Children's Home run by Orchard Adolescent Care Group in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2794973 1 Registered provider: Orchard Adolescent Care Group

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a private provider and can provide care for up to one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the first inspection since the home was registered with Ofsted on 15 November 2024. There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager and responsible individual were both present during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection : not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2794973 2

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improvement to be good

The child is happy at the home and has begun to make progress in some aspects of their care. However, shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home and inconsistent staffing means that the child’s experience of living in the home has been varied.

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improvement to be good

The child has started to explore their own identity and interests. Staff provide opportunities for the child to take part in activities, such as go karting and attending their local youth centre. When the child requested a specific style of clothing, staff listened and supported them to purchase items. This means that the child is building self-esteem and developing essential social skills.

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improvement to be good

The child has begun to make positive relationships with the staff caring for them. Social care professionals said, ‘The staff are invested in [Name of child], and [Name of child] knows this.’ However, responses by managers and staff to negative behaviour by the child have not always been child centred or therapeutic in their approach, as described in the home’s statement of purpose. This impacts on the child’s experiences of living in the home, and their ability to build meaningful relationships with those caring for them.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers ensure that the child is supported to share their views. The child has an independent advocate who helps them to voice their wishes. Staff hold regular, meaningful conversations with the child to involve them in decisions about their care. As a result, the child is developing a sense of belonging in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to regularly see their family. Managers and staff work flexibly to accommodate the distance that the child’s family needs to travel. This ensures that the child maintains positive relationships with those close to them, as well as staying connected to their hometown.

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improvement to be good

A significant number of staff have left the home since it registered. As a result, the child has experienced several changes in the people providing care for them, and staff practice has not always been consistent. This is something that managers are working to address, and there have been recent improvements.

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improvement to be good

The child moved to the home before the home and manager were registered with Ofsted. Managers did not thoroughly evaluate the child’s individual risks alongside the skills and experience of the staff team. Consequently, some staff struggle to respond effectively to the child’s behaviours and needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794973 3 Managers ensure that the child’s risk plans provide clear guidance for staff. Plans are regularly updated so that the strategies are tailored to the child’s individualised needs. However, staff do not consistently follow the plans, meaning that situations are not always managed effectively or with confidence. This is something that the registered manager is seeking to address through supervisions that target areas of development for staff.

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improvement to be good

Several new staff members have recently joined the home, and the team is beginning to stabilise. As a result, the number of incidents for the child has begun to reduce.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers attend regular risk meetings with external professionals to review the child’s vulnerabilities. External professionals involved in the child’s care are regularly updated with important information, and suggest strategies to reduce risks. This means that there is a multi-agency approach to children’s risk plans.

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improvement to be good

Staff are provided with an out-of-hours on-call system of support by managers. However, when staff use the system, the guidance to staff and messages to the child provided by some managers are not always child centred or helpful and, at times, have undermined staff practice. This does not ensure that the child is receiving child-centred, appropriate care, and limits opportunities to develop practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is organised and knows the child well. She has begun to establish a therapeutic ethos and instil professional boundaries in the home. However, some actions of the responsible individual have limited the development of cohesive leadership and management of the home. There is often a lack of clear guidance and direction for staff to ensure that high-quality care is provided for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has begun to embed effective managerial oversight of the home. However, issues with staff sufficiency have prevented the registered manager and responsible individual from fulfilling their roles. The responsible individual has regularly covered shifts for staff and the registered manager. The deputy manager and senior worker roles are vacant. Consequently, the registered manager has limited support when delegating day-to-day tasks and ensuring that there is continuity of management oversight when she is not in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff attend regular team meetings. The registered manager uses each meeting to focus on a specific area of development. The team are beginning to establish a culture committed to improving their care of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have begun to introduce systems to identify areas of development for the service. However, these systems are not yet fully embedded, and this is something that managers are working to address. Consequently, there are missed opportunities to recognise and address shortfalls in staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794973 4 Leaders and managers have not ensured that the care offered in the home’s statement of purpose clearly outlines the details of the care that the home can provide. The therapeutic support described in the statement of purpose is not currently provided for the child inclusive of their care. Also, leaders and managers have not ensured that the details of the supervision arrangements for staff have been clearly cited. This means that the relevant stakeholders are not provided with a clear representation of the care offered by the provider. Inspection report for children’s home: 2794973 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that managers provide staff with effective guidance and support to ensure that situations are de-escalated effectively and in line with the home’s therapeutic ethos. 3 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2794973 6 The registered person must ensure that there are sufficient staff to support the child’s needs, including managers and senior practitioners.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff work together effectively, providing consistency in care for the child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are systems of monitoring in place that identify shortfalls in staff practice effectively.

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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— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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 (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff follow the child’s risk plans and work consistently as a team to manage risks for the child. 3 April 2025

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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 (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 3 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2794973 7 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that they undertake a thorough evaluation of children’s needs prior to them moving into the home, to ensure that staff have the knowledge, skills and experience to support the child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (1) (5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that details of supervision arrangements for staff are included in the statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any commitment to therapeutic care for the child, including care provided by commissioned services as outlined in the statement of purpose, is fulfilled. 3 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: 2794973 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Orchard Adolescent Care Group

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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2794973 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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