CFS Care Limited Greater Manchester

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Greater Manchester 1 CFS Care Limited Greater Manchester Registered provider: CFS Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is operated by a private provider in North West England. The provider can accommodate up to 25 individuals in 4 shared or group living homes that are not limited to accommodating looked-after children or care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, 9 looked-after children and care leavers aged 16 or 17 were accommodated.

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provider

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 24 November 2024.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 3 August 2026 and started that day. The inspector was on site 5 and 6 August 2026.

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Outcome

Consistently strong service delivery leads to typically positive experiences and progress for children. Where improvements are needed, leaders and managers take timely and effective action. The next inspection will be within approximately 3 years.

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Summary of findings

Children feel happy and safe in their homes.

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Summary of findings

Children are well prepared for independent living and have regular key work sessions. Children receive high-quality support.

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Summary of findings

The manager has good oversight of the service and knows the children well. They have high standards which is reflected in the support children receive. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Greater Manchester 2 They are proactive when risks increase for children and supported accommodation is not the right setting for them. They have significantly improved their referral and admissions process.

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Summary of findings

The quality of accommodation is excellent which means that children feel safe and secure in their environment. Since the last inspection, the service has removed 2 of their properties from their registration. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Greater Manchester 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children said that they felt happy and safe in their homes. One child said, ‘The staff here are friendly and nice to me, they help me with everything I need.’ They also said staff build good relationships and support them when they have worries or concerns which means that they have a trusted adult to speak with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children make special memories. Staff take children on trips throughout the year, including visits to theme parks. They also do activities such as go karting and other activity days which children say they enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Some children access education provision, employment, and training. For those children who are not, staff support them to explore different options. Staff also complete recognised qualifications with children which provides them with the skills to take into education or employment in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff support children to maintain and build relationships with family and friends. They have family and friends who visit their homes. Leaders and managers have been pro-active in improving the Wi-Fi connectivity within the homes to help children to connect with family and friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff complete regular key-work sessions with children which are tailored to their support plan. When incidents occur, staff complete relevant key-work sessions with children to help them to manage the situation differently in the future. Leaders and managers complete an assessment to highlight shortfalls in practice following serious incidents and this also helps them to identify additional training for staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers strive to work hard with the multi-agency team that support children. They communicate well with external services which means that information is shared with workers involved in children’s care. The feedback from different agencies has been positive in relation to the support that staff provide for the children and the impact this has had on their lives. One social worker said, ‘Staff have demonstrated a commitment to understanding [name of child’s] individual needs and have worked consistently to provide a stable and supportive environment.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers collaborate with the child’s placing local authority when risks increase. They work with partner agencies to find an alternative placement that is suitable. They appropriately challenge when vulnerabilities increase for children and their needs cannot be met within supported accommodation. This has meant an immediate end to 3 children’s placements due to having an adverse impact on other children and themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

When children move into their home, this is done in a sensitive and planned way. They visit their homes to meet staff and other children. This enables children to quickly settle into their accommodation. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Greater Manchester 4

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff complete a wide range of safeguarding training to help them support children effectively. Training is in line with children’s individual needs. Leaders and managers actively seek additional training for staff when new risks emerge. For example, the registered person has implemented new training initiative relating to knife crime. This followed an increase in the number of incidents relating to knife crime.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and manager ensure that children can live alongside each other safely. They complete detailed assessments prior to children moving in which addresses the risks and the positives of them living together safely.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff respond well to safeguarding incidents and take appropriate action. They review incidents and put in place mitigating steps to safeguard children. The provider informs Ofsted of incidents in a timely manner which means the regulator has oversight of incident management.

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How well children are helped and protected

Support plans and risk assessments include children’s known risks. They contain strategies for staff to help children manage and reduce their vulnerabilities. This includes risks related to contextual safeguarding, for example. Staff review the plans on a regular basis and they include children’s views.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers ensure that the accommodation is safe, secure and provides privacy for children. Staff maintain accommodation to an excellent standard and ensure that repairs are completed quickly.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers use robust safer-recruitment processes to ensure that adults can work safely with children. The provider employs agency staff in one home. However, they use the same agency workers to help provide better consistency of support for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have good oversight of the service. They have a clear understanding of children’s vulnerabilities and are child focused. Since the last inspection they have reviewed their referrals and admission process. This is more robust with additional information required prior to children moving into the service. In practice this has enabled fewer placement breakdowns for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers are invested in their staff and encourage them to develop their skills as part of a team. This means that staff feel valued. This helps them to provide consistency for the children in the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff are positive about the support and training they receive. They said that they feel valued working for the service and their well-being is a priority for managers. One member of staff said, ‘I can go to them and share any concerns with them. They are on the ball.’ Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Greater Manchester 5 Managers provide staff with regular supervision and have annual appraisals. This means that staff can discuss their well-being, development and progress in the service. As a result, staff feel valued and listened to by managers. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Greater Manchester 6

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Greater Manchester 7

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Nominated individual:

Registered service manager: Denise Bolton

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Inspector

Helen Fee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Greater Manchester 8 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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