Children's Home run by The Partnership of Care Today in Leeds

Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 1 SC437645 Registered provider:

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and provides care for up to 4 children, who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. Two children were spoken with during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager post has been vacant since 31 May 2026.

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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: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2025 Full Good 17/09/2024 Full Good 19/03/2024 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 3

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Summary of findings

Serious and widespread shortfalls in leadership, safeguarding and care practice have compromised the quality and safety of care provided to children. Weak management oversight, combined with limited leadership capacity and an inexperienced staff team, has resulted in significant weaknesses in practice. Leaders and managers have recognised these concerns and have begun implementing an action plan to strengthen oversight, staffing and management arrangements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The overall experiences and progress judgement is impacted by the significant shortfalls identified in help and protect and leadership and management. There are serious failures that mean children are not protected and their welfare is not safeguarded. This impacts on children’s progress and wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Before children move into the home, the manager does not consider the child’s individual needs and whether the staff can safely meet these needs. The manager does not consider the impact that a child moving into the home may have on those who are already living there. This poor care planning has resulted in an increase in risks for 2 children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not consistently promote children’s education. When children refuse to attend school, staff do not actively encourage or provide meaningful alternative learning. Instead, children say that they spend prolonged periods in their bedroom, when they are not in education. This does not equip children with a suitable routine that will encourage them to engage in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children said that they do not always feel listened to. Children do not know how to complain if they are unhappy. When children share their views with staff, they are not always provided with a clear answer. This limits children’s ability to express their views and receive appropriate support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not actively promote meaningful activities for children. Children said that they rarely take part in activities and mainly spend time with the staff team, when they are being transported to places. This prevents children from having the opportunity to develop their interests and have positive experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not maintain effective communication with parents and families. Staff have not made arrangements to communicate with one parent who cannot speak English. Another parent said that they were not informed when their child sustained an injury. Although this is starting to improve, it is not consistent across all families. This limits opportunities for parents to be involved in their children’s lives and develop positive relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 4

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

Staff do not understand children’s needs or take effective actions to reduce risks. Risk assessments are not up to date and they lack clear guidance to enable staff to keep children safe. For example, staff have transported children to spend time with people who pose a known risk. This has placed children at risk of harm.

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

Managers and staff lack professional curiosity in relation to concerns about children. When children go missing from home, staff do not recognise patterns or potential risks of exploitation. Instead, staff manage incidents in isolation and managers do not consider the wider context. Staff undertake local searches and contact known people to support children to return home safely. However, the lack of management oversight means that potential safeguarding concerns may not be identified, leaving children vulnerable to harm.

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

The home is not maintained to a standard that provides children with a safe and hygienic place to live. Several areas of the home are worn and in need of repair. For example, staff left one bedroom in an unacceptable condition for a number of days while a child was on holiday. Children are not provided with a home that promotes their welfare and dignity.

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

Staff do not have the skills to support children, when they are angry or upset. Staff manage situations by repeating their expectations to children and do not find ways to de-escalate children’s behaviours. One incident resulted in a staff member being assaulted and the child singeing their hair after igniting the gas. This approach has escalated children’s behaviours at times rather than reducing risk.

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

One child has chosen not to return to live in the home. Staff have not been effective in encouraging their return and there has been limited efforts made to reduce the risks associated with their current circumstances. More recently, and with new management support, staff are starting to focus on helping the child to understand risks and develop plans to better manage the safety and wellbeing of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not maintained effective oversight of the home. Insufficient scrutiny of children’s care has resulted in concerns not being identified or addressed promptly, leading to shortfalls in the management of the home, safeguarding practice and support provided to staff. These weaknesses have been compounded by the absence of a registered manager or deputy manager and an inexperienced staff team, none of whom hold a recognised qualification in residential childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Information about incidents that happen in the home are not always recorded or checked for accuracy. Information is missing or incomplete, preventing there being a Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 5 clear account of incidents, and the actions staff have taken. This prevents managers from identifying what actions staff took to reduce risks for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are significant gaps in staff supervision records, including staff who are new to the role. Although the current management team recognise these shortfalls, they have not yet been addressed. As a result, staff do not receive the support to ensure that children receive safe and effective care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to notify Ofsted of significant incidents in the home. For example, Ofsted was not notified of a serious injury sustained by a child or of a restraint incident that resulted in a staff member being assaulted and a child attempting to seriously harm themselves. This prevented the regulator from having timely oversight of significant incidents and from assessing the actions taken by leaders and managers to safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Senior leaders and managers recognise the seriousness of these concerns and have taken steps to strengthen arrangements. An action plan has been implemented to address identified shortfalls, improve staffing arrangements and increase management oversight. An interim manager has been appointed and has increased support and monitoring within the home while actively recruiting permanent managers to provide the leadership and capacity needed to embed and sustain improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 6

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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(vii)(d)) 13 September 2026

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and 13 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 7 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)) 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)) 30 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii)) The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; and

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)) 01 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— positive responses to other children and adults. 01 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 8 (In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(c) (2)(b)) The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies; and that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(b)) 01 October 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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); 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)(a)(b)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 01 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 9 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: SC437645 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2nd Floor, Lansdowne House, 85 Buxton Road, STOCKPORT, Cheshire SK2 6LR

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Inspector

Natalie Clark, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC437645 11 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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