Children's Home run by Teen-Works Care Limited in Sefton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 1 SC423460 Registered provider: Teen-Works Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in February 2011 and is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. The registered manager was not present for the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspection started on 28 July 2026. The inspectors returned on 10 August 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy .

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 29 October 2025

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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: SC423460 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2025 Full Good 15/07/2025 Full Inadequate 02/07/2024 Full Good 31/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 3

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from the support of a stable and committed team of staff who understand and meet their individual needs. Two children have made good progress from their starting points. However, for one child, their progress was limited, and they moved on from the home.

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Summary of findings

Managers and staff identify, assess and respond effectively to children’s individual risks in line with their care plans. They also manage allegations appropriately and in accordance with safeguarding procedures.

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Summary of findings

Despite these strengths, there are areas of weakness in the home’s leadership and management arrangements. The provider identified support that can be provided to improve and develop their management and oversight systems.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by a team of staff who are committed to building positive and nurturing relationships with them. For one child, the positive relationships with staff have helped them take an active part in their care planning, including developing their independence skills. The child’s social worker said, ‘The staff team have worked hard; the child is happier and will join their meetings and share how they feel.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For the 2 children living in the home at the time of the inspection, staff provide resilient and consistent support. These levels of support have helped children to make good progress from their individual starting points. Staff use restorative approaches following incidents of distress, which help children to talk about their feelings and identify any changes needed. For one child, this approach strengthened their sense of belonging and increased their desire to remain living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff prioritise children’s education. Staff advocate on behalf of children to ensure that education providers can meet their individual needs. As a result, one child returned to education and completed their qualifications. Staff support children to attend and engage in education. This approach helps children overcome barriers to learning and make positive progress in line with their abilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s interests are promoted. Staff support children’s changing interests and encourage them to try new activities. Children spend meaningful time with staff, and appropriate limits on electronic devices give them more opportunities to take part in activities they enjoy. Two children enjoyed a summer holiday with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s relationships with the people who are important to them have improved since the last inspection. Staff are proactive in developing positive relationships with those who are important to the children, including their friends. The manager and Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 4 staff ensure that appropriate plans are in place to promote children’s safety when they spend time with their families and friends. Staff encourage and welcome visits to the home from people who are important to the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home. The manager’s decision for the child to move on was appropriate and considered the needs and progress of all children in the home. Staff remained committed to supporting the child and worked to plan the move. However, the ending to the child’s stay in the home was not carefully considered, which increased disruption for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment does not always reflect the nurturing care that children receive. Children can personalise their bedrooms; however, the condition and presentation of some areas of the home are variable. Some furniture requires replacement, and parts of the home would benefit from redecoration to create a more homely environment. In addition, internal door locks restrict children’s access to certain areas of the home, including the downstairs toilet, and not all children can lock their bedroom doors.

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

The manager and staff understand the individual risks children face. Risk assessments are updated in response to changes in the children’s individual risks. Staff help children to understand how to keep themselves safe; however, the impact of these discussions is not always evident in a reduction in risks.

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

Responses to allegations are appropriate, and the manager takes appropriate safeguarding actions. Following allegations, staff’s working patterns are considered and changed if required. Children are helped to understand the changes in staffing and are informed of the outcomes of allegations or complaints.

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

When concerns arise about children’s safety, staff’s responses are appropriate, and safety plans are consistent. For one child, the manager escalated her concerns to the child’s social worker about the child’s care plan, leading to a multi-agency approach to reduce the risk of exploitation and substance misuse. The child’s social worker said, ‘The manager and staff kept the child safe to the best of their ability.’

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

Staff make timely and appropriate referrals to specialist services and support children to engage with safeguarding professionals. For one child, this support significantly reduced the risk of radicalisation. Staff model positive relationships and help children to build healthy friendships in the community, which further reduces risks associated with online radicalisation.

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

There has been no use of physical intervention since the last inspection. Staff understand children’s emotions and respond calmly, which helps to prevent incidents from escalating and reduces the number of occasions when children become distressed. On one occasion, staff contacted the police to help calm and support a child during a period of distress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 5

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good

Staff are led by a management team that understands the needs of the children and supports staff to help them make progress. The manager is a positive role model and leads by example, helping staff to build nurturing relationships with children. The manager and staff show resilience and are committed to supporting children to achieve positive outcomes.

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good

Monitoring and review systems are in place. However, the manager does not consistently evaluate the impact of care on children’s progress. The manager’s reviews of incidents and behaviour management lack detail and do not provide sufficient oversight. The manager does not consistently evaluate the effectiveness of staff responses when children become distressed. As a result, the manager misses some opportunities to identify learning and strengthen care practice.

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good

Communication between the manager and key professionals involved in the children’s lives takes place regularly. The manager provides effective advocacy and challenge when needed. However, the manager has not provided sufficient challenge when the independent visitor report includes blaming language, missing opportunities to promote a balanced and child-centred approach.

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good

Staff do not have a consistent experience of supervision and appraisal. Although supervision sessions take place, they are not held at regular intervals and are not always reflective or used to improve staff development and practice.

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good

No agency staff have worked in the home since the last inspection. The staff team is stable and works effectively to support and guide children. The manager ensures that any gaps in the rota are covered by staff who are known to the children, recognising the importance of consistent relationships and ensuring that children know the staff responsible for their care.

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good

The manager does not consistently monitor staff’s skills, experience and knowledge. Some staff and the manager have not attained the required qualifications within the expected timescales. In addition, the manager does not have a consistent approach to assessing whether staff have the skills and knowledge needed to meet children’s individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

ensure that safeguarding incidents and behaviour management practices are clearly evaluated, including clear oversight where safeguarding procedures have not been followed;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that monitoring and review systems include a clear evaluation of the care provided in the home and its impact on children’s progress;

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Requirement Due date

have a clear understanding of the skills and knowledge of staff in relation to the specific needs of the children; 9 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 7 ensure that all staff receive regular supervision and annual appraisals.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that children do not move out of the home into emergency provisions when safeguarding risks have not increased. 28 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(ii)) 9 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 8 In particular, the registered manager must:

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Requirement Due date

ensure that unnecessary locks are removed from internal doors so that children always have access to all areas of the home;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that all children have privacy in their bedrooms and can lock their bedroom doors from the inside;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home is maintained to a standard that children can be proud of, including all communal areas of the home.

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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

employ an individual to work at the children’s home

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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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 paragraph (3)(b), 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”)

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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. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(b) (4)(a) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that all staff have attained the relevant qualifications within the appropriate timescales. 9 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 9

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Recommendation

 The registered person should provide appropriate challenge to the independent visitor regarding the use of blaming language in records about children and ensure that children are supported to access records written about them in positive language. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.6)

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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: SC423460 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Teen-Works Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 509-510 Cotton Exchange, Bixteth Street, Liverpool L3 9LQ

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Inspectors

Beth Bird, Social Care Inspector Michelle Edge, Senior His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC423460 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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