Children's home run by Cherish Children’s Care Limited in Fylde

Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 1 SC476868 Registered provider: Cherish Childrens Care 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 is a private children’s home that is registered to care for up to four children. The home’s statement of purpose states that children living in this home may have a range of social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered in May 2024. He is appropriately experienced and working towards the required qualification for his role.

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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 two of the children.

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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

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: SC476868 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/05/2024 Full Good 03/05/2023 Full Good 03/05/2022 Full Good 21/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 3

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers are not supporting staff to ensure that all children have positive experiences and make good progress living in the home. Managers have not planned effectively prior to children moving into the home. For example, careful consideration is not given to how children’s care needs will be met, and strategies to promote risk reduction to keep children safe are not identified.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health plans do not provide up-to-date information about their specific health needs and health conditions. They do not reflect children’s mental health needs or how their welfare is promoted. Children are not always supported effectively to attend routine health appointments. One child has repeatedly refused to attend the opticians, but staff have not explored the reasons for this with the child.

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improvement to be good

Children have minimal amounts of formal education in place. Most children are home tutored. Children have lots of unstructured time during school hours when they are not engaged in education-based activities as there are no clear routines in place. This impacts on their educational outcomes and life opportunities. However, staff have supported children to prepare for their exams, and managers are working with education professionals to secure funding for one child’s school placement.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they feel well cared for and they have positive relationships with staff. Children feel settled in their home and said that it feels like home. They enjoy spending time with staff and engaging in fun activities with each other. Children make some progress in terms of developing their skills, which will support them into adulthood. They enjoy becoming more independent.

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improvement to be good

Children attend house meetings and contribute to the meeting agenda. Children know how to complain. They also engage in weekly feedback sessions with staff to ensure that their views, wishes and feelings are heard. This supports them to talk about how they are feeling, their aspirations and things they would like to do in their recreational time.

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improvement to be good

For one child who has moved out of the home, staff provided them with stability through some particularly challenging times. One social worker reported that the staff do not give up on children, no matter the challenges that they face.

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improvement to be good

Children frequently go missing from the home and they remain missing for extended periods of time. This has placed children at considerable risk of exploitation, and they engage in risk-taking behaviour while missing. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 4 Staff responses to incidents of children going missing from home have been variable. For some incidents, staff have followed procedures correctly and they have worked closely with exploitation workers to educate children about associated risks. However, not all staff understand their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children when they go missing from the home. On occasions, staff have failed to search known areas where children could be found, or contacted key people to try to find the child. Equally, leaders and managers have failed to identify or address this ineffective practice in their oversight of records.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and mangers do not always make appropriate decisions in relation to children’s safety. Ineffective communication between a manager and staff has resulted in one child being taken to a known area of risk and left unsupervised, resulting in them being reported as missing from home. Key professionals had not been made aware of the circumstances that led to this incident. During the inspection, senior managers took prompt action to investigate the incidents and notify the relevant professionals.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the processes they should follow to mitigate risks for children who are at risk of self-injurious behaviour and ligature use. They take prompt action to safeguard children and to promote their welfare. The staff team works with multi-agencies, such as child and adolescent mental health services and in-house therapists, to implement safety plans. Leaders and managers have provided additional training for the staff team in relation to ligature risks.

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improvement to be good

There has been no use of restraint since the last inspection. Staff use their positive relationships with children to support them to manage their behaviour. However, when children are given consequences for negative behaviour, leaders and managers do not evaluate the effectiveness of the measure used, to determine if it should be used again.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers respond appropriately to allegations. They ensure that all safeguarding professionals are notified promptly. There is not a bullying culture in the home. Small disagreements between children are managed well by staff. Children enjoy spending time together.

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

The leadership and management of the home is not always effective. The arrangements in place for senior management oversight and supervision of the home require improvement. Senior managers are not always aware of some unsafe decision-making and practice that has had an impact on children’s safety and well-being. Leaders and managers’ monitoring systems have failed to identify the concerns raised at this inspection and the impact that these shortfalls have had on children’s lived experiences. Furthermore, leaders and managers have failed to suitably address most of the requirements and recommendations from the last inspection.

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

Leaders and managers’ oversight of children’s risk assessments is ineffective. Some risk assessments do not contain the necessary guidance for staff should a child be at risk of going missing from the home or suspected to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 5 For example, they do not include timescales for reporting children as missing to the police, do not identify risk areas in the community to be avoided and are unclear as to when regular welfare checks should be implemented to ensure children’s safety and well-being.

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

Leaders and managers do not always conduct lessons learned exercises with staff. This is a missed opportunity to demonstrate how staff have been supported to reflect on their practice and to make changes to how children are safeguarded.

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

The independent visitor does not always obtain feedback from key people, such as children, staff and families, to enable them to effectively assess the impact of the quality of care on children. In addition, the manager’s review of the quality of care report does not include children and staff’s feedback, to demonstrate any action that has been taken to make improvements to the standard of care provided to children.

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

Staff say that they feel well supported and listened to by leaders and managers. They have regular practice-related supervision. However, supervision records do not evidence that regular discussion takes place with staff about children’s presenting behaviours, their relationships with children or their understanding of children’s individual needs.

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

The staff team is stable. There has been minimal change to the staff team since the last inspection. This has provided continuity of care and support for children. Team meetings are well attended. The manager uses them to discuss safeguarding scenarios, changes to children’s plans and to share key information. Training is well monitored by the manager. They ensure that when new children move into the home, staff are provided with training to be able to meet the child’s needs and risks. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 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 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

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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)) 26 June 2025

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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— 26 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 7 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 have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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)(c)(f)(h))

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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.

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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 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(a)) 26 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs. 26 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 8 (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(iii))

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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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

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(viii)(x)) 26 June 2025

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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 (2)(a)) 26 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)) 26 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. (‘Guide to the Children Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: SC476868 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cherish Childrens 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

Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC476868 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 children who are 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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