Children's Home run by Core Children Ltd in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2731377 1 Registered provider: Core Children 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

A private company owns this home. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children who have adverse childhood experiences that can lead to associated trauma and social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2023 and is appropriately qualified.

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Information about this children’s home

During this inspection period, one child has left the home. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. Both children spoke to the inspector.

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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: 2731377 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/06/2025 Full Good 11/03/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2731377 3

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from warm, nurturing relationships with staff who consistently demonstrate unconditional positive regard. They feel listened to, valued and safe, and enjoy living in a welcoming, homely environment.

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Summary of findings

Carefully planned moves into and out of the home promote stability and belonging. They are supported to make good progress in education, health and family relationships, with particularly strong support for maintaining family connections.

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Summary of findings

Staff use effective, trauma-informed approaches to help children manage risks and emotions safely. Leadership is aspirational and child-centred, supported by a stable workforce and effective partnership working. Oversight of one child’s routines, health and monitoring arrangements, need strengthening.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living in this home. One child said, ‘I feel lucky to live here.’ Staff treat children with respect and have frequent important and sensitive conversations with children. This supports children to feel listened to and develop warm and positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live a welcoming and homely environment. They have lots of space to play and relax. Staff support children to grow vegetables in the garden. There are photographs and artwork on display throughout the home. This helps children to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into the home are well-planned. One family member said: ‘I am bowled over by the home. They took everything on board before [child’s name] moved in. This made [child’s name] feel welcomed and listened to.’ This approach means that moves into the home are smooth and successful. Moves out of the home are equally well-planned. Staff continue to see children after they leave, which supports children to have a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has strong relationships with children’s families. This means that children are supported to spend more time with their family, even when they live far away. Staff supported one child’s family time, when family members lived a long distance away from the home, they transported the child to see their family for overnight stay. This helps children to spend time with important people in their life and maintains their sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children health needs are generally well supported. They are encouraged to eat healthily and to engage in a wide variety of physical activities. This means that children’s health is improving in many areas. However, staff have not provided one child with enough Inspection report for children’s home: 2731377 4 support to access the dental care they require. In addition, another child has not received sufficient support to manage their risks of vaping. This has the potential to impact negatively on their health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff generally support children to be successful in their education. Both children attend school and the manager works proactively with schools. Whilst one child’s attendance is exemplary, another child’s attendance at school has been affected by poor sleep routines. This has been impacted by the child using their mobile phone during the night. The manager and staff have not been pro-active enough in addressing this. As a result, the child is currently on a reduced timetable. This does not support the child to develop healthy routines or to achieve their full academic potential.

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

Children feel safe in this home and can speak to staff if they feel worried. Incidents are rare because staff are skilled in supporting children when they feel upset. Physical intervention is not used because staff consistently implement a trauma-informed approach with children. As a result, children receive the help and support they need to manage their feelings safely.

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

Children have not gone missing from this home. This is because children are supported to have appropriate free time in the community in line with their stage of development. Risks around self-injury is well understood which means incidents have reduced. This approach means children are kept safe.

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. For example, staff recognise and reward children positive progress. Rewards are linked to children’s needs, such as working towards independence skills. Children choose rewards which align with their interests. Consequences have not been used. This helps children to celebrate their achievements.

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

When children raise safeguarding concerns, there is a quick response. Information is shared with external agencies promptly and the child is informed of what is happening. This helps children to feel listened to.

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

Staff response to concerns about children’s internet and mobile phone use is inconsistent. For example, when concerns arose about one child’s phone use, there was a quick response. The child was spoken with, to reduce the risks around online harm. However, another child had no restrictions on their mobile phone use, and they were not spoken with regularly, to explore internet safety. This has the potential to place the child at risk of online harm.

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

The home has an active monitoring alarm. This has not been reviewed regularly to ensure it is proportionate to any perceived risk. When one child said, they did not like the alarm, they were not spoken to by staff to help them to understand why the alarm is in use. This has the potential for monitoring to feel excessive for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2731377 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This home is led by an aspirational and child-centred manager. He creates a positive ethos which means that staff enjoy working in the home. Staff provide positive feedback. They describe the management team as calm, sensitive and caring. New members of staff confirm they are made to feel welcome and part of the team. This creates a stable and supportive staff group.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, reflective supervision which is focused on children’s needs. They also have ‘job chats’ which address specific areas of training and development. Team meetings are held regularly and are used effectively to improve practice. During one team meeting, a child’s family were invited to meet the team and share the child’s specific needs. This reassured the family that their child would be well cared for and ensures that staff have an in-depth understanding of the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works proactively with professionals and families. One social worker described communication as, ‘excellent, I have found working with this manager and staff to be brilliant’. Another social worker said,’ The best home I have come across.’ This demonstrates that there is effective collaborative working with external agencies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have training to meet children’s needs. Most staff are qualified. One member of staff is out of timescales to gain their qualification; however, the manager has put an action plan to ensure oversight is more effective, to address this issue. This ensures that staff have the skills required to care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager gains feedback from children and others and uses this information to improve the quality of care for children. This has not been evidenced within the home’s quality of care reviews, but has not impacted on children, who do feel listened to. The manager has provided reassurances that children’s feedback will be in the quality of care review going forward. Inspection report for children’s home: 2731377 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 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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are consistently helped to form healthy daily routines. The registered person must also ensure that they support children to use their mobile phone in a way which promotes their wellbeing. 30 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2731377 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are offered advice, support and guidance in relation to vaping. They should also ensure that children are supported to access all dental care that they require. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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Recommendations

 The use of any monitoring equipment should be regularly reviewed to ensure that it is proportionate. Children should be spoken with to ensure they understand why any monitoring equipment is used. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)

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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: 2731377 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: The Glades, Festival Way, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5SQ

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Inspector

Jenny Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2731377 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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