Children's home run by Therapeutic Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2769501 1 Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited

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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 April 2024. 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: 2769501 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home opened in April, two children have moved in and have remained living in the home. Children move into the home in a carefully planned and supported way. The manager considers the children’s needs, alongside the skills and expertise of staff. Children are given an opportunity to visit the home and meet the staff before moving in. This helps them feel relaxed and safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in full-time education and have good levels of attendance. When children are not able to attend school, staff ensure they continue to have structure and routine to their day. Staff support children to continue with their education at home and children engage well with this. As a result, children are making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with doctors, dentists, and opticians. Staff support them to attend all their appointments. Children are encouraged to have a healthy, balanced diet and to remain active through the day. As a result, children experience good health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are involved in making some decisions about their lives. The manager advocates on behalf of the children, to ensure their views are shared with other professionals. However, records do not include valuable input from children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop hobbies and interests. The staff regularly take them out on day trips and to activities and places in the local community, such as skateparks and trampolining. The children are also encouraged to engage in home-based activities such as baking and creative play.

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

The children’s needs are well understood by staff, which means staff know how to keep them safe. Staff have built positive relationships with the children, so that children feel safe to talk to them about worries or concerns. The children are able to identify trusted adults who they can talk to, and they feel listened to.

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

Staff implement clear rules and boundaries to support the children and model acceptable behaviour. The staff provide consistent messages to the children and use positive praise. When consequences are used for unwanted behaviours, these are appropriate and carefully explained to the children. The parenting approach is underpinned by the playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy model (PACE) and building blocks model, as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose.

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

Physical interventions are used, but only when other methods to de-escalate situations have been unsuccessful and children’s safety is compromised. The manager ensures that all incident reports are evaluated. Children and staff are offered an opportunity to Inspection report for children’s home: 2769501 3 discuss the incident afterwards. The manager supports staff effectively to reflect on incidents and provides clear guidance about using alternative methods.

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

There are individual risk assessments specifically for each child that include warning signs and give clear guidance for staff to follow, to help minimise or reduce risk. Risk management plans identify known and potential risks. These are working documents, kept under review, and amended to reflect any emerging risks. These measures help to support children’s safety and welfare.

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

There have not been any missing-from-home incidents since the home was registered. However, there are individual missing-from-home risk management plans and staff understand what steps to take to ensure that they help children to return home safely if they do go missing.

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

The manager ensures that safer recruitment of staff is carried out. Staff are supported through an induction, which is reviewed over a six-month period. This ensures that staff working with the children are able to provide care that meets their needs and keeps them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is effectively and efficiently managed by a permanent, suitably experienced, and qualified registered manager. The staff say that they feel well supported and valued by the manager. They can talk openly and transparently. As a result, the children have relationships with consistent staff who care for them, which promotes stability and security.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the home is warm and welcoming. He has plans for continuing to develop the interior and the outdoor spaces, incorporating children’s views. However, he does not always ensure that maintenance and repairs to damage are addressed in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place to monitor the quality of care being provided to the children. The independent person visits every month. The manager is in the process of completing the six-month review of the quality of care. He has a chronology of any incidents in the home, so he can identify any patterns or areas of concern and address them promptly to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that there is a varied range of training available to staff. Staff are well supported to carry out their roles and they work well together as a team. More experienced staff support new staff to help build their confidence, knowledge, and skills. This means staff have the necessary skills to care for children and keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that there are monthly team meetings, and all staff receive regular supervision. Staff can talk openly about any issues during meetings and know that they will be listened to. However, the manager does not encourage reflective learning in the meetings or in supervisions to help improve practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2769501 4 Most of the staff are employed on a permanent basis. Action is taken promptly to fill any staff vacancies. One member of bank staff, who is considered part of the team because they are familiar with the home, supports when needed. This indicates that the child experiences minimal disruption due to staffing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2769501 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 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(g)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff learning, and development are reflected on in team meetings and supervisions, to consider ways to improve practice. 26 November 2024

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives.

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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

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; 26 November 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2769501 6 help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers and staff must ensure that they continue to develop opportunities to engage children in conversations that enable them to confidently share their views, wishes and feelings.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home environment is nurturing and well maintained, and any damage should be addressed promptly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2769501 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

Sarah Probert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2769501 8 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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