Children's Home run by Aspire Child Care Ltd in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC403464 1 SC403464 Registered provider: Aspire Child Care Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider owns and manages the home.

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Information about this children’s home

It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC403464 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/09/2025 Full Good 19/11/2024 Full Good 05/03/2024 Full Good 07/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC403464 3

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Summary of findings

Children feel settled and happy in the home. Planned moves into the home help children to settle quickly and make progress. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and support them through regular direct work to recognise risks, make informed choices and stay safe.

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Summary of findings

Recent management instability has affected children and staff. However, the newly appointed manager is taking action to address shortfalls and improve stability, with a clear focus on ensuring children continue to experience safe and consistent care

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy and settled in the home. There is a sense of warmth, connection and care between the children and staff. Children are relaxed in the presence of staff and can have fun with them. Equally, if children are struggling to manage their emotions, they seek out staff for comfort and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and a comfortable space for the children to live. It has the feel of a typical family home. Children’s bedrooms are personalised to reflect their age and interests. This allows them to express their individuality and gives them a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to make progress in education from their starting points. Staff understand the importance of education and are ambitious for children. When there are barriers to children attending school, staff and management advocate on behalf of the children. Staff help children to prepare for their future by supporting them to write curriculum vitae and search for employment opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience a well-planned move into the home that includes an introductory visit. Children are consulted before moving in and this helps them to feel part of the decision-making process. One parent gave positive feedback about their child’s move to the home, saying that ‘all staff have gone above and beyond to make their child feel settled’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s day-to-day experiences are not consistently captured in a meaningful way. As a result, children do not benefit from a comprehensive record of their achievements, experiences and memories from their time living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are not consistently encouraged to participate in activities and experiences that reflect their interests and aspirations. Consequently, opportunities for personal growth, skill development and positive experiences are reduced. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403464 4

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

Children say that they feel safe in their home. They feel cared for by staff and can identify a trusted adult who they can confide in when they are worried or upset.

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

Staff understand the children’s individual risks and needs and they have the knowledge and skills to meet those needs. Staff are familiar with children’s plans; they can articulate what they would do in the event of an emergency or serious incident. For example, staff are able to say what they would do if a child was to go missing or if they came home under the influence of substances.

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

Staff complete direct work with the child so that they can learn strategies that will help them to be safer and make better choices. Staff have supported children specifically with the risks associated with substance misuse. A child has subsequently been able to accept further external support from specialist professionals. This has been successful in reducing that child’s substance use.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted in the home and consequences are rarely used. Staff explain to children the reason why consequences are used and help them to understand the impact of their actions and choices on others. This helps children to learn socially responsible behaviour.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that robust recruitment practices are in place to minimise the risk of unsuitable individuals working with children. They follow safer recruitment procedures, which provide assurance that staff are suitable for their roles. This includes obtaining criminal record checks, verifying references, confirming employment history, and exploring any gaps in employment. These checks help leaders and managers make informed recruitment decisions and promote the safety and well-being of children

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not have sufficient oversight of the home. As a result, they do not have a clear understanding of the quality of care being provided to children or how this is affecting children’s experiences and progress. Weak monitoring and evaluation arrangements mean that shortfalls in practice are not consistently identified or addressed. Consequently, leaders and managers are unable to provide effective challenge and support to staff or ensure that children receive consistently good-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has experienced a high turnover of managers and staff, resulting in a lack of stability for both children and the workforce. Children told the inspector that they feel unsettled by the number of changes, with one child describing the home as being "full of strangers" and raising this as a complaint. This instability has undermined children’s sense of safety, security and belonging. Frequent changes in leadership and staffing have also affected the consistency of care provided to children and have hindered the development of trusting relationships between children and the adults caring for them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403464 5 Staff are not receiving effective supervision and support from leaders and managers. There are significant gaps between supervision sessions, and newly appointed staff have not been appropriately supported through their probationary periods. As a result, leaders

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

and managers do not have sufficient oversight of staff performance and are unable to consistently identify areas where staff may require additional guidance or development to improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings are held regularly and are well attended by staff. These meetings focus on the individual needs of children and provide opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice and consider how they can improve the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A new manager has recently been appointed and demonstrates both passion and a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. He has a clear vision for improving outcomes for children and creating a more stable and nurturing environment. The manager has already identified several shortfalls in practice and has begun implementing new processes to address these issues and drive improvement across the service. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403464 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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)) 2 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation; and 2 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC403464 7 The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(b) (4)(b))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. Staff should keep, and encourage children to keep, appropriate memorabilia of the time spent living at the home and help them to record significant life events. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph, 14.5)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home’s staff understand and nurture each child’s talents and with children selecting activities based on their personal preferences and abilities. Staff should also support children to try activities that are new for them, where appropriate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph, 6.4)

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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: SC403464 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Aspire Child Care Ltd

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Inspector

Amber Merriman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC403464 9 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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