Children's Home run by Lifetime Opportunities Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC063103 1 SC063103 Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities 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. It provides care for up to five children. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in the home may have learning difficulties, autism spectrum disorder and may display unwanted behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2024, however, is not currently in the home to operate the day-to-day management. In her absence there is an interim manager who hasn’t applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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 requires improvement to be 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC063103 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2024 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Good 21/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 30/06/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC063103 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children continue to live in the home, one child has left since the last inspection. Children are cared for by a stable, skilled, and experienced staff team. The manager and placing authorities work together to ensure that children have their wishes considered to identify the best support for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a spacious and warm environment where they can decorate and personalise their bedrooms. Their artwork is displayed throughout the home, creating a sense of belonging. Staff support children by incorporating their sensory needs into daily care. However, the presence of locks on doors leading to communal areas means children do not always experience a child-centred, homely environment as would be expected in a family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are dedicated to promoting children’s independence by focusing on self-care and healthy snack preparation. Children’s goals are incorporated into their individual plans and as a result the children make significant progress. Regular reviews of children’s objectives are followed by celebrations which involve others involved in the children’s. This boosts children’s self-esteem and independence, fostering a positive and nurturing environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to spend time with people who are important to them. The manager advocates for children and supports increased time spent with their loved ones. In addition, staff support children to spend time with friends when it is appropriate to do so. This ensures that children build and maintain important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from imaginative, sensory based activities. Staff are resourceful and creative. They actively seek opportunities for children to engage in childhood activities, such as dance groups, after school clubs, and travel to promote their confidence using public transport. Consequently, children who previously found trips of this nature challenging are having their experiences enhanced.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are photos on display around the home which show children engaged in different experiences. Children also have memory books that capture memories from when they moved to the home until the time they leave. This helps to provide children with life story memories from their time living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children use various communication methods to share their views and wishes. Staff allow the children time to convey their needs and actively listen to the children before responding. This creates a home where children are central to their own care. They share their voice and staff respond accordingly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are engaged in full-time education and they are all making progress. The staff and managers work very closely with education colleagues. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063103 4

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

Children’s care records, plans and assessments are written in a way that brings children to life for those reading them. The quality of these records enhances staff’s understanding of children’s needs and the care that they provide to children.

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

Staff work collaboratively with other professionals, parents and family members to understand children’s complex needs. Managers and staff are strong advocates for children. Staff communicate well with relevant professionals to provide an all-round approach to children’s care.

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

Children are supported by staff who know them well. Staff respond well to any behaviours that challenge and are committed to finding different and innovative ways to manage situations that children may find difficult to cope with. This approach reduces children’s anxieties and helps to minimise incidents.

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

Staff ratios are carefully managed to ensure that children who require constant supervision always have this. However, the use of an alarm on one child’s bedroom door and locks on the internal doors in the home have not been robustly assessed. Therefore it is unclear why alarms are in use and intruding on children’s right to privacy and preventing children from having access to all areas of the home.

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

Staff only hold children as a last resort to keep everyone safe. Staff have received appropriate training and discuss the incident with the child afterward, trying to understand the reasons for the behaviour to prevent reoccurrence.

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

Staff understand the importance of meeting children’s health needs. There is a well- managed system for administering and recording medications in a safe and controlled way.

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

Staff complete a broad range of good-quality training in safeguarding matters. There is good communication with safeguarding partners in the local authority. Managers are aware of the additional safeguarding vulnerabilities for disabled children and what those inherent risk factors may look like. Staff understand the importance of an open safeguarding culture and as a result know how to recognise, report and act on any safeguarding concerns that they may have.

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

The registered manager is not currently in day-to-day management. In her absence there is an interim manager who is experienced and well-supported by her staff team. Managers are ambitious for the children in their care and have become powerful advocates for disabled children.

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

The manager is very committed to the children and staff, and she is very well supported by a stable consistent staff team. They work well together and have a shared vision for Inspection report for children’s home: SC063103 5 the home and how they intend to provide the best care for the children. They have created a culture of high expectations. As a result, children thrive in this nurturing environment.

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

Although monitoring of the quality of care does take place, a six-monthly report about the quality of care was not provided to Ofsted as required. In addition, the subsequent report did not include the views of stakeholders. This prevents the regulator from having oversight of the day-to-day care arrangements or how the home has been maintained or improved moving forward.

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

The monitoring of the home is supplemented by the independent visitor. This monitoring takes place regularly but does not routinely engage professionals or parents in feedback. This means that there are missed opportunities to explore and challenge the experiences of children in the home.

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

The home’s statement of purpose has been completed by the interim manager, however, has not been sent to Ofsted within the expected timescale.

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

Leaders and managers promptly addressed a concern raised by a local authority regarding a child in their care. They followed safeguarding procedures, worked with the local authority designated officer, and ensured the child’s safety. All serious incidents are reported to Ofsted, allowing the regulator to assess the event and the response from leaders and managers.

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

Team meetings are a valuable forum for learning; however, they have not been held regularly, which is not in line with the provider’s procedures. The manager is proactive in challenging and addressing staff practice, encouraging reflection and continuous improvement. However, staff have not received regular, reflective supervision or a formal review of their practice to support their professional growth, limiting opportunities for in- depth discussions. This does not align with the provider’s policy.

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

Children are cared for by a committed and enthusiastic staff team. Staff are either suitably qualified or enrolled on the relevant training. Staff receive ongoing mandatory training and have also received training to meet the children’s specific needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC063103 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises;

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Requirement Due date

and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that the locks on the internal communal doors are removed. And must ensure locks are only used for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that bedroom door alarms on children’s bedrooms are not used unless carefully assessed alongside any specific safeguarding risks and regularly reviewed. 20 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)) 20 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC063103 7 Leaders and managers must ensure that all staff are supervised regularly, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children in their care.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff have individual appraisals once per year. This appraisal should consider, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. (Regulation 16 (1))

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Requirement Due date

This is in relation to the manager ensuring that the statement of purpose is sent to the regulator when changes in staffing occur. 20 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

An independent person has visited the home each month since it registered. However, the reports contain some factual inaccuracies, and limited feedback has been sought. This reduces the oversight of the regulator. 20 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 20 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC063103 8 Leaders and managers must ensure there is a quality-of-care review that focuses on the care provided to children, the experiences of children living in the home and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. This review should be completed every six months and shared with the regulator.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that good employment practice is maintained. This means that team meetings should take place regularly to share information effectively. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: SC063103 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3AT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Shona Wands Alderson

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Inspector

Jennifer Quest, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC063103 10 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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