Children's Home run by Brooks & Brooks Recruitment Ltd in RochdaleOfsted inspection, 9 Sept 2026

Inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 1 Registered provider: Brooks & Brooks Recruitment Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider. It offers care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. The inspector spoke with the child as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has an interim manager, and they have applied to register with Ofsted.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/05/2025 Full Good 29/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/06/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 3

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved into and out of the home. At the time of this inspection, one child had been living in the home for almost 6 months. Children live in a safe and caring environment where they are well supported. The importance of establishing and maintaining family relationships is recognised, and staff work to support each child to spend time with their family. Staff know and understand children well, which helps children feel safe and develop positive relationships with them. As a result, incidents are infrequent and, if they arise, they are dealt with swiftly and in accordance with each child’s identified needs. The manager demonstrates effective oversight of the home and advocates on behalf of children to help secure positive outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a positive experience of moving into the home. Managers work with professionals to ensure that they have a good understanding of children’s needs and vulnerabilities. This enables staff to be prepared to support children when they arrive at the home. When children move out of the home, staff are aware of the impact this can have, so provide support to ensure that children have a positive outcome.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s records are well written. The manager reviews children’s documents and ensures that positive outcomes are noted and learning opportunities are taken. This is then fed back to the team, individually and through team meetings. This helps staff to consider alternative ways to support children to reduce incidents and distress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work effectively to support children’s education. When barriers to attendance have arisen, such as prolonged periods of absence, staff have adopted creative approaches to successfully implement a full timetable of education for children. Education is based in the home, with support from the virtual school and external partners. This supports learning and a reintroduction into a formal education setting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children maintaining their relationships with their families and promote their time with the people who are important to them. When challenges arise, staff work with social workers and multiple external care providers to facilitate positive family time and foster children’s sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and responsible individual ensure that the physical environment is well maintained. Fixtures and fittings meet the needs of the children, and the home feels and looks like a family home. However, the home would benefit from modernisation in some key areas. Inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 4

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

Risk assessments are clear and provide the necessary guidance to enable staff to appropriately minimise children’s exposure to risk. The risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated as required. Strategies are implemented as needed to ensure appropriate support, based on the individual levels of risk for each child. Staff are aware of the impact of a restrictive court order and how to equip children to experience positive risks in a safe way.

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

Staff have positive relationships with children. Children trust staff and feel safe in the home. As a result, incidents of children struggling to manage their emotions are rare. When incidents occur, staff know and understand children well and respond appropriately to support them.

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

Staff have a good understanding of how to raise any concerns through the provider’s internal processes. The local authority designated officer is consulted, the manager takes disciplinary action, and any allegations or concerns are investigated by leaders and managers. These are dealt with swiftly, with clear recording of the investigation and outcomes.

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

Staff rarely need to hold or guide children. Physical intervention is only used where necessary to prevent children from harming themselves or others. The manager has clear oversight of any incidents that involve physical restraint. He takes learning opportunities from these situations and uses them to support staff in developing additional techniques to prevent similar incidents from recurring.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed when staff are appointed. This process provides assurance that staff are suitably vetted and have the necessary qualifications to provide an appropriate level of care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for children and professionally challenges the placing authority when there have been concerns about the plans for children. This is particularly in respect of ensuring that children have stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff reported feeling valued and supported in their roles. They said they have positive relationships with one another and with the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive a wide range of mandatory and bespoke training. Additionally, the manager provides workshops to equip staff with the skills and knowledge they need to care for children. As a result, children are cared for by a qualified staff team. The manager also monitors the development needs of the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and provide opportunities for staff to discuss current issues and any concerns they may have. New ideas are shared, along with discussions on how these can be incorporated into staff practice. Team meetings allow staff to Inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 5 reflect on how the month has gone and discuss a range of matters. There is a strong emphasis on the importance of teamwork and how staff can learn and develop together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is purposeful, with clear targets for actions. Discussions between the manager and staff are reflective. However, some sessions have not been held within the correct timescales, as outlined within the provider’s policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from others is positive. One professional said, ‘Communication is really strong between me and the home. We are definitely on the same page. The child has really moved on, they trust the staff, and this is evident through their progress.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 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 registered person must ensure that all employees —

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (1) (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff supervision sessions are carried out in line with company policy. 10 November 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home provides a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. This includes ensuring that all areas of the home are clean and well maintained. Any necessary repairs should be addressed in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2713287 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brooks & Brooks Recruitment Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hilton Jones Ltd, Hollinwood Business Centre, Albert Street, Oldham OL8 3QL

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Junior Brandford

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Inspector

Mark Green, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2713287 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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