Children's Home run by Hopscotch Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 1 Registered provider: Hopscotch Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post who registered with Ofsted in January 2021.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress in all aspects of their lives because of the highly individualised care and support that they receive from staff. Managers and staff know the children well. They are sensitive to each child’s individual needs and strive to deliver consistently good care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to recognise their own progress and staff place a high importance on celebrating each child’s individual achievements. Staff are creating memory books for children which include pictures and artwork that children have made and will enable them to look back on their time at the home positively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships between children and staff are a strength in this home. Staff understand the importance of building relationships that are based on trust and respect for one another. Each child is treated with dignity by staff who respect their individuality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to understand the home’s complaints policy. When one child made a complaint, swift and effective action was taken to address this. The child was supported to understand the action that had been taken as a result of the complaint and the improvements that would be made going forward.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to understand the importance of education and encouraged to improve their attendance. One child has 100% attendance at school since they moved to the home. When children are struggling to engage with their education, staff listen to them and help them to overcome any barriers to their learning. One child was supported to explore a different college course and to look at apprenticeship options to determine what would suit them best.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood by the staff team. Children are encouraged to attend their routine appointments. When children need additional treatment, such as further dental work, they are supported to understand what this will entail so that they can be fully prepared for any appointments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed to the home sensitively. However, more careful consideration should be given to the matching of children and the potential impact of children moving into the home.

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

Managers and staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe and take swift and effective action to minimise the risks to children.

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

Staff respond effectively and work collaboratively with partnership agencies when children go missing from the home. Staff understand the risks to children when they Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 4 are missing. There are clear and individualised plans to support children and to reduce these risks. Managers and staff recognise the individual risk factors which may indicate a child is at an increased risk of harm and take swift action to escalate concerns.

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

Restraint practice is rarely used in this home which indicates that staff are able to effectively de-escalate incidents of challenging behaviour. Children are supported to develop effective coping strategies to manage their behaviour and feelings safely.

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

One child has been supported to recognise when they are starting to feel overwhelmed and has implemented a successful strategy of taking ‘time out’ to manage this. This is an area of good progress for this child who has previously struggled to recognise and identify their own emotions and feelings.

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

Staff are exceptionally creative in how they support children to understand risks. Staff use a variety of different methods and resources to help children to keep themselves safe.

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

Managers and staff have received training in specific matters that are relevant to the needs of children living in the home. When it is appropriate, staff encourage children to take part in training around some subject areas, which supports their understanding of the risks and how to keep safe.

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted by staff. Children are supported to understand the boundaries and expectations around safe and acceptable behaviour. Staff respond to children individually and implement rewards that are specific to them. One child likes to take ownership of their daily rewards and tasks and prefers a visual chart. Staff promote this and implement any specific strategies consistently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced manager who demonstrates strong values and high ambition. The manager drives improvements in the quality of the care provided to children by implementing thorough development plans and maximising opportunities to learn from practice and feedback.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy manager share the ethos and values for the home. They are an effective team and ensure high standards of care for children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly reviews the quality of the care provided to children. Records of significant events are effectively monitored to ensure that staff are using these as learning opportunities and continually developing their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team value the strong leadership and support from the manager. Staff find the manager to be motivational and say that they are encouraged to develop themselves through good-quality training and regular supervision. Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 5 Professional relationships are strong because the manager and staff work proactively with external agencies. These effective working relationships are ensuring high standards of care and promoting positive outcomes for the children that live in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager does not use agency staff in the home which means that children are always cared for by staff that know them well. Although there have been some changes to the staff team, due to staff leaving or moving to other roles within the company, there remains a consistent core of qualified and skilled staff which has ensured continuity of care for the children living in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 6

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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: 2617303 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 19 Lancaster Road, Carnforth LA5 9LD

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Inspector

Emma Thornton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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