Children's Home run by Blue Kite Children Care Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 1 Registered provider: Blue Kite Children Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, there were no children living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

An assurance visit took place on 22 August 2025 following concerns about safeguarding practice identified in scheduled and safeguarding notifications submitted to Ofsted. At Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 2 that time, compliance notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard were issued.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A visit to monitor the compliance notices took place on 18 September 2025. At the time, it was found that the provider had taken sufficient steps to meet the notices.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A further assurance visit took place on 10 December 2025 following concerns about safeguarding practice and ineffective care planning identified in scheduled and safeguarding notifications. At that time, compliance notices under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard and regulation 14, the care planning standard were issued.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A visit to monitor compliance notices took place on 27 January 2026. At the time, it was found that the provider had taken sufficient steps to meet the notices. Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/06/2024 Full Good 20/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/07/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 4

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Summary of findings

Shortfalls in the safeguarding practice and leadership and management of the home have impacted on children who have lived in this home.

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Summary of findings

There is no registered manager or staff team in post to care for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children's overall experiences and progress have been affected by poor safeguarding and leadership and management practices. Concerns were identified by the independent person that leaders, managers and staff were not consistently safeguarding the children or promoting their wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There were no children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Six children have moved out since the last inspection and 4 have moved in. Not all children have received well-planned moves in and out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Care planning arrangements are poor. The previous manager accepted a child into the home with known challenging behaviours, without considering the staff team's ability and resilience to meet the child's needs. Most staff were in their probationary period and had previously struggled to manage similar behaviours presented by another child living in the home, which led to the child leaving the home prematurely. In this case, following a serious assault on the manager where she sustained a fractured rib, immediate notice was served and the child moved out of the home approximately one month after moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is well maintained and decorated to a reasonable standard. There is evidence of improvements being made to the internal areas of the home. However, the provider has applied to vary their registration to provide care to children with learning disabilities and plans to make some internal modifications to the layout. This work has not commenced.

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

Serious failings in safeguarding practice have placed children who have lived in this home at significant risk of harm. Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 5 Risk assessments are regularly reviewed but they do not include up-to-date information about children's risks and how these should be managed. For example, following a significant incident where a child threatened a staff member while in possession of a knife, the child's risk assessment was not updated to include this information and what measures should be implemented to mitigate this risk.

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

Staff are not proactive in safeguarding children. Staff failed to intervene and remove a sharp object when they witnessed a child using this to self-harm. This placed the child at further risk of harm. Furthermore, the manager's evaluation did not address the staff member's poor safeguarding response.

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

When a child made an allegation of abuse against a staff member, this was not immediately reported to the manager. As a result, appropriate safeguards were not put in place and the member of staff continued to care for the child. During this time, the child made another allegation about the same staff member. Both allegations were appropriately investigated. However, the failure to take immediate action meant that the child was exposed to potential harm.

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

Staff were unaware that 2 children had left the home at night. The children eventually returned to the home unassisted. However, during their time away, staff were uncertain of the children's whereabouts and whether they were in danger.

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

There have not always been sufficient staffing ratios to protect children and staff from harm. Although the need for increased staffing was identified due to the level of aggression displayed by one child, this was not in place when the manager was seriously assaulted and sustained a fractured rib.

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

Behaviour management strategies are not used effectively. During significant incidents, staff fail to follow de-escalation techniques, such as keeping the children separated during periods of behaviour escalation. As a result, staff were unable to manage children's aggressive behaviour in the community, which led to a child assaulting a staff member and a member of the public offering staff support. Because of the risk staff faced, they were unable to fully supervise the children.

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

Physical interventions are used as a last resort and are reasonable and proportionate. However, debriefs with staff are not always completed. This does not ensure that staff have opportunities to reflect on and learn from their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Inadequate leadership and management of the home have led to poor safeguarding practice. This has compromised the safety and welfare of both children and staff. In addition, care planning arrangements for children moving out of the home have not been well planned or child focused.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been significant changes to the staffing of the home since the last full inspection. The provider notified Ofsted of their intention to temporarily close the home Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 6 due to staffing pressures and a change in the focus of the home. The manager and staff were subsequently advised that their roles were no longer available.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Senior leaders shared plans of moving children into the home in the coming months. A variation request was submitted to Ofsted to vary their conditions of registration to care for children with learning disabilities. However, although the provider reports that a manager and staff team have been identified, they have not been recruited. Furthermore, it is not evident how they would meet the complex needs of children with learning difficulties.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

At the time of the inspection, there was no registered manager or staff working in the home. The inspection was supported by the newly appointed responsible individual. However, due to other commitments, the responsible individual was not present during the full inspection and the executive assistant attended the home to facilitate entry to the home. This raised concerns regarding the level of oversight and support that will be available in the home moving forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There was a significant delay in notifying Ofsted about a serious allegation made by a child against a staff member. This limits opportunities for independent oversight and scrutiny of the provider's approach to allegation management and safeguarding practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff rotas do not accurately reflect which staff members have worked in the home. Leaders and managers have failed to maintain clear records of staffing arrangements to ensure that there is a clear record of who is working in the home and when.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The recruitment and training records of all staff who commenced employment at the home since the last inspection were requested on several occasions during the inspection. Despite these requests, this information was not provided. Consequently, it is not possible to determine whether all staff were safe to work in the home or if they had the necessary skills and training to meet the children's needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight in the home is poor and does not recognise and address shortfalls in recording and practice. Management evaluations following incidents do not address poor responses to safeguarding incidents. Furthermore, leaders and managers failed to recognise that risk management strategies have been copied and pasted from one child's risk assessment to another. As a result, risk assessments contain information and strategies that are not relevant to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not consistently submitted a review of the quality of care in accordance with statutory requirements. This is a missed opportunity to identify and implement improvements to the care that children receive. Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 7

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that risk management plans are available that accurately reflect children's risks and guide staff on how to respond effectively to these.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff take action to safeguard children at all times.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children are appropriately supervised in and out of the home.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that information about allegations is accurately shared with external safeguarding partners, such as the local authority designated officer. 28 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 8 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to 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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that arrangements are in place for a suitable manager to be in post to oversee the home and that there is a suitable staff team in post to care for children.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that safeguarding incidents are thoroughly evaluated and scrutinised. Where shortfalls in practice are identified, there should be a process of reflection and learning with staff.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that where shortfalls in staff practice are identified, additional training is considered. 28 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 9 Leaders and managers must ensure that debriefs take place with all staff following the use of a physical intervention.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that all records about the staff and children are accessible during audits from external, relevant professionals.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose;

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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)(a)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that staff have the skills, knowledge and experience to meet children's needs. 28 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e)) 28 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 28 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 10 maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37(2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that rotas include details of all staff who have worked in the home. This should include the registered manager and any staff who no longer work in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. (Regulation 45(1)) 28 August 2026

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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: 2718067 11

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Blue Kite Children Care Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: West Midlands House Ltd, Gipsy Lane, Willenhall WV13 2HA

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Inspector

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2718067 12 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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