Children's Home run by Cherish Children’s Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 1 Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home that provides care for up to three children who may have a range of social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager is suitably experienced and working towards the relevant qualification. He registered when the home became operational in June 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke with all the children.

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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: 29 October 2024

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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: 2689544 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2024 Full Good 20/06/2023 Full Good 13/12/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/09/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they are happy living in the home. Staff ensure that children are supported to develop positive and trusting relationships with staff and with each other. Staff provide consistent, good-quality care and support which enhances children’s confidence. The home is warm and welcoming. Children are consulted about how their home is decorated. This helps them to develop a sense of belonging and pride in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress across all areas of their development, including their education. Children who have not been in education have been supported to attend provision that is relevant to their learning. One child who had a taster session in college but did not want to continue has been supported to develop their business acumen. The child has now secured employment as an apprentice, which will enable them to develop new skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health and are all registered locally with health professionals. Specific health needs are understood and responded to by staff. One example of this is how one child has been helped to manage their diabetes in a safer way. This demonstrates a proactive and responsible approach to their well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of children’s family networks and actively support children in maintaining meaningful relationships. This is facilitated through regular phone calls, supported visits and assistance with travel arrangements where appropriate. One parent said she ‘could not praise the staff enough’ for their support for her and her child. Another parent reported a significant positive change, saying their child ‘was a very different child and had turned a corner completely’ since living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to enjoy a wide variety of activities. Staff enable children to have a voice and choose what activities they want to do, sometimes in line with their hobbies. For example, one child loves theme parks and the staff have purchased an annual pass to enable them to visit attractions across the country.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have implemented an independent living skills programme that equips children effectively to develop skills for their future. Transitions are managed with sensitivity and thorough planning, ensuring that children gain essential life skills such as cooking nutritious meals, managing household cleaning and budgeting effectively. Children have been supported to secure and maintain part-time employment, which has further expanded their social networks and provided valuable work experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One-to-one sessions with children are thorough and take into account children’s needs. The positive relationships that exist allow staff to sensitively address topics such as relationships, self-harm and sexual health. This supportive environment enables children Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 4 to develop an understanding of these issues and make informed decisions about their well-being.

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

Children say they feel safe in the home. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of the individual risks associated with each child. These risks are documented in safety plans that guide and support staff in their work. Strategies are in place to help children develop their own understanding of safety through one-to-one sessions carried out by staff.

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

Staff have been well trained in de-escalation techniques, which has meant there have been no incidents that have required children to be held to protect themselves or others. Staff have built positive relationships with children, who are helped to use different skills to manage their emotions.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff follow the detailed protocols. Robust efforts are made to locate children and communication is maintained where possible to encourage their safe return. This practice demonstrates to children that the staff are concerned for their well-being. One child has not had return home interviews with the local coordinator following all episodes of going missing. The manager has not escalated this gap in service provision to the responsible individual or to the local authority.

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

Safeguarding arrangements in the home are generally robust and meet statutory requirements, promoting children’s welfare effectively. However, improvement is required in the management, recording and notification of serious incidents. An incident involving a child setting fire to clothing in the garden was not notified to the regulator. In addition, the full details of an incident of drug use were not notified. This limits the oversight of the home by the regulator and other statutory bodies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy have a clear vision for the home and have high expectations for the support staff give to children. They are clear that each child has the right to succeed in becoming a well-adjusted individual, and they work hard to engage children. Children’s views are sought and valued and play a meaningful part in shaping the daily life of the home, as each child has very different needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff know how well children are progressing in relation to their individual care plans. They use effective monitoring systems and change plans to ensure children are making positive choices. The successful transition of one child to a more suitable semi-independent home and the preparation work done beforehand by staff is an example of acting in the best interests of the children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team has created a supportive environment for staff. Supervision sessions and appraisals are carried out at the required time and staff value guidance as Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 5 they progress in their careers. Ongoing training programmes enhance staff skills and knowledge and are tailored to children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers understand the home’s strengths and areas requiring further development. They work to prevent potential shortfalls and take action to address any identified weaknesses. However, errors relating to the register of children had not been identified before being raised by the inspector. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission; or

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Requirement Due date

the child requests a review of the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the placing authority conducts return interviews when a child has been missing from the home and must escalate concerns when these do not take place. 20 June 2025

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that relevant details of any incident involving a fire on the premises is notified 20 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 7 at the time and when further information is known this is also notified.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the register of children is kept up to date when children are admitted and when they leave the home. 20 June 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: 2689544 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cherish Children’s Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Colin Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2689544 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 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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