Children's home run by Lancashire County Council – Children’s services

Inspection report for children’s home: 2702602 1 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A local authority operates this home under short-break arrangements. It provides care for up to four children with learning and/or physical disabilities, including sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024. The manager was on a scheduled leave of absence at the time of the inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2702602 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/05/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2702602 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children enjoy staying in an environment that is safe and homely. There are photos of the children and artwork they have created displayed around the home. This gives children a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are introduced to the short-break service at a pace that is right for them and their families. Staff spend time getting to know the children during their visits to the home before their first overnight stay. One family member said, ‘During the introductory visits, she has absolutely enjoyed it and said bye to me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff who know them well. Staff support children in learning new skills that help them become more independent, such as how to dress and bathe themselves. Staff have supported one child in transitioning from a secure sleeping area to a regular bed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s personalities and needs are carefully considered by leaders and managers when visits are being planned. Time is taken to ensure that children can form friendships with other children staying in the home. One family member said, ‘It helps with her social skills, as she is meeting other people.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are aware of each child’s unique communication style and use child-friendly aids to facilitate conversation. This enables children to choose activities and meals, as well as communicate their emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive consistent care from a highly skilled and committed staff team. Children look forward to attending the home, which is evident in their behaviour and feedback from family members and professionals. One family member said, ‘I have to hide his suitcase, as he tries to find it before school and wants to go.’

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

Children who stay at the home have various health needs. These are clearly understood and managed effectively. Children have comprehensive risk management plans and personalised behaviour support plans that clearly identify known risks and vulnerabilities. The plans ensure that staff are consistent in their approaches and that risks are minimised.

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

Medication is safely stored, and the process for bringing it into and out of the home is robust. The administration of medication is reviewed by managers to ensure safe practice. Staff receive specialist training to support the children’s complex health needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2702602 4 Children are happy and safe at the home. Parents believe their children are well cared for, and staff take time to ensure that parents feel supported as well. One family member said, ‘It’s been life-changing for our family.’

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

Children benefit from a nurturing and structured environment where positive behaviour is actively promoted. Positive recognition and praise outweigh negative consequences. There have been no incidents of children going missing from home. Staff are aware of the actions to take should a child go missing, and there are clear policies in place to support this.

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

Staff only use physical intervention as a last resort to keep children safe after all de- escalation and distraction methods have been explored. However, following physical intervention, debriefs are not consistently carried out. This is a missed opportunity to fully understand the incident and any further support required.

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

Complaints have been investigated and responded to. One complaint has been investigated; however, safeguarding concerns have not been escalated to ensure that a full and thorough investigation was carried out. On one occasion, the provider did not notify Ofsted in line with regulation when a serious incident occurred.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed, which means that staff are recruited safely. Safer recruitment checks ensure that only suitable staff are employed to work with children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

At the time of this inspection, the registered manager was on maternity leave. The home's two assistant managers and a manager from another home provide management oversight during the manager's absence. One member of staff said, ‘Managers are always there.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff work hard on building trusting relationships with families so that they feel confident when leaving their children to stay at the home. One family member said, ‘Staff spoke to me at night to put my mind at rest.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is staffed by a suitably qualified staff team. Managers and staff receive a range of training on topics including creative play, autism awareness, epilepsy awareness, trauma-informed practice, Makaton, and medication training. Training has also included a family member delivering bespoke training to staff around their child’s communication aid. This ensures that staff have the knowledge and skills to support children’s individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive support through supervision and team meetings. Staff supervision recordings are inconsistent in quality and are not always reflective. This is a missed opportunity for staff to reflect on their practice and consider development opportunities. Inspection report for children’s home: 2702602 5 Staff receive annual appraisals. However, appraisals do not consider children’s views or the views of professionals working alongside the member of staff. This is a missed opportunity for staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. Internal and external monitoring of the home is effective. However, by consulting relevant individuals and exploring local opportunities, the review of the premises could be enhanced further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have not always ensured that the statement of purpose has been sent to Ofsted in a timely manner when amendments have been made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2702602 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and understanding to support children to keep themselves safe. Additionally, the registered person should ensure that staff understand when and how to escalate concerns. 25 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline, or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; 25 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2702602 7 the date, time, and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used, or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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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 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that debriefs are carried out with children and staff following the use of physical intervention.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child- 25 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2702602 8 is instigated; or

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that Ofsted is notified if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home that they consider to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 25 April 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff appraisals include the views of other professionals who have worked with staff over the year, and the views of children who have been cared for at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should ensure that the recording of supervision sessions is unique to each individual and discussion. These recordings should also be of consistently high quality. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.4)  The registered person should ensure that they review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home. When carrying out the review, the registered person must consult and consider the views of each relevant person. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 64,

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Recommendations

paragraph 15.1) Inspection report for children’s home: 2702602 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: 2702602 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspector

Stacey Ilaboya, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2702602 11 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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