Children's Home run by Warrington Borough Council in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home: 2874397 1 Registered provider: Warrington Borough Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in June 2026 and is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2026.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2874397 2

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Summary of findings

This is the first inspection of a newly registered home.

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Summary of findings

Staff have a good understanding of the children’s individual needs and risks. They follow children’s safety plans and actively search for them when they go missing. They show dedication and strive for the best outcomes for children.

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Summary of findings

The manager ensures good multi-agency working and communication. They work closely with external professionals on agreeing and actioning additional safeguarding measures when required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well presented and welcoming. The children have chosen the decor for their bedrooms and have been encouraged to personalise their own spaces.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between staff and children are positive. Children feel comfortable talking to staff and enjoy spending time with them. Children moving to semi-independent living have requested to maintain lifelong links with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to express their wishes and feelings through daily conversations. When children have any issues, these are responded to promptly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to access health services, and they work closely with health professionals. The manager has ensured that therapeutic input has remained in place during transitions for children moving in, which has helped children to settle into the home. The manager advocates for children to ensure that they have access to additional support from health professionals when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All 4 children have made progress from their starting points. All children are attending full-time education, having previously been out of education. Some children have successfully completed GCSEs, with achievements being celebrated by staff.

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

Children can identify adults they can talk to about any concerns. Adults listen to them, take their concerns seriously and respond appropriately. Allegations against staff are acted on, and any investigations are carried out thoroughly, with records demonstrating clear decision-making. Children are advised of the outcome of any allegations, so they understand what has happened. As a result, children feel listened to, helping them to build trusting relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: 2874397 3 Risks associated with children going missing from care and self-harm are understood and responded to by staff. Individual up-to-date risk assessments address any known vulnerabilities effectively for each child. However, notifications are not always made to Ofsted when a serious incident occurs.

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

Staff work positively and in partnership with professionals to safeguard children. While all staff are trained in Team Teach, there have been no instances where staff have needed to restrain children. This is a result of their effective de-escalation skills, which enable them to respond appropriately to prevent situations from escalating.

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

Staff use key-work sessions and conversations to develop the children’s ability to stay safe. Regular discussions take place with children about topics that are relevant to them in line with their age and stage of development. Specific topics are covered to support their learning and understanding of risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager communicates regularly with external professionals, parents and extended family members. This ensures that all relevant individuals are kept updated on children’s progress. Feedback from professionals and family members is positive regarding the quality of communication and the progress that children have made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a training programme for staff, which includes bespoke training specific to the children’s needs. The manager has invited professionals to the home to share knowledge and learning at team meetings, such as a substance misuse service. The training programme is monitored effectively to ensure that staff refresh mandatory training within the relevant timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Regular team meetings are an opportunity for the manager to share any information that staff need to know to support the children effectively. Information is also regularly shared via daily briefings to ensure that staff remain alert to current concerns, including any allegations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been several staff changes, but the manager and staff have worked hard to ensure consistency for the children. Leaders and managers take action to establish the reasons for staff leaving so they can make any changes to improve staff retention.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective oversight of practice in the home and uses this to review and improve practice. However, systems could be streamlined to improve access to children’s records and information, particularly in relation to incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 2874397 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 within the given timescales.

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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

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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; 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)(b)(c)(e)) 3 November 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s records are readily accessible to those who need to review them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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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: 2874397 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Warrington Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Time Square, Warrington WA1 2NT

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Inspector

Sam Baird, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2874397 6 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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