Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 1 SC440309 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council 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 local authority and is registered to provide care for up to six children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were six children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2023 Full Good 30/11/2021 Full Outstanding 30/07/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/01/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 3

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inadequate

There are serious shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership and management in the home. These weaknesses have had a significant and negative effect on children’s safety, and they limit their experiences and progress.

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inadequate

At the time of the inspection, six children were living in the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved on from the home to live independently. Another child has moved into the home. When new children move to the home, the staffing levels are not considered. The current staffing levels in the home are insufficient. Consequently, staff have been unable to safely meet the needs of each child.

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inadequate

There is a lack of routines and structure in the home. Children have not had planned activities over the summer holiday. Staff do not provide children with opportunities to take part in fun activities. One child said, ‘It’s boring; I never get to do anything I like. I am stuck in this house all day.’ This leaves children feeling frustrated.

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inadequate

Most children are at ease around staff and have positive relationships. However, staff are not always able to support children in identifying strategies to manage their difficult feelings. As a result of this, there has been an increase in unsafe behaviours and property damage in the home. This is having a detrimental effect on children’s experiences of living in the home.

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inadequate

Staff carry out direct work with children, which is reflective and purposeful. Staff use the sessions to discuss risk-taking behaviour with children. However, this work has not been effective, and children are not always able to recognise when they are in unsafe situations or with unsafe people. As a result of this, children continue to be at risk when out in the community.

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inadequate

Conditions in the home are not acceptable. The home environment is in a poor state. There is visible damage in the home and poor standards of decoration. One child’s bedroom contained broken furniture. The room did not have curtains, and the child was sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Furthermore, there are locks on internal doors. This limits children’s access to all areas of their home.

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

One child living in the home is at significant risk when they are in the local community. Staff have worked well with external agencies to help them manage the risk. However, risks are not reducing, and the combined strategies are not effective. As a result, the child is not kept safe from actual or potential harm.

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

There are individual and up-to-date risk assessments and support plans in place for children. These contain lengthy chronological information. They do not contain clear Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 4 and directive strategies to guide staff to manage and mitigate risk. As a result of this, the staff’s response to risk is inconsistent.

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

There have been occasions when children have been missing from the home. When these incidents occur, staff try to locate missing children. However, the missing-from- home records are not consistent, and it is not always clear when a child has returned home. The manager does not regularly review the records. Records lack scrutiny, and inconsistencies go unnoticed.

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

Holding a child to keep them safe is used as a last resort. Staff use physical holds in line with the home’s policies and procedures. Records contain the relevant information, and staff carry out reflective debriefs with children. However, the manager does not review all records of restraint. They lack scrutiny, and the manager does not always speak to children following the use of restraint. This means it is not known if restraints are proportionate, necessary or safe.

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

Staff use consequences and reward systems to help children manage unwanted behaviour. The measures focus on reparation and are not restorative. The manager does not review the measures used for their effectiveness or fairness of use. When asked about behaviour management in the home, a staff member commented, ‘The use of consequences is not consistent, and staff do not always stick to them.’ As a result of this, children receive mixed messages, and the use of the measures is ineffective.

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

When there are safeguarding concerns relating to staff practice, the response is ineffective. The responsible individual was aware of concerns relating to staff practice but failed to take appropriate action.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager post has been vacant since 8 March 2023. Interim managers and the responsible individual have supported staff since this time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

In the absence of a registered manager, the monitoring within the home has not been effective. Records of significant events have not been subject to regular scrutiny. As a result of this, risks and concerns are not always identified through the manager’s checks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Safer recruitment checks are not followed. Not all staff are suitably vetted before working in the home. Gaps in employment histories are not checked by the manager effectively. This is unsafe practice and does not ensure that only suitable people work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers ensure that staff complete training that is relevant to their role. Most staff are experienced and qualified. However, not all staff have obtained their qualification by the relevant date. Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 5 Staff do not receive regular supervision that supports their learning and development. Staff are not supported to reflect on significant incidents or their practice. This is a missed opportunity for staff to learn and improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Health and safety arrangements are not safe. Fire safety is not managed effectively in the home. Fire risk assessments are out of date, and during the inspection, it was observed that staff wedge open the fire doors. This means that the preventative measures that are put in place are not being used to help reduce the spread of fire.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

This inspection identified systemic shortfalls in the operation of this home. Compliance notices have been issued in respect of the leadership and management of the home and the protection of children. Further compliance notices have been issued in respect of fire safety, the quality of care and children’s access in their home. Ofsted will monitor this home to assess how effective the provider has been in promoting improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 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 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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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)(vi)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all individual risk assessments and support plans for children contain clear and directive strategies and do not become a chronology of events. 1 October 2023

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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 1 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 7 promotes their welfare.

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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

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 the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are sufficient staffing levels in the home to meet the needs of all children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they implement an effective monitoring system to ensure that there is an improved level of oversight and evaluation of significant events in the home.

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Requirement Due date

* The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; 1 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 8 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)(a)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are provided with suitable, comfortable bedroom furniture.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are provided with suitable curtains that provide them with privacy and that also give them the opportunity to manage the sunlight in their bedrooms.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that when furniture and soft furnishings have been damaged, they are replaced as quickly as possible.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home environment is homely, clean and well cared for and that any damage is repaired as quickly as possible.

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Requirement Due date

* The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises;

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that internal locks on the doors in the communal areas of the home are removed. 1 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 9 In particular, the registered person must ensure that any limitations placed on children’s access to communal areas in the home are appropriately assessed.

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Requirement Due date

* If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

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 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is an up-to-date fire risk assessment that is completed by a suitably qualified person.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are no obstructions preventing fire doors from self-closing and that the fire doors are not being held open by door wedges. 1 October 2023

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are provided with opportunities to take part in planned activities outside of the home and that they are also supported to explore their individual hobbies and interests. 1 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 10 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. 1 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 11 (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff that work in the home in a care role have obtained their relevant qualification by the relevant date.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that gaps in employment are scrutinised and that evidence of this is recorded.

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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. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive regular supervision. 1 October 2023

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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 effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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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

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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)(vi)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that incidents of restraint are evaluated with scrutiny, taking into consideration any learning outcomes that can be implemented within children’s risk management plans, or to support the development of staff. 1 October 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 12 In particular, the registered person must ensure that when consequences are used, they are subject to scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and that they are also restorative in nature and not punitive.

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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 for children’s home: SC440309 13

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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, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspector

Kimmy Feeley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC440309 14 regulates and 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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