Children's Home run by Lonsdale Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1183605 1 Registered provider: Lonsdale 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 and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in February 2016, and the manager registered in May 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Four 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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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1183605 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2024 Full Outstanding 21/02/2023 Full Outstanding 02/11/2021 Full Outstanding 05/02/2020 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1183605 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children have all lived at the home since before the last inspection, and are making exceptional and sustained progress in all areas of their lives. Children say that they are safe and loved. They are cared for by highly motivated and committed staff, who are dedicated to supporting the children to reach their full potential. The exceedingly nurturing care provided by the team creates a strong sense of security and enables the children to thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are passionate and devoted in the way that they support children to do well. They place a strong focus on education, recognising the positive impact this can have on children’s future life opportunities. Staff have consistently shown over a long period of time that even in very difficult circumstances they never give up on children. The progress children make, considering their starting points, is remarkable. One child helps to coach a local women’s football team and attends regular football games, including a recent trip to London to see their team play.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children have exceptionally positive experiences in the home. Transitions are managed competently and sensitively, and this helps children to settle in and feel welcomed. Children who have moved on keep in regular contact with the home. They continue to seek advice and guidance from the team. This has helped one child to develop their own independence from a secure base.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are given the opportunity to safely develop their independence skills ready for moving on in their lives. One child is able to develop their independence by living in a self-contained annex. This has helped them to learn to budget, cook and manage the day-to-day chores of their own home. Two children are due to move out to semi- independence as a result of the support offered by the staff. One child said that they will ‘never find a family as good as this one’. Another child said that the staff are great and that they support all the children with their ‘grown-up-hood’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from receiving well-planned, highly individualised care that meets their needs effectively. Staff address the issues experienced by children, by helping them to work through their problems and fears, and any anxieties. Staff stand by children and they do not give up on them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children benefit from living in a comfortable, spacious and well-maintained home. They help to choose soft furnishings and decoration. Children have lovely bedrooms that they decorate to their taste. Children are central to the decisions made about their home, which gives them a sense of pride in where they live, it is rare for children to cause damage to their home.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1183605 4 A strong safeguarding culture underpins practice in the home. Consequently, children say that they feel safe. Children have very detailed safe care plans that are updated on a regular basis. These set out the known behaviours of the children and provide staff with the guidance to effectively support the children.

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

The response of staff and managers to significant and concerning incidents is excellent, with the primary concern always being the safety and well-being of children. Following such incidents, managers undertake detailed debriefs with staff and children to understand the underlying causes.

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

Children rarely go missing from home. However, when they do, they are met with a consistent approach from staff. Staff actively look for children and work closely with the police to locate children quickly and secure their safe return home. Children become increasingly safe because of the actions that staff take to support and protect them. Record-keeping of missing-from-home incidents is excellent. This helps to give a clear picture of the lead up to and post-incident needs of the child.

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

Staff proactively support children to take age-appropriate risks. Children are helped to understand their behaviours, and direct-work sessions instil clear boundaries and opportunities for children to explore their feelings safely. Children complete key-work sessions to support them to understand the risks they may face, how their actions may impact on others and any consequences they may need to consider. This helps to develop children’s skills and experiences.

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

Safer recruitment checks are completed for all new employees. This ensures that the staff employed at the home are safe to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a highly experienced and dedicated leadership team. The registered manager has recently been awarded a national manager of the year award. The manager is extremely well motivated and ambitious and has high aspirations for the children. This includes offering his own knowledge, life experience and expertise across the national children’s home industry. One social worker said that he wishes that all the children he supports could live at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff say that they are supported by both the manager and deputy manager to fulfil their roles. They say that they are listened to and can contribute to the running of the home. Staff receive high levels of supervision and appraisal that takes into account wider professional feedback. This helps to raise the confidence of the staff and ensures that the home is constantly thriving to improve the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Children are consistently supported by an experienced, skilled and stable staff team. The managers have high expectations of their staff and inspire them to feel empowered and fully utilise their individual expertise. Staff commented about how much they love and enjoy working in the home and how they are encouraged to take on additional Inspection report for children’s home: 1183605 5 responsibility to help to ensure that the home runs efficiently and effectively. One member of staff said that coming to work ‘was a pleasure’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The review of the quality of care is evaluative, focuses on key issues and provides direction for the staff. The manager seeks to identify patterns and trends by analysing information appropriately. This helps leaders and managers to understand the strengths and areas for development of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 1183605 6

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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: 1183605 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lonsdale Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 20 Brookhouse Road, Caton, Lancaster LA2 9QT

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Inspector

James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1183605 8 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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