Children's Home run by Home Comforts Services Limited in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: 2792482 1 Registered provider: Home Comforts Services 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 by a private provider. It offers care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living at the home. The children spoke with the inspectors about their experiences of living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2792482 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/12/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2792482 3

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Summary of findings

Significant shortfalls in safeguarding practices have been identified. This has affected children’s safety and progress.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to address the requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection. Consequently, the home has been judged to be ‘inadequate’ in all areas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not receive care that is planned effectively when they move into and out of the home. Three children have moved into the home, and 3 children have moved on since the last inspection. Leaders and managers do not consider the impact of children’s complex needs on children already living in the home. This has led to 2 children having to move on from the home, as staff were unable to keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children have not been cared for by a stable staff team. Due to a high turnover of staff in the home, staff have been required to work additional hours, and a significant number of agency staff have been used to cover shortfalls. As a result, children have not experienced a consistent level of safety or care. Furthermore, they have not been able to build and maintain positive or trusting relationships with all members of the staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s health needs are not met. Staff do not ensure that children are supported to receive outstanding immunisations or that they take recommended vitamin D medication. Staff do not support children to overcome the barriers they face in addressing these issues. When children require additional professional support, this is not always prioritised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home has ample space for the children, both internally and externally. Children have personalised their bedrooms. However, staff have not recognised areas of the home that pose a risk to one child who experiences suicidal ideation, and there have been delays in changes being made to address these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support the children to access education and learning. This ensures that children are supported to achieve their education goals and develop their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff provide a variety of activities for children, including trips to theme parks and attendance at a youth club. These experiences enable children to have fun and create positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to maintain contact with their friends and families in line with their individual plans. Staff also work to establish positive relationships with children’s family members. Inspection report for children’s home: 2792482 4

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

Leaders and managers do not adequately respond to, or implement, appropriate and safe strategies to protect the children living in the home.

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

Children’s care is compromised by poor planning, safeguarding practice and ineffective management oversight. These shortfalls have affected children’s overall safety.

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

Staffing arrangements in the home have affected children’s safety. There has been a reliance on agency staff to cover staffing shortfalls. Staff spoken to did not have a good understanding of the children’s risks or how to respond when safeguarding incidents occur. Consequently, children are not cared for by a consistent team of staff who understand their risks and needs. As a result, staff do not always take action to safeguard children when they are at risk of harm.

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

Staff lone working resulted in a delay in one child receiving immediate support while they were experiencing a mental health crisis. During the incident, another child was present and they did try and assist staff to help gain entry to a room to ensure that their peer was safeguarded.

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

There has been an escalation in serious incidents in the home since the last inspection. Staff do not have a good understanding of the children’s risks and needs. Behaviour support strategies have not always been effective, which has resulted in the police being contacted to help staff manage children’s behaviour.

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

Staff do not always follow the plans in place to safeguard children. There have been incidents where there were delays, or no contact was made, with health professionals to seek advice and support when a child expressed suicidal ideation. Although risk management plans are regularly updated, risks are not always clearly identified. As a result, staff do not have clear guidance to follow to keep children safe. Consequently, children have not always been listened to or safeguarded effectively.

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

When children go missing from home, staff take appropriate action, including searching for the child and working with professionals to ensure their safe return.

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

Children are supported to express their views and feelings following allegations and complaints being made. The manager follows safeguarding procedures, including informing the local authority designated officer. However, investigations are not always thorough, and not all staff working in the home understand the home’s whistleblowing procedure.

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

Direct work has been carried out with children to support their emotional wellbeing, reinforce the importance of education, and help them develop positive relationships with one another in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2792482 5 Staff have physically held children to keep them safe. The manager carries out debriefs with the child and staff.

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

Recruitment practices for new staff are safe. This helps to ensure that only staff who have been thoroughly vetted care for children. When concerns are raised about staff practice, the manager takes appropriate action to ensure that children are kept safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager was not present during the inspection. There have been changes in the leadership arrangements for the home since the last inspection. The responsible individual is on long-term leave, and an interim responsible individual is covering.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight of the care being provided is not effective. Leaders and managers have not met all the requirements raised at the last inspection. This does not demonstrate effective leadership or that action has been taken to address previous shortfalls in the quality of care being provided in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured that all staff are adequately trained to support children’s complex care needs. Some members of staff lack training in key areas, such as self-harm and suicidal ideation. Consequently, staff do not always have the necessary skills to keep children safe. The manager has not ensured that agency staff’s training has been assessed. In addition, they do not receive supervision, and there are no effective monitoring systems in place to oversee their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not fully understood children’s risks, and there has been a delay in action being taken to mitigate risks. Care planning has been poor, and this has affected the care the children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings take place regularly and include contributions from the home’s therapist. This provides an additional forum for staff to reflect on children’s needs and the care provided to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are positive about the leadership of the home. Staff working regularly in the home receive regular reflective supervision, with children’s needs remaining the central focus.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A review of the quality of care provided to children has been carried out. The report identifies strengths and areas for development and supports service improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2792482 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that prompt action is taken to address all health and safety concerns and that all areas of the home are safe.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have the skills and competence to manage risks for all children and that strategies are in place to safeguard children from risks posed by others.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have access to clear guidance to help them keep children safe. 4 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2792482 7 Ensure that staff understand children’s risks and needs.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff take effective action to safeguard children at all times and that staff follow professional advice.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and 4 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2792482 8 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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all staff have the skills, experience and training to meet the needs of each child in their care.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that action is taken to identify and address any gaps in staff’s knowledge.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that there is oversight of the quality of care in the home and that action is taken to safeguard children following incidents in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are admitted to the home only if staff have the relevant knowledge and skills to meet their individual needs. 20 November 2026

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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. 20 November 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2792482 9 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;

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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

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are supported to understand their health needs and have all their health needs met.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2792482 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Home Comforts Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit F Whiteacres, Cambridge Road, Leicestershire LE8 6ZG

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Inspectors

Michelle Snape, Social Care Inspector Saira Rafiq, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2792482 11 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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