Children's home run by Cherish Children’s Care Limited in Fylde

Inspection report children's home: SC476868 1 SC476868 Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private company. It is registered to care for up to four children who may have emotional and/or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is currently vacant.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 1 February 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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 are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 20 November 2019

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: Two compliance notices were issued following a monitoring visit on 10 November 2020. These related to Regulation 13; leadership and management of the home and Regulation 12; the protection of Inspection report children's home: SC476868 2 children. The compliance notices were issued for a second time following a monitoring visit of 17 December 2020. Inspection report children's home: SC476868 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/11/2019 Full Good 24/04/2018 Full Good 09/08/2017 Full Good 27/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC476868 4

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inadequate

The inconsistent actions of some staff mean that children are not able to build and sustain positive relationships with staff. As a result, children will often go to longer- serving staff for support.

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inadequate

Healthcare plans are poor, often missing vital information about the children’s health needs. For example, staff are unclear if one child has asthma and when their medication may be needed. Therefore, the child is not receiving appropriate medical interventions.

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inadequate

Care plans do not acknowledge the uniqueness of each child. Consequently, children are not receiving care and support that meets their individual needs.

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inadequate

Direct work with children is not helping them to reflect on their behaviours and make changes. For example, following an incident where a child made a weapon and threatened other children, staff spoke to the child about knife crime. However, the points of reference used in this discussion were not appropriate for the age of the child and were not relevant. This has not helped the child to consider their actions.

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inadequate

Children’s attendance at school is inconsistent. Children refuse to attend education for various reasons. Staff are not always proactive in engaging children in additional educational activities and, consequently, children become bored.

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inadequate

Children are able to remain in contact with their families. Staff ensure that the children have opportunities to talk to their families and that they will be able to meet with them once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

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

The home is in a poor state of repair. One child’s bedroom was extremely untidy and dirty, with dirty laundry on the floor. The floor in another room was covered with straw and animal faeces from the child’s rabbits and guinea pigs. There are holes in the plasterwork in children’s bedrooms, the windows throughout the home are dirty, and the porch and front door are damaged.

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

This means that the home is not a pleasant, comfortable environment for children to live in or for staff to work in. The lack of prompt repair and lack of attention to property damage or wear and tear means that there is an unkempt feeling to the home.

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

Fire safety is inadequate. The premises were inspected by the fire service on 29 April 2021. They identified a number of failings in fire safety and said that the children were at risk of harm. These failings included a number of fire doors not closing properly spaces around the fire doors allowing for the spread of smoke and Inspection report children's home: SC476868 5 self-closing devices that were missing or broken. An action plan was initiated to address the failings. Despite this, the work has not been completed. In-house fire safety audits have failed to identify issues such as broken emergency lighting. This fails to protect children from the risk of fire.

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

Behaviour management strategies are ineffective. Staff are unsure about the action that they can and should take to prevent children from harming one another. Incidents during the inspection demonstrated staff’s lack of understanding with regard to preventing bullying behaviours and assaults by children on others.

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

One child told inspectors that they feel unsafe at the home and that this was having a negative effect on their mental health.

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

A number of physical interventions have taken place to manage children’s behaviour. However, the records of these are incomplete and do not provide clear insight into the incident or any action taken during the incident or afterwards.

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

Staff have failed to explore why one child becomes very distressed when a specific member of staff is in the home. This member of staff hides when the child is around to prevent the child from becoming anxious. However, no one has taken the time to talk to the child about this. As a result, their distress continues, resulting in negative outcomes for them.

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

Care planning and risk management strategies are not robust. Risk assessments and care plans fail to provide the staff with appropriate strategies to manage children’s behaviour or minimise risk. Despite staff attending training in safeguarding and behaviour management, the shortfalls identified during this visit have proved the training to be ineffective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The former registered manager left suddenly and a new manager took up their post on 8 February 2021. This is the manager’s first senior leadership role and it is apparent that they are struggling with all the challenges that the home has faced recently and with managing an inexperienced staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Internal monitoring has failed to identify that the statement of purpose does not include information about the number and ages of children to be cared for or the process for staff’s professional supervision, including clinical supervision for therapeutic staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The statement of purpose also states ‘we’re qualified’ in the section relating to the staff. This is inaccurate. Of the 14 staff named in the statement of purpose only two have a recognised childcare qualification. Numerous staff have not come from a childcare background and this is their first role in residential care. Many staff have not yet started a recognised childcare qualification and therefore lack the knowledge of how to meet the complex needs of the children. Inspection report children's home: SC476868 6 Staff, including the manager, are not receiving regular professional supervision. Consequently, they are unable to reflect on their practice and make any necessary changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been several complaints from neighbours regarding the behaviour of some children. Staff have made a note of the concerns but have not recorded the action that they have taken to resolve the issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Internal and external monitoring of the home is poor. The management team has failed to identify patterns and trends in the cycle of children’s behaviour and how this then impacts on their progress in the home. This lack of analysis has resulted in the management team’s failure to identify when the home is unable to meet a child’s needs or keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager is unaware of when records, for example, incident records, have been changed by other managers. On many occasions, the records have not been signed or dated by the other manager as the author of the change. This compromises the validity of the records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Ofsted has not received the manager’s internal monitoring report since March 2020 and reports by the independent person are only sent to Ofsted sporadically. Furthermore, Ofsted is not routinely notified of serious incidents in the home, for example, when the police are called for assistance. This does not promote transparency. Inspection report children's home: SC476868 7

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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, 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 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.

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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

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. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)) 20 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 staff— 20 August 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC476868 8 meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)) Inspection report children's home: SC476868 9 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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 premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(d)) 20 August 2021

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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— 4 July 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC476868 10 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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)(c)(h))

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)) 20 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1)) 20 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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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

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home— 4 July 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC476868 11 the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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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 (4)(a)(b)(c)) 20 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; 20 August 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC476868 12 within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1) (3)) 20 August 2021

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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

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); 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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 20 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. 20 August 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC476868 13 The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 20 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

*The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— 4 July 2021 Inspection report children's home: SC476868 14 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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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 children's home: SC476868 15

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8a, Skyways Commercial Campus, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool FY4 3RS

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Inspectors

Chris Scully, Social Care Inspector Julia Toller, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC476868 16 to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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