Children's Home run by Gracewells Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2814441 1 Registered provider: Gracewells 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

The home is privately owned and registered to provide care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the home’s first inspection since registration. The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2025. There were two children living in the home at the time of this inspection. Both children spoke to inspectors.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2814441 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress. Staff speak positively and fondly about children and treat them with dignity and respect. Children’s identity needs are managed with sensitivity and, because of this, children are growing in confidence and self-esteem. Children are consulted regularly to ensure that their views are fully captured. This enables children to feel heard and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home on an emergency basis, the manager and staff are proactive to liaise with professionals to obtain information regarding the child’s likes and dislikes. This means that children are consulted about the things that matter most to them and enables them to have some familiarity when they move into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s health. They are proactive at seeking advice and guidance from children’s GP’s and other health professionals so that children receive the most appropriate support to help them feel reassured about their health needs. When children express a wish to stop using e-cigarettes, staff research what support is available and support them to access this treatment without delay.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with education plans that seek to address specific barriers to learning. One child’s timetable includes tutoring at home as well as attendance at school. Another child is actively seeking employment and has two job interviews soon, which staff have helped to coordinate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop their independence, such as helping them prepare for job interviews, learning cooking skills, managing health appointments and support with their finances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend time with children having discussions on a range of topics that have significance in their lives, such as promoting healthy relationships, being safe online, promoting independence, personal hygiene, healthy eating and physical exercise. These discussions help children to learn positive behaviours and routines, which will prepare them for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a range of activities, such as boxing, trampolining and football, as well as activities in the home, such as movie nights and gaming with staff. One child was seen to be enjoying a workout session with staff in the garden. Children’s bedrooms are comfortable and are personalised with their favourite colours, football team and musicians. One child told inspectors that they had recently been to watch one of their favourite artists at a concert, which they enjoyed. Inspection report for children's home: 2814441 3

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

The manager ensures that children’s risk assessments and relevant plans are up to date. Children’s plans include current information that reflects children’s risks and needs. This means that children receive care that helps them to stay safe. The manager is a strong advocate for children and escalates concerns on their behalf to ensure that they are receiving fair access to services.

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

Children’s mental health and emotional well-being are fully understood. When serious incidents take place, such as self-harm, staff support the child sensitively and administer appropriate treatment.

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

There has been one incident of physical intervention. Staff are proactive at de-escalating situations and are curious about why a child may be distressed or upset. Consequently, children have started to verbalise more readily how they are feeling. This means that children trust that staff are emotionally available and supportive.

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

Staff respond well to incidents and there are clear records of the actions taken to safeguard children. Staff understand the whistle-blowing procedure and how to report serious incidents to the regulator in a timely manner.

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

The home is decorated and maintained to a high standard and is a safe environment for children to live in. Safer recruitment practices take place, which ensure that children are being cared for by safe adults.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. He works closely with his senior manager and has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New team members receive a full induction, which is reviewed periodically to ensure that it enables staff are acquire the required knowledge in relation to the factors impacting children’s lives. Staff have access to well-planned training in their induction phase to help them gain the skills and knowledge required to meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager values the independent visitor reports and strives to make improvements without delay to ensure that there is no impact on children’s lives. However, for one child, not all plans had been received by the child’s placing authority and some documents were not accessible to staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by leaders and managers and feel confident to report concerns to managers, who they say are always available for guidance and advice. Staff receive regular supervision, which they find useful. One member of staff said that they feel encouraged by the manager to use their own initiative, which is helping them to develop their confidence. Inspection report for children's home: 2814441 4 Team meetings take place monthly and are well attended. They cover topics that are relevant to practice matters in the home and review lessons learned from previous experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children well and has clear oversight of the home through regular monitoring and review systems. However, he has not identified some minor shortfalls in records relating to the admission and discharge of children. Additionally, the rota omitted essential information relating to staffing and, therefore, a requirement has been raised. Inspection report for children's home: 2814441 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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Statutory requirements

Requirement Due Date Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. The registered person must—

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Statutory requirements

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Statutory requirements

ensure that the records are kept up to date;

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Statutory requirements

and retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Statutory requirements

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that records relating to the child’s admission to the home contain the details of the child’s placing authority.

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Statutory requirements

Additionally, t he registered person must ensure that a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home is clear and legible and contains a record of the person’s full name and the number of actual hours worked. 4 July 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person must ensure that they challenge the placing authority without delay if it does not make relevant plans available to the home, in particular care plans relating to the child's background, risks and needs. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 12, paragraph 2.8) Inspection report for children's home: 2814441 6

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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: 2814441 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Gracewells Care Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 36 Jubilee House, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire FY8 5FT

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Inspectors

Michelle Greenhalgh, Social Care Inspector Vicky Wainwright, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2814441 8 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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