Children's home run by Hopscotch Care Limited in Lancaster

Inspection report for children’s home: SC479632 1 SC479632 Registered provider: Hopscotch Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The provider’s statement of purpose states that the home cares for up to five children, aged 12 to 17 years old, with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since October 2022. An acting manager was appointed in October 2022. At the time of the inspection, they had not yet submitted an application 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

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC479632 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/03/2022 Full Good 04/09/2019 Full Good 09/07/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC479632 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have moved in, and three children have moved out of the home since the last inspection. One child moved out of the home due to risks in the local area and the difficulties the staff experienced in managing these.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, one child was enjoying an extended break away with staff from the home. The is due to the manager not having fully considered the impact of all the children living together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living in the home have made progress from their starting points and have been supported to enjoy positive experiences and develop good relationships with the staff team. This helps children to develop social skills while building resilience and self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager works closely with educational professionals. Children are attending the company’s new education facility and are being educated at home until appropriate local schools can be identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Social workers said that children make progress when living in the home. Some examples of this include children attending education after not attending for some time and developing their relationship-building skills and self-confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s health and well-being and encourage them to attend routine health and specialist appointments. The manager and staff are supported by the home’s psychologist in planning and caring for the children. This supports the children’s identity, emotional health and well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their family and friends. Staff have good relationships with children’s family members. This ensures that children maintain positive relationships with the people who are important to them. One parent said, ‘Everything is going well, I can see a difference in their behaviour, they have told me how much they enjoy living at the home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated to a good standard and is well maintained. Children are encouraged to have a choice in the decoration of their bedrooms and to personalise their own space. This supports the children to develop their identity and creates a sense of belonging and ensures that the children live in a welcoming and homely environment.

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

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans address their vulnerabilities. The assessments include clear strategies for staff to follow. Plans Inspection report for children’s home: SC479632 4 are reviewed and updated following any incidents. This supports staff to understand the child’s needs and keep children safe.

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

On occasions, children have been missing from care. Staff are proactive and consult with the relevant professionals and family members so that the child returns home safely. When children have been missing from care, they are offered an independent return home interview. This allows the child to share any worries or concerns.

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

Occasionally, staff have had to use restrictive physical interventions to keep children safe. Staff have helped the children to understand why their behaviour resulted in physical intervention and have supported them to reflect on their behaviour and encouraged alternative strategies.

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

Children spoken to said they feel safe living at the home, and staff help them to stay safe. Children told the inspector they like living in the home, and they like the staff. Children were excited about an upcoming trip to a football ground with staff to watch celebrities play football for charity.

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

Staff ensure that children are safe when they access the internet. Staff support children to understand the risks associated with the internet and social media. They are consistent in applying the rules of safe internet use for children and have addressed any identified concerns appropriately.

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

At times, staff have used financial consequences to address the behaviours of the children. They have not always been fair or proportionate. In addition, they are not recorded in line with regulation. The manager has missed opportunities to scrutinise the effectiveness of these consequences and to look at more suitable restorative approaches.

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

The registered manager follows safer recruitment procedures to ensure children’s safety. The stable staff team provides consistent support to help children feel safe and protected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an acting manager in post who is yet to apply to be registered. She is child-centred and advocates for the children in her care. Staff are positive about the manager and say that they are supported, valued and respected. One member of staff said, ‘The senior leadership team do a fantastic job.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A passionate and diverse team staffs the home. Staff enjoy providing care for children with complex needs and take pride in their work. One member of staff said, ‘I can happily say I am proud to be part of such an amazing team.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff benefit from an induction to the home. The manager provides new staff with opportunities to complete training and shift work before they start working at Inspection report for children’s home: SC479632 5 the home. This helps the manager to ensure that children are cared for by staff who can meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works effectively with external agencies, communicating consistently with key professionals so that children’s care is well informed and shared with the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and training, which provides opportunity for them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children. However, some staff have not yet received training in being able to meet the existing needs of the children in areas such as first aid, substance misuse and self-harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the day-to-day running of the home, and effective monitoring and evaluation systems support the home’s development. This enables the manager to have a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. Inspection report for children’s home: SC479632 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, 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 care planning standard is that children—

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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.

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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

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

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 23 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC479632 7 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should support staff to be ambitious for every child in the home and to gain skills and experience that enable them to actively support each child to achieve their potential. To ensure that staff understand and can meet each child’s needs, in line with their responsibilities, the registered person themselves will need to have a high level of understanding of the needs of the children in their care and to ensure that all staff are trained in relevant issues and risks relating to the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.5)

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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: SC479632 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Julie Elder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC479632 9 inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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