Children's Home run by Therapeutic Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2762097 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

One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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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: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2762097 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a stable, secure and nurturing environment. The child has developed positive relationships with staff built on trust. Through this support, the child has developed a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is in good health, and staff actively encourage and support them to attend health appointments. The company’s therapist is having regular discussions with the child to help and support their emotional and mental health. Staff regularly advise the child about key health issues to encourage them to lead a healthy lifestyle.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has a high expectation for the child to have access to education. The child has missed several years of schooling. Staff support the child to engage in both formal and informal learning throughout the school day. The manager has worked with other professionals, and a school has now been identified that can meet the child’s needs. The manager ensured that the child had an opportunity to visit and attend taster lessons before the summer holidays. This has helped to reduce the child’s anxiety. The child is now looking forward to starting full time at their school in September.

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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. The child’s views are always considered. When the child has chosen not to see a parent, staff have ensured that they work with other professionals to maintain the relationship in a way that the child feels they are able to manage. The manager ensures that family members are kept updated each week with the progress the child is making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has access to a range of activities, both in the home and out in the community. The child enjoys music, and staff have arranged for the child to attend a recording studio and have purchased a new guitar for them. The child has recently been on a holiday with staff, which has helped the child to have new experiences and is giving them positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrate the child’s achievements. There are weekly incentives and goals set for the child. The child’s artwork and photos of the child, their family and activities the child takes part in are displayed around the house. This is helping to develop the child’s confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to be involved in their day-to-day care. They are consulted on aspects of their life, including menu choices, improving the environment and activities. Staff support the child to develop age-appropriate life skills by completing daily tasks. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762097 3

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

The child said they feel happy and safe in the home. They said staff listen to them and they would speak to any staff member if there were any concerns. There has been one complaint, and the manager ensured that this was managed appropriately and the child was kept informed during the process.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s needs and vulnerabilities. There are robust risk assessments in place, and these are kept up to date. Staff spend time with the child and educate them on keeping safe. This has contributed to a reduction in significant incidents.

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

Staff regularly keep in contact with the child when the child is out in the community, due to their vulnerabilities. If the child fails to respond, staff actively go and look for them to ensure that they are safe. On occasions when a child has been missing from home, staff work closely with other agencies to secure the child’s well-being and safe return home. However, it is not clear in the missing-from-home procedure when staff should report the child as missing to the police. This does not help in having a consistent approach from staff.

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

Staff have built a positive and trusting relationship with the child. This means that staff can de-escalate incidents quickly. They support the child to identify how staff can help them when their emotions are heightened. Positive rewards outweigh negative consequences, and there have been no incidents of physical intervention.

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

Staff carry out room searches when there is a recognised immediate risk. However, the staff do not always inform the child of the reason the search was necessary.

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

Staff ensure that the home environment is well maintained and decorated to a high standard. It is welcoming and bright, and there are age-appropriate toys and games. All appropriate health and safety checks are carried out, and any shortfalls identified are quickly rectified.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the needs of the child. She is child- centred, enthusiastic and committed and has high aspirations for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is now a core group of staff in place that provides consistency and stability for the child. Staff are child-centred and recognise the positive progress that the child is making. Staff said they feel valued, involved and supported by the manager. There is good teamworking, and staff morale is high.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has carried out a review of the quality of care, and this identifies the home’s strengths and areas of development. However, the review does not include feedback from staff and their experience of working in the home. This prevents the manager from having a full overview of the service provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762097 4 There is an in-depth training programme available, and all staff have completed the appropriate training to meet the needs of the child. New staff receive a thorough induction that provides them with a detailed programme of training and guidance in their role. This means that staff are equipped to provide a high standard of care to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are taking place regularly. The company’s therapist attends the meetings and completes training with the staff around understanding the child’s needs. This gives the staff as a team an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience. One staff member said, ‘We learn together with the invaluable help from our therapist. Her knowledge and ideas fill us with new energy and positivity to make [name of home] a better home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision follows a quite in-depth agenda, covering all appropriate areas. The supervision sessions give staff an opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify learning needs. New staff receive additional sessions as part of their induction. This helps them to develop their knowledge of the role, expectations and responsibilities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762097 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 must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality-of-care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing, and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when completing a quality of care review, staff’s feedback must be taken into consideration and evidenced in the report. 24 September

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Recommendations

 The registered person should clearly specify the procedures for staff to follow when a child goes missing from home and their responsibilities for reporting the child as missing to the police in an appropriate timescale. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  The registered person should ensure that when a room search is carried out, the child is informed of the reason the search was necessary. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.20)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2762097 6 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: 2762097 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: Errigal House, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool FY4 2DP

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2762097 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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