Children's Home run by Stoke-on-Trent City Council in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 1 SC369840 Registered provider: Stoke-on-Trent City Council

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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 operated by the local authority and provides care for up to 2 children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with both children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2023 and is suitably qualified.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 23 September 2025

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/09/2025 Full Outstanding 08/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/06/2023 Full Good 21/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 3

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Summary of findings

Children flourish in this welcoming nurturing home. Strong relationships help children feel safe, valued and understood. Children make meaningful progress in education, emotional health, personal care and social development. Leaders plan admissions and children’s moves to independence with care, and they maintain relationships. Skilled and experienced staff apply therapeutic approaches to reduce risk and prevent incidents. The manager leads with warmth and purpose, supports staff and applies research to make improvements to care.

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Summary of findings

The home environment is calm and homely with a variety of activities and experiences for children to enjoy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide a nurturing environment where the children are valued and respected. The children’s care is centred around love, empathy and compassion. Staff are warm, affectionate and emotionally attuned to the children. Children receive appropriate physical affection, including hugs and reassurance. Care feels natural and reflects the warmth of family life. There is shared laughter, reflecting the relaxed and trusting relationships with staff. One child told the inspector, ‘Living here has changed my life.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children flourish because staff provide child focused, individualised and nurturing care. Trusting relationships between the children and staff underpins daily life at the home. One child has lived at the home for a significant time; they have stability and a strong sense of belonging. One child has moved into the home, and one child has left since the last inspection. Managers plan children’s moves with great care and preparation. Leaders and professionals complete robust assessments before any decisions are made. This ensures that all known information is fully evaluated and supports a smooth transition. The children have a close bond and enjoy time together. Both children told the inspector that they are happy and feel safe living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is welcoming, homely and exudes calmness. Visitors to the house mentioned how calm the home feels. Staff ensure that Christmas, Halloween and special times are celebrated accordingly. When a child has a birthday, staff bake cakes and they go out for meals and exchange presents. Children’s friends visit the home regularly. These experiences create a warm, happy family home, making positive lasting memories for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff and leaders have high aspirations for children. Children attend school regularly and make excellent progress as a result of the support they receive. Staff also teach practical and life skills at home. They tailor direct work to each child’s goals and aims. This helps children to gain confidence and learn skills for their future. Children’s physical and Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 4 emotional health needs are well managed. Children engage in therapeutic sessions with support from a trusted staff member. This helps them to feel safe and work through difficult experiences. One child has made excellent progress with personal care, which supports their dignity and confidence and helps them to take pride in themselves. The in-house psychologist spoke highly of the staff team. Staff work therapeutically with children and follow agreed support plans closely. This gives children a safe base where

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

they feel protected and understood. Because of this unified approach, children show sustained progress in their physical and emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Generally, the home is well maintained and welcoming. However, some aspects of the home require a deep clean. The manager is taking action to address this.

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

Safeguarding is embedded into daily practice. Children say that they feel safe living at the home. Each child has an individual risk management plan to reflect their vulnerabilities and the strategies to keep them safe. Children’s safety planning is reviewed with the therapeutic team. Staff apply safeguarding strategies consistently, helping them to manage risks and keep children safer.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no safeguarding or serious incidents in this home. Physical intervention has not been required. This progress reflects the strength of children’s relationships and therapeutic, child-focused practice.

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

Staff understand that, at times, children may show distress or strong feelings. Staff respond with consistent boundaries, which are unique for each child and are regularly reviewed as children progress. This helps prevent situations from escalating and helps children know what to expect from the staff caring for them. Focused support helps children understand their feelings and develop strategies to manage their emotions. This builds resilience and helps children to regulate their emotions and reflect on their experiences.

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

Staff manage risk while helping children gain independence. They introduce phones and digital devices when each child is ready. Staff consider each child’s age, development and care plan. Decisions are made in partnership with children’s social workers. Children have access to independent advocates and have regular sessions to support them to express their wishes and feelings. All concerns are discussed and raised in multi-agency meetings to ensure the child’s voice is represented.

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

Staff help children gain independent time outside the home at a suitable pace. Managers balance this with children’s wishes and known vulnerabilities. Staff review each plan with children and professionals. Children have targeted support to make safe choices and learn from experiences. There are internet monitoring devices in the home with safety plans for children to keep them safe online.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 5 The registered manager is inspirational and leads the home with warmth and commitment. The manager places children at the heart of each decision made. His high standards guide the work of the staff team. The manager models calm and caring practice. Staff share a clear drive to improve children’s lives. This strong ethos helps children thrive, feel valued and understood.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager understands each child’s care and progress well. He plans children’s moves in and out of the home with care and detail. Thorough analysis and therapeutic advice guided the newest child’s move into the home. Leaders also prepared the child who left for greater independence and maintained support following the move. This work gave both children stability during uncertain times in their lives. It also supports children to stay connected to adults whom they value and who are important to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Research and therapeutic thinking guide daily care. The manager uses research to help children explore feelings through a creative outlet. The manager, in partnership with the in-house therapist team, has also produced a trauma-informed care guide. This guide helps staff to look beyond behaviour and understand what children need. Since staff introduced this approach, incidents that required extra support for one child have stopped completely. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the therapeutic model and the staff team’s application of it, supporting children to feel safe and secure and have good connections with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager promotes learning across the home. Supervision sessions follow a clear therapeutic model and keep the focus on children. Staff attend team meetings consistently and use these to discuss children’s specific requirements. They reflect on difficult situations and share what they have learned. Staff explained how research and advice from the therapists have changed their work. For example, for children who are neurodivergent, staff have insights into how this may present rather than making negative assumptions. This has led to more creative support to improve the child’s experiences in the school environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel valued and supported by the manager. They speak about children with pride and genuine affection. Staff work at the home for a long time. Those who leave often move to another role in the organisation. The team achieved first place in the organisation’s social care annual awards ceremony. Commitment and consistency from the staff team support children to experience secure and lasting relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager builds strong links with families and professionals. Staff share information often and communicate well. Parents and professionals praise the care that children receive. The manager advocates for children and professionally challenges care planning decisions when needed. The manager welcomes external review and acts on advice. This helps the home to make continuous improvements and keep children’s needs at the centre of all decision-making. Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home has a deep clean on a regular basis and that this is monitored accordingly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC369840 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stoke-on-Trent City Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Floor 2, Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1HH

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Inspector

Gill Rudkin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC369840 8 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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