Children's home run by Cherish Children’s Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2793176 1 Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 4 September 2024.

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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: 2793176 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children contribute to decisions about their care. They regularly meet with staff and express their views on the home and activities they want to take part in. One child said that staff listen to their requests and usually fulfil them. However, staff sometimes fail to share the reasons for denying children’s requests when they are not in their best interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s relationships with significant people in their lives. Family members are supported to visit children in the home, and staff plan activities in the community to ensure that children’s time spent with their family is enjoyable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with essential health services and are supported by staff to access medical treatment when they are unwell. However, for one child, who has sleeping difficulties, leaders and managers have not supported them to introduce changes to their lifestyle that are known to promote better sleep. For example, the child has access to Wi-Fi during the night, which is used to access their mobile phone and games console.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s academic needs and barriers to learning are well known by staff. Children are supported to attend education provisions that meet their needs. However, when they do not attend, there is not an alternative education plan for them to follow at home to promote their learning and education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a homely environment that is decorated to a good standard. Children can personalise their bedrooms to reflect their interests. One child’s bedroom was messy at the time of the inspection. This issue was discussed with the manager, who was able to demonstrate that children are encouraged to keep their bedrooms tidy through an incentive and reward system.

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

Professionals are confident that the staff can keep children safe. Discussions with staff demonstrate that they understand children’s vulnerabilities and the measures they should use to protect them from harm.

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

Safeguarding incidents are rare. However, when incidents occur, children have comprehensive safety plans for staff to follow. Plans include chronologies of significant events, which supports staff to understand children’s changing risks and how these can be managed.

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

Records show that safer recruitment practice is not always followed. For example, a reference for one candidate has been missed. For another candidate, leaders and managers failed to verify why their previous employment caring for children ended. Inspection report for children’s home: 2793176 3 There is an inconsistent approach to addressing concerning behaviour displayed by children. Staff do not always speak to children about risk-taking behaviour to protect them from harm. For example, there is no evidence that discussions have taken place with children after they have refused to participate in the fire evacuation procedure.

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

Restraint practice is used when there are concerns about children’s welfare and de- escalation techniques have been ineffective. Incidents are reviewed by a manager, and staff debriefs routinely take place. However, leaders and managers do not have a clear recording system that documents when children are offered a debrief and with whom. This does not assure the regulator that children are provided with an opportunity to express their views about being held.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is ambitious for children to meet their full potential and live in an environment that meets their needs. She is supported by a team of staff who share her vision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a supportive management team that is visible and focused on staff’s welfare and progression. Staff receive practice-related supervision and have access to a comprehensive training programme that develops their skills and knowledge to ensure that they can provide effective care to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Multi-agency working is good. The staff team has established positive relationships with partners. Staff regularly consult social workers about children’s progress and emerging concerns. There is a collective view from professionals that the manager and her team are effective advocates for children. One professional commended the manager’s commitment to one child’s education.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held routinely. The manager uses these to discuss expectations around staff practice and conduct and the quality of care children should receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good management oversight of the day-to-day running of the home. Incidents are reviewed to ensure that actions taken are appropriate and beneficial to the children. Debriefs with staff routinely take place to encourage learning and reflection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2793176 4

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that there is an education plan for children to follow when they are not in school.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, leaders, managers and staff must ensure that children are actively encouraged to participate in the home’s education plan. This includes ensuring that children are not allowed to remain in bed during the day. 9 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and 9 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2793176 5 children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that they put measures in place to support children to make lifestyle changes to promote their health and well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; 9 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2793176 6 communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that children take part in direct work that teaches them about the risks associated with behaviour such as misusing substances, refusing to partake in fire evacuations, and inhaling helium.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; 9 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2793176 7 the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that where candidates have previously worked with vulnerable people, attempts are made to verify why their employment ended.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, leaders and managers must ensure that they receive references for candidates in accordance with regulations.

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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 (c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that they record when children are offered a debrief to discuss the restraint, who offered this, and the child’s response to this offer. 9 April 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that it is explained to children why their wishes cannot be fulfilled when they are not in their best interests. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.9)

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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: 2793176 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8, Skyways Commercial Campus, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool FY4 3RS

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Inspector

Chibuzo Otache, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2793176 9 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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