Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC039683 1 SC039683 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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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 local authority and is registered to provide care for up to six children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were six children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 12 December 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC039683 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/09/2022 Full Good 05/05/2021 Full Good 10/02/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC039683 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences in this home are not always positive. One of the children said that they have experienced racism and bullying from the other children. Staff have started to address this through working with those concerned. However, staff have not yet been able to help children to develop an understanding of other cultures and respecting diversity and difference.

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improvement to be good

Staff have worked hard to make the home feel comfortable and homely. Children have individualised their bedrooms. However, in the kitchen, appliances are worn, and cupboard doors are missing. The kitchen area is not suitable for the children’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Children’s educational progress has improved. All children now have educational placements, and staff are supportive in helping them attend school. Children are enabled to learn and access education in line with their individual needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide a variety of activities for children, including trips out, a summer holiday, involvement in local football training and other recreational activities in the community. This promotes children’s socialisation and areas of interest.

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improvement to be good

Children take part in programmes to support them to learn to live independently. They learn skills such as cooking and managing a budget, which will help them manage living independently when they become ready to leave the children’s home.

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improvement to be good

There are occasions when children are placed in an emergency. When this happens, decisions do not always take into consideration the diverse and complex needs of either the children being admitted or those living at the home. Children are placed alongside others with competing needs. This means that their risk increases.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, the recording of incidents is inconsistent. Staff do not always describe what children are wearing and what steps they have taken to try and find them. This means it might be more difficult for partner agencies to identify and find the children.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are thorough and updated regularly. Staff know the children well and their individual vulnerabilities and risks. They recognise the signs of risk of harm and know what they must do to protect the child.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment ensures that only staff who have been thoroughly vetted care for children. This protects children from potentially unsafe adults. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039683 4 All health and safety measures are in place. The home has a detailed and useful location risk assessment. This is a helpful guide for staff to understand the risks to children in the area.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager escalates any concerns to children’s placing authorities. However, this is not always effective and has had a limited impact on care planning for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are not always sufficient staff to meet the complex needs of children. Staff say that they do not have enough staff to meet children’s needs and that children become bored. This can lead to staff being unable to manage children’s behaviours and is a negative experience for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some staff do not always have the skills to meet children’s needs. On occasion, this has led to increased risk for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is experienced, child centred and knows the children very well. He has developed a monthly audit that has been helpful in monitoring staff practice to help ensure that children’s needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff supervision is regular, and the quality of supervision is much improved. Staff have ample opportunity to reflect on their work with the children. Staff have monthly team meetings where they can discuss how to consistently meet the children’s needs as a group. Staff say that they feel supported. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039683 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 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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;

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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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when children are missing from the home, records need to be consistent and include a description of what the child is wearing and any attempts to contact and locate children and return them safely to the home. 3 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 3 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039683 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff support children to understand the impact of behaviours on themselves and other children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that any incidents of bullying, racism or homophobia are followed up with consistent and targeted direct work. Inspection report for children’s home: SC039683 7 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 1(a)(b) (2)(a)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are sufficient staffing levels in the home to meet the complex needs of all children. 3 September 2024

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff— 3 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC039683 8 provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the home environment is homely and clean, that the home’s kitchen area is fit for purpose and that the appliances are safe and hygienic and replaced when necessary.

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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: SC039683 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspectors

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Angeline Clarke, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC039683 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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