Children's Home run by Therapeutic Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2762093 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 privately owned children’s home provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2023. This is the home’s first inspection since registration.

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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: 2762093 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are settled and are making progress. When children move into the home, they are well supported. The manager ensures that careful consideration is given to children’s needs and that staff have the skills to meet these needs. Children visit the home before moving in and have the opportunity to meet the staff. They are involved throughout, and their views are sought; as a result, they feel safe here.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop hobbies and interests. One child has been supported to return to dance classes and recently took part in a dance show. Children have a variety of activities to choose from, and staff encourage them to try new things. This means children develop their own interests and integrate into local groups and the wider community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to attend and engage in education. One child has full attendance at school, and they are achieving expectations. Where children are not in mainstream school, staff ensure full attendance on reduced timetables. As a result, children are positive about education, they are making good progress and have ambitions for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are involved in choosing resources, furnishings, and the decor in the home. There are weekly meetings for children to share their views about home developments. For example, there are plans to develop a vegetable patch with one child. Bedrooms are decorated to the children’s own tastes. However, staff are not consistent in helping children to clean and tidy their bedrooms. Carpets in heavily used areas are not cleaned regularly and therefore are dirty.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans and risk assessment are clear and regularly reviewed. This ensures that staff understand and can meet children’s changing needs. Progress is regularly monitored. Staff have an excellent understanding of children’s needs. This means children’s needs are well met.

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

Children develop a strong sense of personal safety. As a result, they are able to keep themselves safe. Children have strong relationships with staff and are able to identify staff members whom they can talk to. The safety of children is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice.

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

Risk assessments are robust, child specific and identify the vulnerabilities of the children. The manager and staff have sought advice and guidance from external professionals to meet the children’s needs. Children’s views are included in risk assessments. One child contributed information about a risk in the locality, which has been included in the location risk assessment. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762093 3 The home is effectively and efficiently managed by a permanent, suitably experienced, and qualified registered manager. The manager has high expectations of staff and leads them by example. The team has created a culture of high aspiration for children, with a staff team that delivers effective support and aspires to make a real difference to children’s lives.

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

An independent person visits the home to review the standard and quality of the children’s care. These visits help the manager and staff to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the care provided for children. As a result, they act on any recommendations made by the independent person to secure continuing improvement.

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

Leaders and managers actively and regularly monitor the quality of care provided. This means that gaps in practice or learning can be quickly identified and addressed. However, the manager does not use research-informed practice or external resources to enhance staff skills and knowledge.

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

The home is staffed by a stable and experienced staff team. Bank staff are used, but only if there are any gaps that the permanent staff are unable to cover. The staff team works collaboratively to provide consistency and stability. There are clear responsibilities There have been no allegations since the home was registered. Staff have received safeguarding training, which means that they know how to report suspected abuse. Staff have a good understanding of the specific needs and vulnerabilities of children and take action to protect them from harm.

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

Children are provided with the home’s young person’s guide when they move into the home. This includes information about making a complaint. Children can explain what to do if they want to make a complaint and how complaints are managed. There have been no complaints since the home was registered.

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

There have been no missing-from-home incidents. However, there is a missing-from- home policy, which provides the minimum standard for children living in the home. Each child also has an individualised missing-from-home risk assessment, which provides clear, detailed expectations of staff to prevent children from going missing. Staff can explain what actions they need to take for each child if they do go missing.

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

The manager and staff have organised for the children to go on holiday abroad. This will be the first time the children have been out of the country. The holiday has been carefully planned, taking into account the children’s views. There are planned sessions being undertaken with the children so that they fully understand what will happen at each stage of the holiday. The manager and staff have considered the risks and developed a risk assessment pack for staff to take with them. A daily itinerary has been created so the children will know what to expect each day to help promote an enjoyable and safe holiday.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children’s home: 2762093 4 and accountabilities, and the staff team has a sense of shared ownership about its practice. Staff say that they are well led and managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an extensive inhouse training programme, and all staff ensure that they keep up to date with their training. Training can be tailored specifically to meet children’s needs. For example, the staff recently attended sensory training and are able to describe how this has helped them better understand and support a child with sensory needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762093 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff have access to a range of resources to support their professional development, including external agencies and research to begin embedding staff learning and development. Staff should be provided opportunities to have reflective discussions to develop their learning and the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should make sure children’s bedrooms are welcoming environments on a daily basis and that carpets in heavily used areas are kept clean. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: 2762093 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: Therapeutic Care, Errigal House, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool FY4 2DP

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Inspector

Sarah Probert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2762093 7 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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Inspector

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