Children's Home run by Therapeutic Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2762095 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

This home is operated by a private provider and provides care for up to two children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there was one child living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

This is the home’s first inspection. The home and manager have been registered with Ofsted since December 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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2762095 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child moved in to the home shortly after it was registered. The manager completed a detailed assessment to understand the needs of the child, and the child was able to visit the home before moving in. This helped them to settle in quickly and start building positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote a positive, relaxed environment for the child. They are nurturing and caring in their approach. The child is developing trusting relationships with staff and, through this support, they are starting to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are met. Staff work alongside other professionals to ensure that the child is supported with their emotional and mental health. Through this support, the child has gained a better understanding of their emotions and will seek out staff for support. This has meant that their self-harming behaviour has reduced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is now attending school every day. Staff have supported the child in identifying an appropriate school in the local area. The staff have high expectations of the child and offer them encouragement and support. Consequently, the child is now fully engaging in their learning and is gaining confidence in their abilities. There is good information- sharing between the staff and the child’s school. The child is preparing to complete their GCSE this summer, which is great progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff support the child to have regular family time with her brother out in the community. This is helping them both to develop positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to participate in activities both in the home and out in the community. The child has shown an interest in animals, and staff regularly take the child to the local kennels. This is developing the child’s aspirations for the future, and the child would like to attend an animal welfare course at college in September.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly celebrate the child’s achievements. The child is developing age- appropriate life skills, and they are encouraged by a weekly incentive chart and certificates for achieving the goals set. This is helping the child to develop their self- esteem and confidence. Staff ensure that the child’s wishes and feelings are taken into account and they have a say in their day-to-day care.

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

Staff take time to listen to the child. The child has good relationships with staff and knows who to talk to if they have any worries. The child said that they feel safe in the home. There have been no complaints. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762095 3 Staff understand the risk behaviours of the child. When there has been an incident, it has been well managed. The manager works with other professionals to help support the child to be safe. Risk assessments are robust, and these are reviewed and kept up to date. The child is supported to take age-appropriate risk. They are now having extended time in the community with their friends.

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

Missing-from-home incidents have been well managed. Staff ensure that they follow the appropriate protocols, which include looking for the child and involving other professionals, so the child’s safety is paramount. On the two occasions that the child has gone missing, they have had an opportunity to speak to an independent person to express their feelings.

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

Through the positive relationships that the child has developed with staff, staff are able to de-escalate any unwanted behaviour at an early stage. This has resulted in the child starting to take responsibility for their choices and understanding how to deal with their emotions in a safer way. There have been no physical interventions.

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

The physical environment is safe. The manager ensures that all health and safety checks are completed. However, there are some minor repairs that need completing, which distract from the high standards of the rest of the home.

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

Staff are knowledgeable about online safety, and staff regularly speak to the child about being safe when online. When staff have a concern, they work with other professionals and help to keep the child safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced, qualified, child centred, and has high expectations to continually improve the level of care provided to the child. The manager has good oversight of the day-to-day running of the home. She advocates for the child on all aspects of their lives, including their education and health issues. She has built up good, positive relationships with other professionals to ensure that the child’s holistic needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person visits the home each month and gets feedback from the child and professionals. However, the manager has not supported them to gain feedback from the child’s parents. This has meant that the parent is not given an opportunity to have a say on the quality of care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a core group of staff, who are experienced and provide consistency for the child. There have been some staff changes, but the manager has ensured that this has not impacted on the child. Staff said that they feel supported, and demonstrated that they know the child well and can meet their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff carry out a range of training, including mandatory training and additional training courses that meet the child’s identified needs. Supervisions are taking place in the appropriate timescales and there is clear, reflective Inspection report for children’s home: 2762095 4 practice. This allows the staff to develop their knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly, which give staff an opportunity to share their knowledge. The in-house therapist attends these meetings to offer support to the staff in meeting the child’s needs. One staff member said, ‘[Name of home] has an environment where ideas are shared, and everyone’s expertise is valued, ultimately benefiting the child in our care.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that recruitment checks are carried out. However, the manager has not implemented a clear risk assessment to ensure that the team is aware that one staff member should be supervised until all information has been received. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762095 5

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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 registered person may permit an individual to start work at the home despite the fact that the requirement in paragraph (3)(d) has not been met if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person has taken all reasonable steps to obtain full information about each of the matters in Schedule 2 in respect of the individual, but the enquiries in relation to any of the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2 are incomplete;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information in respect of the individual has been obtained in relation to the matters in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 2;

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the circumstances are exceptional; and

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Requirement Due date

the registered person ensures that the individual is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties, pending receipt of any outstanding information on the matters in paragraphs 3 to 6 of Schedule 2, which is then considered satisfactory by the registered person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take reasonable steps to ensure that any individual who is working at the home and who does not fall within paragraph (2)(a) and (b) is appropriately supervised while carrying out the individual’s duties. (Regulation 32 (7)(a)(b)(c)(d) (8))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when they have agreed for a staff member to start work in the home, there is a clear risk assessment in place so that the staff member is fully supervised until all the satisfactory checks have been completed. 2 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2762095 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person offers parents the opportunity to speak to them about the quality of care provided for their child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is maintained and that any hazards identified are quickly repaired, such as the damage to a kitchen drawer and the bath panel. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2762095 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2762095 8 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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