Children's home run by Lancashire County Council in Preston

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039673 1 SC039673

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Information about this children’s home

This is a local authority home. It provides care and accommodation for up to six children.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were two children 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 December 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged to be inadequate at the full inspection on 26 and 27 January 2022. Following the full inspection, three compliance notices were issued. During the monitoring visit on the 8 March 2022, inspectors monitored compliance with the notices and found them to be unmet.

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This monitoring visit

Following the visit on the 8 March 2022, three further compliance notices were issued in respect of regulation 12, the protection of children standard; regulation 13, the leadership and management standard and regulation 14, the care planning standard. During this visit, inspectors monitored compliance with these notices.

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This monitoring visit

The clarity of children’s risk assessments has improved significantly. Risk assessments clearly identify individual risks for children and the strategies that staff should follow to reduce these risks. Risk assessments are current and are reviewed regularly by staff, who update these as soon as a risk changes or a new risk occurs. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039673 2 Staff follow children’s risk assessments consistently. They support children to reflect on incidents and understand how to keep safe. Risks for children have reduced because of the consistent and effective actions of the staff team.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have now received training in relevant safeguarding matters, including county lines. The manager has also introduced an additional staff team meeting each month. This meeting will allow staff more opportunities to reflect on their practice and opportunities for the manager to provide informal training to improve staff knowledge and understanding.

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This monitoring visit

Children continue to be cared for by a consistent staff team who know them well. The manager has reviewed staffing arrangements in the home to ensure that there are always sufficient staff to meet the needs of children living in the home. The manager has reflected on previous shortfalls in relation to staffing and outlined plans to keep this under review to prevent these shortfalls from reoccurring.

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This monitoring visit

One child has moved out of the home since the last inspection. The manager and staff ensured that the child was well prepared for this move. Staff supported the child to visit their new home and spend time with their new carers. The transition plan was robust and provided opportunities for the child to reflect on this planned move and explore their wishes and feelings about it. Since the child has moved, the home have received positive feedback from the child’s social worker and new carers.

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This monitoring visit

No children have moved in to the home since the last inspection. To support learning and improvements in the admission process, the manager has held a group supervision session with the staff team. Managers and staff have reflected on previous shortfalls and identified areas for improvement. The manager and staff are confident that decision-making in relation to future admissions will be improved.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has made improvements in the quality of their monitoring arrangements. The manager has greater oversight of significant events, including the actions taken following these. The manager provided examples of how the improved monitoring has had a posiitve impact on the quality of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

Following this inspection, a case review was held. It was the decision of the case review that the home had made sufficient progress to evidence that all three compliance notices had been met.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/01/2022 Full Inadequate 07/01/2020 Full Outstanding 11/12/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039673 3 11/12/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039673 4

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 78, County Hall, Fishergate, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspector

Emma Thornton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039673 5 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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