Children's Home run by Full Circle Care Limited in Tameside

Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 1 SC396104 Registered provider: Full Circle 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

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to 6 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 6 children were living at the home. 4 children spoke with the inspectors.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/10/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/10/2024 Full Good 22/01/2024 Full Good 13/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 3

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Summary of findings

Children enjoy meaningful and trusting relationships with staff who know them well.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand the risks that children face and take effective action to ensure they action is taken to safeguarded them. For children who are subject to court ordered restrictions, staff help them understand what this means and how staff will support and respond to any concerns.

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, the manager has strengthened oversight of the home. Although some improvements are evident, further work is needed to ensure that practice is consistently implemented across the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have lived in the home for several years which has provided them with stability and a positive sense of belonging. Children enjoy a variety of activities, and staff encourage children to try new experiences that broadens their interests and opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where possible, children are provided with opportunities to visit and meet staff prior to moving in. Staff take time to understand children’s likes, dislikes and individual support needs. Staff also keep in touch with some children when they move on from the home, providing emotional support. Children receive memory books that capture their experiences and memories of living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is promoted in the home. When barriers to attending education placements are identified, the manager works closely with education professionals to find solutions that meet the children’s individual needs. For one child, this includes attending programmes such as the King’s Trust and the fire safety service initiatives alongside online training courses.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain positive relationships with those who are important to them. Staff develop their communication with children’s families and friends to ensure that children maintain positives connections when these are in their best interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop the practical skills they need for adulthood. Children speak positively about the support they receive. One child said, ‘[staff member] is really great, I can chat to him, and he is really good when you are struggling, he shares his experiences and helps me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are generally well met. Staff encourage and support children to attend routine and specialist health appointments. They make timely referrals to Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 4 external services to ensure that children receive the right support. Although staff have worked proactively to support children to attend dental appointments and make healthier choices, the availability of high-sugar foods and energy drinks in the home undermines this work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The communal areas of the home have been redecorated. Children were consulted about the changes to ensure that these reflect their preferences. However, some children’s bedrooms were untidy. One child’s bedroom was viewed to be unacceptable, and their en-suite toilet was unhygienic. Staff took immediate action to address this during the inspection.

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

Staff use effective de-escalation strategies with children to encourage positive behaviour. As a result, staff rarely use physical intervention and only do so as a last resort to safeguard children or others. The manager completes regular reviews of children’s progress and considers any themes or patterns to inform staff practice.

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

Children are rarely missing from the home. When incidents do occur, staff respond proactively to ensure that children are located as soon as possible. Staff follow children’s individual plans and work closely with external professionals to ensure that children’s safety is prioritised.

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

There have been two incidents of bullying at the home. Staff were quick to respond to conflict between children and take effective action. Children are helped to understand the impact of their behaviours on others. As a result, there have been no further incidents.

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

Children’s online safety is a priority. Staff are proactive in implementing effective safety measures to supervise and monitor children’s online activity. Staff talk to children to help them to understand risks posed to them when accessing the internet. Effective action is taken by staff to safeguard children following any concerns regarding their online safety.

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

Staff respond quickly when children present with low mood or concern about self- injury. Staff remove any items that children could use to harm themselves and seek medical attention when necessary. Staff are proactive in monitoring children’s welfare and identifying any changes in behaviour. However, management oversight is not consistently effective, and records do not always provide a clear account of the actions taken by staff.

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

Consequences are used infrequently, with natural consequences being the preferred approach to supporting positive behaviour. However, when consequences are used, they do not consistently receive management oversight or evaluation of their effectiveness.

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

Children receive a welcome guide when they move into the home. The guide clearly sets out expectations and provides information about the home. However, one child Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 5 who recently moved into the home was unclear about how to make a complaint. Although staff discussed this with the child when they arrived and the child could identify a trusted adult, they were not fully aware of the home’s complaints procedure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by a dedicated registered manager who knows the children well. He leads by example and model’s good practice. He is supported in his role by two deputy managers. Staff are positive about working in the home, specifically regarding the support they receive from the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for children. He challenges external professionals effectively to ensure that children receive the support they need. Children are confident that the manager and staff listen to their views and take action when required.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from reflective supervision sessions. Senior staff have completed refresher training to enhance the quality of supervision delivery. Regular supervisions are further supplemented by single subject supervisions, group reflective sessions and clinical supervisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are regular and are well attended. Sessions include reflective learning and identify areas for staff development. Staff discuss any emerging needs for children and identify strategies in a collaborative manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been some recent changes within the staff team. The manager has ensured that there is sufficient staffing in the home to meet the needs of children effectively. When agency staff have been required, the manager has ensured that the same agency staff come to work in the home to support familiarity and consistency for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight has improved since the last inspection. However, staff use several systems to record and review assessments, which has resulted in some documents containing conflicting information. The management team has not consistently identified these shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to a range of essential and specialist training that develops their skills to support children’s individual needs. However, one staff member has not completed a refresher training in child exploitation within expected timescales. Staff identified this prior to the inspection and action has been taken to address this. Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that monitoring and review systems are strengthened and support thorough management oversight of practice in the home, and that all shortfalls are effectively identified and addressed. 02 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child; and 02 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 7 enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are effectively supported to maintain their bedrooms to an acceptable and hygienic standard.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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 child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s access to high sugar food and energy drinks is effectively monitored. 02 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 02 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 8 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when consequences are used, they are subject to scrutiny to ensure that the effectives of the measures have been considered, their use is fair, and that they are also restorative in nature and not punitive.

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that children are aware of the complaints procedure and reminded of this where necessary. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 22, paragraph 4.13)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all staff are up to date with their training, specifically in relation to exploitation training. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC396104 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Full Circle Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 4 Lyme Vale Court, Parklands Business Park, Lyme Drive, Stoke-on-trent, Staffordshire ST4 6NW

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Inspectors

Carrie Mayes, Social Care Inspector Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC396104 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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