Children's home run by Therapeutic Care Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2743791 1 Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to provide care for two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, there were two children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered on 23 October 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 6 November 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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Overall experiences and progress of

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2743791 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have moved in since the home was registered. The moves have been carefully planned, sensitive to the children’s needs and with consideration of their views. One child has already made significant progress. A social worker said, ‘[Name of child] has made amazing progress, and it’s only been since November.’ One child has successfully lived with other children for the first time, developed their independence skills and completed their school exams.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood by staff. Children are registered with the GP, dentist and opticians. They are supported to attend regular appointments and encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are regularly sought. Children are involved in how the home is decorated, in weekly meal planners and in the care they are given. Children are encouraged to develop independence, including cooking meals and keeping the home tidy. However, children’s bedrooms are not tidied each day to ensure that the floor is free from trip hazards.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to engage in education, and staff have high aspirations for them. One child, who does not have an educational provision, is supported by staff to complete online learning. The manager has been proactive in requesting education meetings and assessments. However, escalation processes have not been used to reduce the delays in seeking alternative education when necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in hobbies and social activities. This has helped one child to develop skills to become more independent and confident. The leader at Cadets said, ‘[Name of child] is even doing the Duke of Edinburgh award and will be going away. I never thought this would be possible for [name of child], but they’ve totally turned them around.’

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

Children have good relationships with the staff who care for them. Children can identify a trusted adult who they can talk to. As a result, children feel comfortable to talk about their worries and to ask for support. A family support worker said, ‘They [staff] have built positive relationships with [name of child], and [name of child] trusts them.’

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

When children go missing from home, there is a well-coordinated, multi-agency response. Records show that staff follow the agreed protocol in trying to locate the child. Return home interviews are offered to help develop an understanding of the triggers. Risk assessments are reviewed after every incident to try to reduce the risk. Inspection report for children's home: 2743791 3 Medication is safely stored, and records show that staff understand how to administer, check and record medication safely. However, on one occasion, staff did not seek appropriate medical attention for a child following an incident. Staff had assessed the child as not needing this. However, due to the nature of the incident, reassurance was required by a medical professional.

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

Children are educated about risks. Staff make referrals to other agencies and seek support for children who are at risk. Staff work collaboratively with professionals from social care, the police and youth justice teams to support safeguarding children who are at risk of exploitation. Staff effectively challenged social workers to change safety planning when they had concerns that a child’s safety was compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and has completed the relevant leadership and management qualification. The children, staff, parents and external professionals spoke highly of the manager’s communication skills. The manager attends meetings and advocates in the best interest of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight, and clear plans are in place to develop the service being provided. Documents in the home have been reviewed, and actions are clear to meet the needs of the children. The manager follows up on actions identified to ensure that they have been completed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff are supported to complete mandatory and additional training. There is specific training tailored to the needs of the children the staff are caring for to ensure that they have the necessary skills to support children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and supported by the manager. There is a stable staff team in place that has previously worked together. There is a workforce development plan in place to support the development of staff and focus on improving the quality of care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is well respected by the team, and she provides a high level of support to staff. This has created positive team morale, and staff feel supported. The manager has introduced staff champion areas, in which they take the lead. This enables all staff to develop leadership skills. This benefits the children by providing consistent and stable care. Inspection report for children's home: 2743791 4

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to the registered manager ensuring that staff understand and actively support children to seek appropriate medical attention when required. 2 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; and

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager should ensure that contact is made with other agencies, such as the virtual school, when the child’s needs are not being met as outlined in their care plan. 2 June 2024 Inspection report for children's home: 2743791 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make sure that children’s bedrooms are nurturing and welcoming environments on a daily basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should ensure that children who are not in full-time education are given a clear routine each day with suitable structured activities to support them back into education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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: 2743791 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Errigal House, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool FY4 2DP

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Inspector

Sarah Probert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2743791 7 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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