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

There are clear processes in place for staff to follow when children are missing from home. There is effective communication with relevant professionals and family members. Children are reported missing appropriately, and staff search consistently for children. All missing-from-home episodes are recorded accurately, and staff practice is evaluated and reviewed by the manager. Children’s free time in the community is supported by staff in accordance with their plans, which are reviewed regularly. However, on one occasion, staff did not show enough professional curiosity when a child was seen with an unknown person.

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

Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities, including how to escalate concerns to safeguarding partners. Appropriate checks are carried out when recruiting new staff, and references are obtained. However, in one case, the manager had not fully assured themselves of a staff member’s good character and integrity by fully exploring a long gap in their employment history.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been significant changes in the leadership of the home. A new manager has been appointed, who is suitably qualified. There is also a new responsible individual in post. The previous manager and responsible individual have both taken new roles in the company and retain some involvement in the home, which has ensured that the new manager had a good handover. This has ensured consistency for the child and staff team. Inspection report for children’s home: 2647770 5 The manager has good oversight of the home. They make use of both internal and independent monitoring tools. Incidents are evaluated, and the manager identifies when improvements can be made to staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling supported by the management team. They have regular supervision sessions and team meetings. These are used as opportunities to reflect, discuss practice and embed learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a wide range of training. The manager ensures that staff have the skills to meet the needs of the children. Staff appreciate the manager’s approach to training and broadening their knowledge. Some staff members are experienced and qualified in residential childcare. New staff receive a robust induction before they are enrolled to achieve a relevant qualification. Inspection report for children’s home: 2647770 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all possible measures are taken to prevent immediate notice being served on a child’s placement. This includes joint working with the local authority and other partner agencies to provide support to the child. 4 September 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature and help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. When consequences are not effective, they should be reviewed by the manager and an alternative approach applied. Reparations should be achievable, time Inspection report for children’s home: 2647770 7 limited and have a clear end date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that children feel safe and are safe. Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside the home to the extent that any good parent would. This includes approaching children and making enquiries about any unknown individuals they may be with.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand that any use of restraint carries risks, including the risk of physical injury. When considering the use of physical intervention, staff should take into account whether intervention is proportionate and necessary, the risks associated with not intervening, and the method of intervention to be used. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.55)  The registered person should ensure that good employment practice is maintained, as set out in Regulations 31 to 33. They must ensure that recruitment processes safeguard children and minimise potential risks. This includes taking all steps necessary to assure themselves that individuals are of good character and integrity. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61,

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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: 2647770 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Northern Point Developments Ltd, Northern House, 3 Kennerleys Lane, Wilmslow SK9 5EQ

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Inspectors

Eve Ostridge, Social Care Inspector Julia Edwards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2647770 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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