Children's home run by Therapeutic Care Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2744230 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

This is the first inspection. The home and manager have been registered with Ofsted since 13 November 2024.

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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 children's home: 2744230 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. Children are cared for by staff who know them well and understand their needs. Staff work hard to build trusting relationships with children. This means that children feel happy and safe. A child said, ‘This is the best home I have lived in; the staff are the best, I feel like they really care.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who move in are well supported, and move in a planned way that is sensitive to their needs. The manager explores children’s needs with agencies to ensure that decisions for children to live in the home are carefully considered. Children are invited to visit before moving in so that they can meet staff and the other children. A child said, ‘I really like it here, it is like a family home. I had to move quickly, but I came to visit before I moved in, and we went out together, this really helped me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles; they have healthy diets and engage in physical activities. Staff educate children about the risks of drug and alcohol use, smoking and vapes to ensure that they understand the risks to their health. However, children have vapes in the home and staff do not consistently challenge this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff robustly record when a child refuses medication for a lengthy period. The child is consistently encouraged to take their medication. However, this support is reactive, responding only when the child refuses medication or misses health appointments. There is not planned support to help the child engage in health care and understand the importance of taking medication for their long-term health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children with education and seek to overcome barriers they may have. A tutor said, ‘The staff attend every meeting with respect to [name of child], they support him every day to engage, and reward him with lots of positive experiences. When he does engage, he learns so much.’ Staff demonstrated that they were exceptionally proud of the child’s achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a therapeutic care and support package. The manager and staff work with a clinical team that provides regular guidance and support. The staff are suitably trained to deliver this specific model of care. As a result, children are being helped to develop skills and strategies to manage their own conflicts and difficult feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with opportunities to experience a wide variety of activities in and out the home. When children have specific interests, they are supported to take these up as a hobby. One child said, ‘I have been able to go crabbing, play crazy golf, go karting, and learnt about cooking.’

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

Inspection report children's home: 2744230 3 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 social worker said, ‘The staff have ensured they have fully got to know and build 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

Staff complete detailed individual risk management plans for the children, including plans for when they go missing from home. Despite regular reviews and updates, some information remains confusing because historical details are kept alongside current updates. This can cause confusion between current and past concerns. However, the staff team is fully aware of all risk factors and actively works to keep the children safe. Managers have acknowledged these record-keeping issues and are working to remove outdated information to improve the plans.

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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.

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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 support safeguarding children who are at risk of exploitation. Staff effectively challenge social workers to change safety planning when they have concerns that a child’s safety is compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed efficiently and effectively. The registered manager makes child centred decisions in the best interests of children. They advocate on the behalf of children and ensure that the children’s needs are prioritised effectively. They maintain effective partnerships with social workers and other professional agencies to ensure that children benefit from the best possible wrap around support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff are supported to complete any training required. 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

Although relevant information is handed over each day, staff have not recorded in detail the support they continue to offer to children during the night in the children’s daily records. This limits the ability to identify patterns of support for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When staff experience challenging times, they are highly resilient. The management team recognises the importance of staff support. Further support mechanisms are put in place following any increase in behaviour that challenge. The manager ensures that there is open communication in the team, allowing all staff to raise concerns with confidence that are addressed seriously. Inspection report children's home: 2744230 4 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 he 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 children's home: 2744230 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being.(Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children have clear and consistent messages about the use of vapes in the home. This includes staff challenging children and removing vapes when they are seen with them, to discourage the use of vapes.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are supported when they are scared of the dentist, and when they are struggling to engage to routinely take prescribed medication. 30 July 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2744230 6 The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s case records contain up-to-date information about the child and the support offered by staff. This supports management of concerns. 30 July 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should use internal monitoring systems to ensure that information in children’s missing from home and risk management documents is up to date and does not contain conflicting information. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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 children's home: 2744230 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

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2744230 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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