Children's Home run by Milestones Care Homes Ltd in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2483789 1 Registered provider: Milestones Care Homes Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 14 March 2024.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 17 June 2026. Following the inspection, Ofsted issued compliance notices under Regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and Regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, of The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the provider’s compliance with these notices.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has taken appropriate action to meet the steps outlined in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Staff help children to understand potential safety risks. Staff have regular conversations with children that focus on their individual needs and risks.

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This monitoring visit

Staff demonstrate increased professional curiosity about children’s behaviour and potential risks to their safety. Records from a recent staff meeting demonstrate that staff discuss children’s risks and vulnerabilities, for example using electronic cigarettes. Staff talk about other emerging risks in relation to children. This improves staff practices. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2483789 2 The manager has fully considered the potential risks relating to family members working in the home. Staff rosters demonstrate that family members do not work together.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has taken appropriate action to address the shortfalls in safer recruitment processes. Staff do not care for children until all necessary checks are completed.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has taken steps to improve staff’s knowledge, skills and confidence to provide children with consistent routines and boundaries.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight of staff practice has strengthened. Staff now access training from a new training provider, which the manager has identified as more closely aligned with the needs of the children.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, staff have completed training to meet children’s needs, for example attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, alcohol and substance misuse, children’s mental health, emotionally based school avoidance and sleep hygiene. Staff say they feel more confident in their understanding of these areas.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are working to help one child establish a consistent sleep routine. The manager has liaised with the virtual school team and started planning for one child’s return to education. The child has been supported to engage in physical exercise, and progress is being made towards improved sleep hygiene.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual’s oversight of the home has improved. Since the last inspection, the registered manager has received supervision from the responsible individual. This includes scrutiny of the manager’s operation of the home, the quality and accuracy of records, staff development and training and the manager’s personal and work-related wellbeing.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements raised at the last inspection were outside the scope of this visit and will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2483789 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/06/2026 Full Inadequate 11/03/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/05/2024 Full Good 12/07/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2483789 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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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 a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(viii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that all children are receiving at least 25 hours of education per week. Where children are not attending school, staff must engage the child in educational activities during the day, which meet their individual needs. 20 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2483789 5 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that staff support children to develop and maintain healthy sleep routines and good sleep hygiene. Effective work must be undertaken to prevent mobile phone use from impacting on children’s sleep.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 20 September

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

any restriction, other than one imposed by a court or in accordance with regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), on—

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Requirement Due date

a child’s contact with parents, relatives or friends;

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Requirement Due date

visits to the child by the child’s parents, relatives or friends. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)) 20 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2483789 6 In particular, the registered person must ensure that boundaries in the home are consistent and effective. Consequences must not impact negatively on any child’s relationship with their family or the time they spend with them.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendation

 The registered manager should ensure that children are able to experience living in a home that is homely. Specifically, that any documents for the purpose of monitoring children’s dental hygiene are not displayed on doors to communal areas. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraphs 3.9 and 3.10)  Where modifications such as window restrictors are made to the home environment, these must be individually risk assessed and subject to regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraphs 3.9 and 3.10)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2483789 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Milestones Care Homes Ltd

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Inspectors

Bethany Riley, Social Care Inspector Catherine Fargin, Regulatory Inspection Manager. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2483789 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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