Children's Home run by Exceptional Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 1 Registered provider: Exceptional Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately operated and provides care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. All of the children were spoken too

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

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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: 20 December 2023

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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: 2644925 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/12/2023 Full Good 27/09/2023 Full Inadequate 20/07/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and two children have moved on successfully. Both children left in a planned and supported way. One child moved onto semi-independence and the other child moved to be closer to their family and home area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make measurable progress in many areas of their life. Staff provide children with a supportive, caring and nurturing environment. Staff ensure that children benefit from well-tailored plans that address their specific needs effectively and contribute to improvement in their lives. A child said, ‘The staff are good. They have very different personalities.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their families and loved ones. They ensure that children maintain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to try new activities and promote their interests and hobbies. A child said, ‘Staff are very active and always want us to get involved in activities. I went to Wales, York and the Lake District.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children’s independence and promote their practical skills in shopping, cooking and budgeting. As a result, children develop important life skills that help prepare them for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to overcome any barriers to their education and learning. They work in close partnership with educational professionals to help children attend school regularly. However, one of three children is currently without any formal education, so staff are helping them by completing schoolwork at the home. A social worker said, ‘There are issues with his education and applications have been made for a school. He has been doing some schoolwork with the staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a physical safe, comfortable and homely living environment. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, nicely decorated and furnished. Any repairs needed within the home are carried out promptly. This ensures that a safe and hazard free environment is maintained for children.

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

Staff prioritise the safety and well-being of children effectively. There is a zero tolerance towards bullying and all other forms of unacceptable behaviour. Staff maintain consistent rules and boundaries to promote the children’s safety and to encourage positive behaviour. Staff have a good understanding of each child’s needs and specific vulnerabilities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 4 There have been some instances of unacceptable and unsettled behaviours. This is addressed through staff’s reflective conversations with children. Staff support children to live together safely and help them manage and navigate their relationships with each other.

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

Detailed plans provide staff with effective and clear strategies for managing incidents and behaviours safely. Staff are trained to handle support children to regulate their emotions effectively. The use of restraint is only ever used to protect children from harm.

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

Staff are trained in de-escalation and therapeutic parenting. They are persistent in their efforts to provide children with stability and security in their lives. A child said, ‘Staff have helped me massively and helped me emotionally.’

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

Children know how to make a complaint and their complaints are always treated seriously. Staff are trained in child protection and are professionally curious and alert to the risk of harm.

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

Significant incidents are reported to the relevant authorities to ensure that children are protected from harm. Staff maintain strong partnerships with the police and other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from a home that is managed efficiently and effectively. The home is run by a skilled and experienced manager who demonstrates strong and capable leadership of the operations of the home. The manager has been in post since July 2024 and registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for children and an influential and important presence in the children’s lives. A child said, ‘The manager genuinely thinks he is our dad. He calls us his kids. I think that it’s nice that he looks after us in that way.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that children benefit from consistent care from the same members of staff. This ensures that children experience stability and consistency in their lives and promotes their sense of permanence and belonging.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from good support and have regular team meetings. They also receive regular practice related supervision sessions. Staff benefit from a well-structured program of relevant training to develop their knowledge and skills in caring for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent person visits the home once a month to help the manager and staff understand the strengths and weaknesses of the care provided to children. This enables staff and the manager to tackle any identified shortfalls to secure improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 5 The manager and staff collaborate effectively with all partner agencies to meet the children’s specific needs. The manager has met and addressed the requirement and recommendation from the last inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 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(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

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

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; and

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered manager must work closely with one child’s placing authority so that the child is supported to resume formal education as soon as possible. 21 April 2025

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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: 2644925 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Exceptional Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Exceptional Care Ltd, Malthouse Business Centre, 48 Southport Road, Ormskirk L39 1QR

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Inspector

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 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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