Children's Home run by Therapeutic Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 1 Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited 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 offers care for up to two children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 13 May 2024 to carry out an assurance inspection. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has gone through a period of significant change since it opened. Two children who were previously living at the home have moved out and there has been a change of manager. This has meant that planning for children moving into the home has improved because of learning and reflection. The new manager has sought the advice and support of the company’s clinical team to help the staff understand children’s needs. As a result, children’s needs are being met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who are new to the home are always welcomed sensitively and with the best possible planning. There is a robust referral process, which is used to assess the needs of children who already live at the home and the effect on children who are new to the home. This ensures that there is a child-centred approach when making decisions about whether children should live together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with the staff who care for them, which are built on trust and nurture. Staff are committed and child centred. They are proud of children’s achievements and the progress they have made in the short time they have been at the home. One professional said:

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

‘[Name of manager] and his team are doing brilliant work supporting [name of child], they are meeting all their needs and allowing them to reach their potential. The child is a completely different person from when they arrived three months ago.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend all routine health appointments. Staff work with other professionals to meet children’s health needs. Staff are supported by the company’s therapist, who offers advice and training for staff so that they can meet children’s emotional needs. However, the manager has not ensured that there is an up-to-date health assessment plan for one child. This means that the plans in place do not provide the manager and staff with all the relevant and up-to-date information about the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff place great value on education and promote the importance of learning. The manager ensured that a child received both formal and informal learning opportunities during the school day until a more suitable school was identified. The child is now more confident and is regularly attending their new school. The child now talks positively about their future and completing GCSEs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff work with other professionals and have clear plans in place to ensure that they have regular time with their families and maintain good communication. This provides children with a support network where they feel safe to maintain relationships with people who matter most to them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 3 Children’s achievements are celebrated by staff. There are photos around the home of children involved in positive activities. Staff have created a memory book for children, which highlights their achievements each month. This is a colourful book that is full of photos and positive comments. This enables the children to have a record of their positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access a range of activities inside and outside the home. Activities include boxing, going to the gym, trips to the Lake District, trampolining, running and bike riding. One child, who is new to the home, has had limited experiences of taking part in activities before moving into the home. Staff are giving the child opportunities to try new things, which is helping to develop the child’s self-esteem and confidence.

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

Children said that they feel safe in the home. One child said, ‘I am happy at the home, I feel safe, this is not a children’s home, but a proper home.’ Children have built trusting relationships with staff and there have been no complaints.

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

Staff ensure that children are listened to and can discuss any worries or concerns they have. Children are supported in having a say in their day-to-day care. Through weekly meetings, they make choices about activities and meals. The manager also gets monthly feedback on how children feel about living at the home and to identify any areas that can be improved. Therefore, children feel that staff listen to them and that their opinions are valued.

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

Children’s individual risks are detailed in their risk assessments. These are robust documents that are frequently updated and give clear guidelines to staff to ensure that there is a consistent response to children’s behaviours. Staff understand these documents and put them into practice.

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

Significant incidents are professionally managed. Staff act appropriately to ensure that children’s safety is paramount. The manager ensures that all relevant professionals are informed.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s specific needs and vulnerabilities. They take appropriate action to address these. Staff promote positive behaviour effectively. As a result, children do not go missing, and the use of physical intervention techniques is not needed.

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

Children benefit from living in a spacious and welcoming home with a relaxed atmosphere. The physical environment is maintained to a high standard, and it meets the needs of the children. It feels and looks like a family home. The manager has ensured that all health and safety checks have been carried out. This ensures that the home is safe for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 4 The manager follows safer recruitment processes and carries out all relevant checks. This ensures that children are cared for by adults who are suitable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is enthusiastic, child centred and has high aspirations for children living at the home. He has recently registered with Ofsted and is working towards his qualification. He has effective monitoring systems in place, which helps him to evaluate the strengths and developmental areas of the service and take swift action to address any shortfalls as they arise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and committed staff team that shares the same aspirations for children as the manager. Staff said that they feel supported by the new manager and have seen positive improvements made in the level of support and guidance that they receive. There is a strong ethos of teamwork. Staff said that there is honest communication and there is a sense of shared ownership in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a comprehensive training programme available to staff. They have all received a range of training to meet children’s individual needs. The staff said that they value the training as it gives them the knowledge and skills they need to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions are taking place in the appropriate time scales. Staff are given the opportunity to reflect on their practice and identify any further areas to improve. Experienced staff are given the training so that they can take on some of the supervision responsibilities, which is helping them to develop their own practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend team meetings regularly. This is a forum for them to share their knowledge and experiences. This ensures that there is consistency in meeting children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed strong working relationships with professionals and there is clear communication and multi-agency working. The manager sends out weekly reports and attends meetings to ensure that they are all working together to meet children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person visits the home each month and gathers feedback from the children and professionals. However, the manager has not supported them to obtain feedback from the child’s parents. This has meant that parents are not given an opportunity to have a say on the quality of care provided. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 5

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Statutory requirement

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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have a copy of the child’s most up-to-date health assessment plan. 14 October 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person offers children’s parents the opportunity to speak to them about the quality of care provided in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.8)

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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: 2744719 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jacqueline Titterington

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 7 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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