Children's Home run by Lonsdale Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2676352 1 Registered provider: Lonsdale Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private company. It offers care for up to four children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties. It also offers care for children who may have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke with all three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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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: 29 November 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2676352 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2676352 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This home is large and well maintained, with plenty of space for the children who live here. The home includes an annex where the oldest child stays to begin to prepare them for living more independently. Children’s photos and artwork are on display around the home, and children have personalised their bedrooms with their own interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show genuine care for the children and a passion for supporting them to achieve their goals. Staff prioritise children’s educational needs and provide educational activities when children are not in school full time. One educational professional said, ‘Staff always put [child’s name] first and at the forefront of the work they do.’ This supports each child to progress at a pace that is right for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to manage their health needs, and teach them how to keep themselves healthy. They take children to routine and emergency health appointments. As children become more independent, staff support children to make their own appointments and manage their own medication. This helps children to develop their independent living skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to explore their interests and try new things. Children participate in a range of activities and enjoy visiting different places. Children have also chosen to get involved in their local community, supporting charities that are important to them. One professional said, ‘I had never seen [child’s name] smile before she moved there.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff listen to children’s views and wishes and share these with the team around each child. This ensures that children know that their opinions are important.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel settled and say that they enjoy their experiences and the relationships they have developed. One professional said, ‘Staff are a real credit to the home; they really are fun and respectful. They model what they want to see. I think that’s why they get that back from the kids.’

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

Staff develop warm and nurturing relationships with children, taking the time to understand each child as an individual. Staff have helped children to develop trusting relationships with the adults who care for them. This enables children to feel safe.

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

Children have not made any complaints, but know how to do so should the need arise. Children all agree that staff will listen to them at any time. One child said, ‘Everyone is here to support you.’ Children do not make allegations often. When this Inspection report for children’s home: 2676352 4 has happened, appropriate procedures have been followed to ensure the safety of the children.

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

Staff share information appropriately with other professionals and family members of the children. One parent said, ‘They communicate with us really well. They always let us know what’s going on, concerns, but also anything that’s going well.’ Managers keep the regulator informed about the most-significant incidents. However, there has been one significant incident that was not reported to the regulator as required by legislation.

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

When children become distressed, staff remain calm and respond to the child gently. Staff know each child well and how to support different children individually. Staff do not have to hold children often to keep them safe. When this has happened, it has been used as a last resort and staff have spoken to the child after to help them to understand why they were held.

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

Children do not go missing from this home often. When children have gone missing, staff have responded swiftly to ensure that children are kept safe. Staff work well with other professionals and agencies to ensure that key information is shared quickly. When children’s risks change, staff update their processes to reflect this new information.

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

Staff talk to children about topics that are important to each child. They ensure that children know how to keep themselves safe online and in the community. One family member said that staff are ‘very respectful and supportive’, which has enabled their child to take on new learning that they had not been able to engage with before moving to this home.

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

When recruiting new team members, managers ensure that potential candidates are suitably knowledgeable and safe to work with vulnerable children. However, not all recruits have records of their identity checks on their files. This has not impacted on the safety of children.

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

When considering whether this home is suitable to meet the specific needs of children, the manager considers risks in the local area. However, the manager has not considered the risks in surrounding areas that have easy transport links. This has not impacted on the safety of children who have lived in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and suitably qualified to lead this home. He is a strong advocate for the children and a good support for the staff team. One member of staff said, ‘To learn from him is just such a fantastic opportunity.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers value staff and ensure that all ideas are heard. Staff say that supervisions are a helpful time for reflection on their own practice and for the identification of further learning goals. However, the recording of supervisions is not always clearly Inspection report for children’s home: 2676352 5 reflective of the discussion. Staff find team meetings useful and child-centred, with one member of staff saying, ‘when you walk out you think ‘that made a difference’’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff have ongoing opportunities for professional development. Staff are provided with varied training to meet the changing needs of the children they care for. Managers also support staff to learn more about different roles and how they can work towards furthering their careers. This provides a consistent and knowledgeable team for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager records which staff are in the home and the hours they are there. However, rotas do not include the hours that the manager has worked.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses internal and external monitoring to maintain effective oversight of all work completed in the home. When children have challenging days, the manager comments on these records with encouraging and child-friendly notes. This ensures that if children read their records, they know they are still cared about during their most-difficult times. Managers and staff have shown resilience and dedication to children throughout challenging circumstances. Inspection report for children’s home: 2676352 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 registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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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. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that records of identity checks are kept in employee recruitment files. 26 April 2024

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the manager’s hours of work are recorded on the rota. 26 April 2024

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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

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; 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)(b)(c)(e)) 26 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2676352 7 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all allegations, police involvement, and/or serious incidents are reported to the regulator.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the recording of supervisions is unique to each individual and each discussion. These recordings should also be of consistently high quality. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that any risks to children outside of the immediate area are considered when transport links connect to areas of risk. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 2676352 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lonsdale Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 34 Broadacre, Caton, Lancaster LA2 9NH

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Inspector

Aislinn Cooper, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2676352 9 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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