Children's Home run by Acorns to Oaks Children’s Care & Support Limited in Wirral

Inspection report for children’s home: 2781986 1 Registered provider: Acorns to Oaks Children’s Care & Support Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or have learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 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: 22 September 2025

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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: 2781986 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2781986 3

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Summary of findings

The child has made significant progress when considering their starting point. They are cared for by a stable and nurturing staff team who know them well. The manager and staff work collaboratively with wider professionals to ensure that the child’s needs are met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are caring and nurturing in their approach. They know the child well and speak warmly of them. Staff provide the child with clear structure and routine in the home. This supports the child’s sense of security and emotional regulation. One professional working with the child said that the approach of the staff team has been ‘life changing’ for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help to create positive memories for the child and support them to access the wider community when they have previously struggled to do so. For example, visits to farms, soft play, or trampoline parks. Staff celebrate these milestones for the child and promote their positive behaviour through regular recognition and rewards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the child’s education. The child has excellent attendance and is making good progress. Staff work closely with the child’s school and ensure best practice is shared between them. This supports consistency of care for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child’s health needs are met. When the child struggles to access health appointments, they have regular conversations about what to expect and help the child understand the importance of engagement. The manager is professionally curious about the child’s health needs and advocates for these to be explored. This has led to the child being able to have a more varied diet.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to communicate with the child in ways that they will understand. For example, making use of social stories. This has supported the child’s progress with their speech and meant they are less reliant on communication tools. Staff ensure the child is given a voice, and they are encouraged to participate in decisions around their care. However, records of conversations with the child do not always reflect the child’s engagement or understanding.

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

There have been no significant safeguarding incidents in the home since the last inspection. When there are safeguarding concerns from the child’s school, the manager and staff are professionally curious and challenge when appropriate to ensure the child’s safety remains a priority. Inspection report for children’s home: 2781986 4 Staff understand risks to the child and ensure sufficient supervision and support for them prevent incidents from occurring. Staff have conversations with the child in ways that they will understand to help them learn how to keep safe. For example, learning about road safety. However, not all records accurately reflect the child’s behaviour or the support provided by staff. This does not allow for effective monitoring and review of the child’s care.

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

Risk assessments in place are personalised to the child and covers known risks, however, strategies within the plan are not regularly updated and reviewed. They do not reflect the current circumstances for the child or the strategies in place to keep them safe. The manager has not recognised and address this shortfall despite regular review of the plan.

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

There are not robust fire risk assessments in place. Fire safety has not been thoroughly considered when implementing locks within the home. This does not ensure the safety of the child or the staff team. The manager took action to address this shortfall during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic about providing child centred care and has a strong vision for the home. She develops good working relationships with wider professionals supporting the child. They say that the manager is a good advocate for the child, effectively communicates, and has a ‘collaborative approach’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has oversight across the child’s records and is knowledgeable about their care. However, at times the effectiveness of the oversight is limited due to the lack of detail within recordings and meaningful reviews of children’s plans. This does not support development of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and consistent staff team. They ensure continuity of care for the child by covering shifts for each other to ensure that there is no use of agency staff. The staff team are experienced and have had training relevant to the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about their roles and enjoy working with the child. They feel well supported by their colleagues and say there is a positive dynamic in the team. However, not all staff feel well supported by leaders and managers. Staff say that the manager and responsible individual do not have a strong presence in the home and that they do not consistently receive supervision. When supervision takes place, the quality of this is inconsistent. Inspection report for children’s home: 2781986 5

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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

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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s records are sufficiently detailed and accurate to allow for effective monitoring and review of children’s care.

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Requirement Due date

Also, the registered person must ensure that staff are sufficiently supported to carry out their roles; including ensuring staff receive regular and meaningful supervision. 16 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2781986 6 After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire;

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Requirement Due date

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention; and

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Requirement Due date

In this regulation, “the fire and rescue authority” means the fire and rescue authority under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 M2 for the area in which the home is located. (Regulation 25 (1)(b)(c) (3))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that adequate risk assessment of fire safety in the home, including consultation with the fire and rescue authority, particularly in regard to the use of locks in the home. 18 September 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that records of conversations with children accurately reflect the child’s engagement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2781986 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Acorns to Oaks Children’s Care & Support Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 3, 125 to 129 Witton Street, Northwich CW9 5DY

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Inspector

Hayley Smith, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2781986 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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