Children's Home run by Brinscall Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2534436 1 Registered provider: Brinscall Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It offers care for up to four children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in July 2019. The manager has been registered since June 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living in the home at the time of the inspection. All four children were spoken to during 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 requires improvement to be 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: 2534436 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/05/2024 Full Good 23/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2534436 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a warm and welcoming environment. Staff help children to personalise their bedrooms and communal spaces. The children’s wishes and feelings are sought through regular children’s meetings. There is evidence that the children’s views are considered in the day-to-day running of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their families and people who are close to them. The staff maintain regular communication with parents and carers and keep them updated about the children’s progress. This helps children to maintain their identity and continue to see people who are important to them. One parent said that staff treat their child ‘like they were their own child’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise the children’s health and well-being by ensuring that children are registered with all local medical services. Leaders and managers are proactive when supporting children to access specific health services. They act as an advocate to ensure that children receive the health care they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop their interests and hobbies. One child loves horse riding. Staff provide the child with opportunities to do this. The child enjoys it, and this helps to increase their confidence. Another child is supported to grow plants in the garden and takes great pride in doing this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers ensure children’s individual educational needs are met. They ensure a tutor visits the home to support a child who is not in formal education. However, staff do not provide another child with a consistent daily structure of educational activities to support learning and progress. This does not support the child to reach their full potential. Staff are working to improve this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

External agencies say that staff communicate well with them and keep them updated about children’s progress. One social worker said that they are informed of any changes or updates for the child. The social worker said that staff know the child well and are always advocating for them. Good communication and advocacy from staff help children to receive support from relevant professionals.

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

Recruitment procedures and practices are safe and effective. All staff are checked and vetted before starting to work at the home. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children in the home.

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

Children describe their home as a happy and fun home where they can speak to trusted people who support them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2534436 4 Leaders and managers regularly review children’s risk management plans. This helps staff safeguarding practices to meet the children’s needs and keep them safe. Staff review and update risk management plans to reflect any changes to children’s needs. This helps staff to provide a safe and consistent approach to managing risk.

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

Staff use positive behaviour approaches, supported by therapeutic training. This avoids any use of negative or punitive measures to manage children’s behaviour. The children clearly benefit from this nurturing approach.

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

Staff use de-escalation techniques to help children manage their behaviour. However, on some occasions, the police have been contacted to help manage children’s behaviour.

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

The home is led and managed by an ambitious and knowledgeable management team. The staff demonstrate a clear understanding of therapeutic care when supporting children with complex needs, and they ensure they implement this in their practice.

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

Partnership working with professionals is a key strength of the manager and staff team. Feedback from professionals is positive. One social worker said, ‘The manager’s communication is excellent.’ The independent reviewing officer for one child reported that the child is making really good progress from their starting point.

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

Staff attend regular training that is adapted to meet the specific needs of the children in the home. This means that staff develop their skills to ensure that they implement best practice. The manager reviews this training regularly. This helps him monitor how staff implement any training in their practices.

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

The children do not have up-to-date placing authority care plans and personal education plans. This means that the staff are not working in line with the children’s current and relevant plans.

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

Children’s moves into and out of the home are generally managed well. Staff support children to move out of the home in line with their individual needs. Therefore, some children experience positive outcomes. However, not all moves have been based on the best interests of the children. One child moved to a sister home, which caused a level of upheaval for the child. This move was ultimately considered to be the best available option, and the child is reported to be doing exceptionally well.

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

External monitoring reports do not include children’s views about their care. This means that managers do not have an independent view about children’s experiences. This could impact on managers making continuous improvements to the quality of care that staff provide for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2534436 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 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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that each child’s statutory plans are available for staff to follow. Also they must ensure that all children have a positive planned experience when moving on from the home. 25 July 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 in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 25 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2534436 6 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. bullying and how to deal with them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2534436 7 (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff use effective de-escalation techniques in order to avoid calling the police to help manage behaviours.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the independent person should regularly consult with the children, family members and professionals to gain their opinions about the quality of care provided in the home. 25 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure they challenge the placing authority when information is not provided in a timely manner, including updated care plans, placement plans and personal education plans. 25 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2534436 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that each child is supported to learn and is provided with resources. They should ensure that staff are creative in providing opportunities for children to study and learn. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 18, paragraph 5.18)

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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: 2534436 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brinscall Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 27, Barnfield House, Sandpits Lane, Accrington Road, Blackburn BB1 3NY

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Catherine Chrystal-Clarke

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Inspector

James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2534436 10 and inspects to 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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