Children's Home run by New Focus Child Care LTD in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: 2774522 1 Registered provider: New Focus Child Care Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered in February 2024 and is owned by a private provider. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, one child moved to semi-independent accommodation in a planned transition. In July 2026, another child moved into the home.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home and was seen by the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 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

Date of last inspection: 25 November 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: 2774522 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/11/2025 Full Good 17/09/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2774522 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive individualised care from a stable staff team who understand their needs and support their progress. Children’s views influence decisions about their care and they are supported through transitions. Safeguarding practice is effective, with risks managed through personalised support and direct work. The manager works positively with external professionals and families to support children and promote positive outcomes. The manager understands the strengths of the home and areas for development, with a need to further embed consistency in recording and oversight.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive individualised care from staff who know them well and understand their needs. Staff build trusting relationships with children and provide consistent support that promotes emotional wellbeing, independence and a positive sense of identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved to semi-independent accommodation in a planned transition. Notice had been served at the time of the previous inspection and was subsequently extended to enable a planned move to suitable accommodation. Staff provided practical support in line with the child’s wishes, helping them prepare and settle into their new environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Following notice being served, the child initially continued to engage positively with staff and received ongoing support. The child had made progress from their initial starting point by attending education, making friends and building relationships. Towards the end of their time in the home, the child’s engagement reduced and they spent increasing periods of time away from the home. Staff continued to offer support when the child was away from the home and maintained welfare checks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child who moved into the home recently had a well-planned transition. Staff understand the child’s sensory needs and use observations of their behaviour to inform care planning. Specific areas have been created in the home to support the child to have calm spaces where they can relax. Staff have given the child sensory resources to support their emotional regulation and wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child’s identity by understanding and promoting their cultural and religious needs. The child is helped to maintain important links with family and friends in the community and to visit their place of worship. The diverse staff team draw on their own knowledge and experience to promote the child’s culture, traditions and identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have developed a creative education plan for the child while longer-term education options are explored, and to prepare them for re-engagement with education. The plan provides learning opportunities, including outdoor activities and activities linked to the child’s interests, helping them to build routine, confidence and readiness to return to education. Inspection report for children’s home: 2774522 4

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

Children are supported by staff who understand their needs and respond to their identified risks. Safeguarding practice is embedded in the home, with staff taking appropriate action when concerns arise. For example, following a child’s disclosure, staff responded appropriately and followed safeguarding procedures, and the child was kept informed throughout the process. Staff completed direct work with the child to discuss the outcome and the child said they felt listened to.

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

Staff review and adapt behaviour management strategies so that they continue to meet a child’s changing needs. They reflected on the effectiveness of their approach, introducing alternative strategies where required and using direct work to help the child understand their emotions, develop self-regulation and recognise risks in relationships. This support contributed to there being no incidents before the child’s move to semi- independent accommodation.

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

On one occasion, staff used physical intervention to manage behaviour that may have caused harm to the child or others. While this was assessed as proportionate, the record of the incident is not clear. Management oversight of the incident lacked detail, in particular management oversight did not clearly establish the duration of the incident. This limits the team’s ability to learn from incidents and ensure they reflect good practice.

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

Safer recruitment processes are understood and generally followed. However, on one occasion, the responsible individual was unable to demonstrate clearly how they had satisfied themselves that one reference provided was genuine and contributed to assessing a person’s suitability to work with children. The responsible individual took action to address this during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious for children and demonstrates a commitment to achieving positive outcomes for children. Following the decision to give notice on a child’s placement, the manager continued to advocate for the child and ensured they were supported while a suitable new home was identified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a stable staff team. No staff have left since the last inspection. This provides children with consistency from adults who know them well and understand their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures staff have the knowledge and skills required to meet children’s individual needs. When a child has a specific need, staff receive specialist training to develop their understanding of the child’s presentation and how best to support them. Staff benefit from clinical input, which supports their understanding and informs the care provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 2774522 5 External professionals report positive working relationships with the manager and staff. One child’s family said the manager was very thorough, left no stone unturned, contacted them and wanted to know all about their child. In a short space of time, risk assessments, support plans and education plans were in place and they were ‘over the moon’ with the manager. The feedback reflects the manager’s approach to planning transitions, supporting the child to move into the home and ensuring their individual

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows children well. They listen to children and ensure that their wishes and feelings are captured though ongoing conversations, observations and involvement in decisions about their care. The manager advocates for children to ensure that, whenever possible, their choices are listened to and considered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations were raised at this inspection.

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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: 2774522 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: New Focus Child Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit A4, City Trading Park, Dewsbury Road, Stoke-on- Trent ST4 2TE

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Inspector

Reshma Kodampur, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2774522 7 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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