Children's Home run by Holywell Children’s Services Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children's home for 2663221 1 Registered provider: Holywell Children's Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider.

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Information about this children's home

It is registered to provide care for up to two children with social and emotional needs. One child is currently being cared for in this home.

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Information about this children's home

There has been no registered manager since the 15 March 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Two compliance notices were issued following the last inspection. They were issued under Regulation 12 and Regulation 13 of The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. Inspection report children's home for 2663221 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/03/2025 Full Inadequate 15/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report children's home for 2663221 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lived in the home for three years. The staff team is stable, and the child has positive relationships with the adults that care for them. The child feels able to approach their trusted adults with any concerns or worries they have.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager encourages positive relationships between the children and their neighbours. The manager and neighbours share contact details, and the manager has an open-door policy to quickly resolve any concerns. The manager works hard to ensure the home, staff and children are viewed positively in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The communal areas of the home are clean, tidy and well-maintained. Since the last inspection, staff have removed the storage items from the child’s art room and painted it a colour of their choice. However, the child’s bedroom still requires maintenance and cleaning. A recommendation from the last inspection has been made a requirement as a result.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the child’s health needs and plan. Staff ensure that the child has regular reviews of their medication, and referrals are made for appropriate specialist health services. Medication is stored safely in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has an appropriate school place. Staff take the child to and from school and the child has high attendance levels. The child is reluctant to complete school work in the home and staff do not effectively encourage them to do so. A recommendation has been made in relation to this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have positive relationships with the child’s family. They ensure that the child has regular telephone contact and welcomes their family into the home. The child’s family are kept up to date with the child’s progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making progress on their skills for adulthood. Staff encourage the child to prepare their own meals and ensure there are opportunities for them to interact with peers and develop their social skills.

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

Risk assessments and the child’s behaviour management plan are clear, current and detailed. There are clear strategies for staff to follow in the event of a concern. Staff ensure that consistent boundaries are implemented in the home. The managers undertake detailed reflection with staff after any serious incidents and identify where practice could improve. Inspection report children's home for 2663221 4 Staff have undertaken recent refresher training on safeguarding, as well as specific risks such as substance misuse and criminal exploitation. Staff understand the training and the child's plans and take effective action when the child is at risk of harm.

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

The managers and leaders notify Ofsted when there is a serious incident in the home. This is usually done promptly, however on one occasion there was a significant delay. A recommendation has been made in relation to this.

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

Staff know the child's individual missing from home plan and follow it when the child is missing. Staff notice differences in the child's presentation and behaviour and are proactive in trying to prevent missing episodes. The managers and staff ensure that the placing authority conducts a return home interview and that they share any relevant information with them. Staff respond effectively to missing episodes and the child is returned to the home quickly.

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

The child has not been held by staff since the last inspection. Staff are trained to hold children safely in the event this is necessary.

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

There have been no allegations against staff in the inspection period. The manager has updated the staff allegation policy and created a manager’s allegation policy, to ensure that everyone in the organisation is clear on their responsibilities in the event one is made.

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

Staff search the child’s bedroom when there is a safeguarding reason to do so. When possible, staff inform the child of the search before it happens and offer for them to be present.

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

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since 15 March 2024. The interim manager is registered at another home within the organisation and is also managing the adjacent sister home.

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

The manager is a supported by a deputy manager who works solely at this home. The managers have worked hard to ensure the compliance notices following the last inspection have been met.

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

A statement of purpose which is individual to the home has been completed and sent to the regulator. It is consistent with the conditions of registration and compliant with regulation.

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

The managers have ensured that they have current copies of the child’s statutory documents, such as their placing authority care plan and personal education plan. The internal plans for the child align with these documents. Therefore, all of the child’s plans are consistent and addressing the same needs and aims. Inspection report children's home for 2663221 5 Managers have discussed the previous shortfalls in relation to their process of assessing whether staff can meet the needs of children before they move in. However, there has been no further action following this discussion. The requirement in relation to this has been restated.

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

Managers understand the requirements of regulation in relation to content and timeliness of reviews of the quality of care. However, a review has not been undertaken in the inspection period and therefore the requirement has been restated.

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

Most staff have not completed their qualification in the required timescale. However, all staff that have not completed their qualifications are enrolled and the manager has changed provider to ensure that they received regular progress updates. Managers are aware of what staff need to do and provide support for them to complete their work.

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

The staff are up to date with their training. The provider has offered additional training in safeguarding, recording and reporting, and key areas of risk for the child since the last inspection. Staff have been provided with the knowledge to care for the child safely. Inspection report children's home for 2663221 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, 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the child’s bedroom should be clean and tidy, broken items should be fixed in a timely fashion, and the child should be supported to maintain bedding on their bed. 20 May 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.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended 28 July 2025 Inspection report children's home for 2663221 7 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that all necessary information to make decisions on whether children should move into the home is sought in a timely way, and robust assessments of whether staff can safely meet their needs are undertaken prior to them moving in. Children whose needs cannot be met should not be admitted to the home.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or 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). The requirements are that—

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the 15 July 2025 Inspection report children's home for 2663221 8 date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home. (Regulation 32(2)(a)(b)(3)(b)(4)(a)(b)(5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b)(5)) 28 July 2025 Inspection report children's home for 2663221 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff support children with home study by encouraging them to learn independent study skills and helping them to practice those skills. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 29, paragraph 5.18)  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home's staff in response to the event. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 63, paragraph 14.3)

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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 children's home for 2663221 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Holywell Children's Services Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Scott & Wilkinson, Dalton House, 9 Dalton Square, Lancaster LA1 1WD

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Inspector

Sarah Huntbatch, social care inspector Inspection report children's home for 2663221 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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