Children's Home run by GSM Ardent Rawcliffe Limited in Liverpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2822002 1 Registered provider: GSM Ardent Rawcliffe Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered for up to 2 children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. Both children were spoken with during the inspection.

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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2822002 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/07/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2822002 3

p.2

Summary of findings

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. The children enjoy positive relationships with staff, who know them well. They are encouraged to take part in a variety of activities both at home and in the local community. While the children are not in formal education, they are being supported to access other educational opportunities. Staff have a good understanding of the needs of the children and are supporting their emotional, physical and mental health needs. The home benefits from a stable manager, who has good oversight of the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves in and out of the home are well planned. When children move into the home, the manager completes a robust admission process, which includes speaking to other professionals to identify children’s needs, risks and vulnerabilities. The manager ensures that the staff have the appropriate skills to meet the identified needs of children. One child moved into the home quickly. The move was managed sensitively, and the child is settling in and building relationships with staff.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are nurturing, caring and child centred in their approach. They are responsive to each individual child’s needs and implement well-thought-out routines that are designed to bring predictability. This enables children to overcome barriers around their mental health so that they can participate in everyday life.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are good arrangements in place to meet children’s complex emotional, physical and mental health needs. Staff work alongside other professionals to educate children on health-related issues. This means that children receive appropriate support to make positive choices about their health and wellbeing.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise and understand the importance of children spending quality time with people who are important to them. Staff work closely with families to maintain family links and ensure that children are supported to have good-quality time with significant others. This supports children to have a sense of self and identity.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff promote education for children living in the home. For one child, staff have supported them to engage in learning with a tutor and to complete formal and informal learning opportunities. Staff are now supporting the child to identify an appropriate college to study animal welfare. For the child who recently moved into the home, the manager is working with professionals to identify a suitable school.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop age-appropriate life skills. This includes learning to budget, daily household tasks and keeping their rooms tidy. This helps children to develop their self-esteem and confidence. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822002 4 Staff regularly provide children with positive activities to develop their interests and hobbies. This includes going for walks, the gym and funfairs. Children can choose to relax in the home, and there is a snug area where children enjoy playing computer games.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is well maintained, welcoming and bright. Children can personalise their bedrooms. There are age-appropriate games and toys available. There are 2 lounge areas in the home so children can choose to spend time with each other or spend time alone.

p.4

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

Staff ensure that children’s safety and welfare are at the heart of their practice. Staff develop trusting relationships with children. This helps children feel able to safely share information about their past experiences. Children know how to make a complaint and can identify members of staff whom they can talk to.

p.4

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

Staff encourage positive behaviour through verbal praise and incentives. When consequences are given, they are fair and proportionate, and the manager evaluates these for effectiveness. Staff speak to children about why the consequence has been necessary.

p.4

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

Managers provide staff with individual risk assessments to follow. However, risk assessments do not always give specific details of strategies for staff to follow, and they are not consistently reviewed and updated. This includes a decision to lock a child’s bedroom window at times of heightened risk.

p.4

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

When there has been self-injurious behaviour, staff have offered first aid and ensured that children received appropriate medical support. Staff work alongside other professionals to ensure that children get the support they need. In addition, room searches are undertaken sensitively after these incidents to ensure that any items are removed to keep children safe.

p.4

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

There has been one instance of the child being missing from the home. This was managed well by staff, who responded promptly. Staff actively searched for the child and worked with other professionals until the child was returned safely to the home. The child was given an opportunity to speak to an independent person on their return.

p.4

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

When a concern was raised in relation to the practice of a member of staff, the manager took swift action. This included ensuring that the member of staff was removed from duty in the home while an investigation took place.

p.4

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

When physical intervention is used, it is a last resort to keep children safe. However, on one occasion, the manager did not ensure that appropriate medical advice was sought when a child banged their head during an incident. On another occasion, a child was not Inspection report for children’s home: 2822002 5 spoken to after the incident to ensure that they could express their feelings about being held.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child centred, caring and supportive. They have management responsibility for another home in the company but are supported by an experienced deputy manager, which helps with the day-to-day running of the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good systems in place to ensure that they have good oversight of the care provided to children. They have completed a quality of care review and ensured that the home’s statement of purpose is regularly updated and reflects the ethos and objectives of the team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff in the home are committed, work well together and know the children well. Staff are highly complimentary about the support they receive from the management team, and staff morale is high.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a strong ethos of developing the staff team and has introduced a new therapeutic model that centres around capturing the child’s voice. All staff have received training on this model, and it is now being embedded into practice. This is helping the children to feel valued and respected, and it ensures that children’s voices are heard.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a comprehensive training programme available to staff. However, the manager has not ensured that staff have had training on deprivation of liberty orders. This does not ensure that staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to meet children’s individual needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that provides space to reflect on their own wellbeing, practice and professional development. In addition, staff have annual appraisals where their performance is reviewed and actions to help progress are identified.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place on a regular basis. This is an opportunity for staff to share their knowledge and experience. The manager also uses these meetings to check the knowledge of staff and have reflective discussions with the team.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s independent visitor provides an in-depth report. However, the manager has not ensured that the visitor gains feedback from family members and professionals. This is a missed opportunity to have a full overview of the care being provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 2822002 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that risk assessments provide staff with clear guidance, including the actions to take when children are missing from the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated. 2 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2822002 7 The health and well-being standard is that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.7

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that children receive appropriate medical care following any accidents or injuries. 2 October 2026

p.7

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.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and 2 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2822002 8 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

p.7

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that staff receive specialist training that provides them with the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the children they are caring for.

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of physical intervention demonstrate that the child has had the opportunity to speak to a person not involved in the intervention about their experience. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)  The registered person should ensure that the independent person offers parents and professionals the opportunity to speak to them about the quality of care provided for their child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

p.8

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: 2822002 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: GSM Ardent Rawcliffe Limited

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: C/O Jks Accountants Limited Suite 6a, 10 Duke Street, Liverpool L1 5AS

p.9

Inspectors

Ruth Mortimer-Jones, Social Care Inspector Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2822002 10 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.9

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.10

Inspectors

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

p.10

Inspectors

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

p.10