Children's Home run by Hopscotch Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1277497 1 Registered provider: Hopscotch 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 operated home provides care for up to four children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in June 2018, and the manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were 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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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: 23 January 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1277497 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/01/2024 Full Good 08/06/2022 Full Good 08/03/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1277497 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well by managers and staff, who hold them in high regard. Children have positive relationships with the staff who care for them, built on trust and affection. The managers and staff have created a safe environment where children feel listened to and can express their wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with their families and friends. Staff maintain good communication with children’s families. This provides children with a support network in which they feel safe to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. One family member said, ‘The staff are brilliant and keep me updated.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a range of activities, both inside and outside the home. Activities include arts and crafts, baking, hair and makeup, creative play, riding bikes and going for drives in the car. This supports children to pursue their hobbies and interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to become more independent and develop new skills, depending on their age and understanding. Staff support children to complete tasks around the house, including tidying their bedrooms, doing laundry and cooking meals, which helps to promote their independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is promoted, and they have improved attainment and attendance. There is improved information-sharing between the staff and children’s education providers. One social worker said, ‘Communication has 100% improved between the home and school.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are in good health, and staff actively encourage and support children to attend health appointments. All children’s healthcare needs are detailed in their plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a relaxed atmosphere in the home. Children and staff eat their meals together around the dining table. The children’s bedrooms are personalised and have plenty of storage space for their personal belongings.

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

Staff understand children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Children’s risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated. Staff talk to children regularly about any safeguarding concerns and risky behaviours, which helps children understand how to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff follow the agreed procedures when children go missing from home. They look for the children in the local area and the places that they may go to and try to Inspection report for children’s home: 1277497 4 contact the children. They report missing-from-home incidents to the police. Staff make detailed records of the steps that they take to help children return home safely. This enables the manager to maintain oversight of practice and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken to safeguard the children.

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

There have been occasions when physical intervention was necessary. The manager evaluates physical interventions, ensuring that they are proportionate, and there is reflection with staff and children following incidents.

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

There is good multi-agency working. The manager and staff work closely with professionals to ensure that the children receive appropriate support.

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

Positive recognition and praise outweigh negative consequences. However, the effectiveness of consequences is not recorded. This means that there are missed opportunities to understand any lessons learned.

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

There is a robust process in place to ensure that the people who work with children are checked and vetted before working in the home. New staff undertake a structured induction and benefit from ongoing training related to their role. The safer recruitment process means that those who are employed are assessed as suitable to work with children. One member of staff said, ‘When I started, I was given the correct induction training and felt very supported.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is working towards gaining a relevant leadership and management qualification. The managers and staff speak about the children with warmth and enthusiasm. They advocate well for the children in all aspects of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel supported by the managers. Staff members have regular supervision. This provides opportunities for them to reflect on and develop their practice and ways to support the children. One member of staff said, ‘Supervision makes me feel very supported.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with regular training, which includes identified areas of training to help them meet the specific needs of the children in their care. Training topics include first aid, fire safety awareness, safeguarding, medication, sexualised behaviours, and autism. This ensures that staff have the skills to support children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers have good oversight of children’s progress and any changes needed to their plans. Management oversight and monitoring of the home are effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend team meetings, both face to face and virtually. However, the quality of the discussions is not always consistent. This means that staff are not always supported to develop their skills and knowledge effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277497 5 When serious incidents occur, the provider does not always notify Ofsted in line with regulation. This compromises the regulator’s oversight of the setting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the home, in line with their statement of purpose. However, the statement of purpose does not include all the required information. Inspection report for children’s home: 1277497 6

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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 notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when a serious incident occurs, a notification is made to Ofsted. 27 September

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline, or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; 27 September Inspection report for children’s home: 1277497 7 the date, time, and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used, or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is a detailed record of any consequences, which also includes information about the effectiveness of the consequence.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person is required to develop and keep under review a statement of purpose to include all elements of regulation 16 and schedule 1. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 14, paragraph 3.5) Inspection report for children’s home: 1277497 8

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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: 1277497 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hopscotch Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 19 Lancaster Road, Carnforth, Lancashire LA5 9LD

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Inspector

Stacey Ilaboya, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1277497 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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