Children's Home run by Creative Living Care in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2731482 1 Registered provider: Creative Living Care

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private organisation operates this children’s home, which provides care for up to three children with social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the provider in January 2025, and while a new manager is in place, she is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home 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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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: 29 October 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2731482 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2024 Full Good 28/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2731482 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home, and one child moved out in an unplanned way. While this transition was unplanned, it was handled appropriately in response to the needs of the child. Children said that they like living in the home and enjoy spending time with staff.

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improvement to be good

Children at the home have made some progress. For example, one child who had struggled with school attendance is now planning to attend college. However, another child is finding it difficult to engage with their education, and there have been ongoing discussions between the provider and the local authority about how best to support this child. Staff have found it challenging to maintain consistent routines and boundaries during this time, which has affected the children’s ability to settle and engage fully in their education and daily activities.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy opportunities to participate in activities outside the home. One child has developed positive relationships with local clubs, while another prefers socialising with friends. One child was observed enjoying a constructive activity and building independence with the support of a staff member.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to become more independent and develop new skills, depending on their age and understanding. They are encouraged to do chores around the house and learn about budgeting. This helps the children to learn the skills they will need as they become adults.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is homely and well maintained, with a pleasant garden and welcoming communal areas. Children’s bedrooms are age-appropriate and personalised. One child recently moved bedrooms and is still in the process of decorating their room according to their personal preferences

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improvement to be good

Staff mostly understand children’s known risks and can discuss strategies in place to minimise them. However, some childrens risk assessments do not reflect recent incidents and behaviours presented by children.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, a child went missing during the night without staff noticing. Shortfalls in relation to this incident were identified by the manager and strategies have been put in place to ensure that this does not happen again.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always use de-escalation strategies to help children regulate their behaviour. Some incidents have escalated unnecessarily because staff have not used strategies that Inspection report for children’s home: 2731482 4 are identified in children’s plans. Some staff noted inconsistencies among members of the staff team about how behaviour in the home is managed.

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improvement to be good

Staff work closely with child and adolescent mental health services to promote children’s emotional and mental health. This has contributed to a reduction in self-harm incidents and better emotional regulation for some children. Managers, however, do not ensure that the home environment is safe, for example blinds do not have safety cords fitted. This could present a risk when children have a known risk of self-harm.

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

There have been recent changes to the management structure of the home, as well as some changes to the staff team, which has resulted in some changes for the children living in the home

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

The new manager demonstrates a clear commitment to implementing change and has a positive vision for the future of the home. She has reflected on previous leadership inconsistencies and is actively working to address past shortfalls. While staff morale was affected by earlier leadership challenges, they have expressed confidence in the new manager and are beginning to see positive changes.

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

Supervision takes place regularly and is effective in supporting staff practice and development. Reflective supervision is a key aspect of practice, helping to improve staff performance. This remains a positive area of practice.

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

Staff have regular team meetings. This gives the team an opportunity to come together, reflect and share information effectively. This ensures that staff are consistent in meeting children’s needs.

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

The manager has implemented new systems to improve oversight of the care being provided to the children. However, these are not embedded in practice. This means that some opportunities have been missed by the manager to identify poor decision-making and shortfalls in staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2731482 5

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure they work with agencies to overcome any barriers that the children face in education to support them to consistently engage with the maximum education time available to them.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that children are provided with informal education when not in education 1 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard on paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— 1 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2731482 6 de-escalate confrontation with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff de-escalate situations in line with strategies outlined in children’s plans.

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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

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

In particular, ensure risk assessments contain clear strategies for staff to follow to reduce any known risks and that staff understand and follow these risk assessments. 1 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2731482 7 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 the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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.

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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

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should have systems in place to monitor and review the quality of the work carried out in the home. This is to ensure continuity and consistency of care for children. 1 August 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: 2731482 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Creative Living Care

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 5b Lincoln House, 5 The Crossroads Business Centre, Freckleton Street, Kirkham, Preston PR4 2SH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael Swarbrick

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Inspectors

Mathew Morris-Jones, Social Care Inspector Sarah Billett, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2731482 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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