Children's Home run by Therapeutic Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 1 Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider and provides care for up to two children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home, and they spoke to the inspector.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking that this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 3

p.2

improvement to be good

There has been a lot of change at the home since the last inspection, including a change in the leadership and management of the home and of staff. This has had an impact on the consistency for children. Staff are nurturing and caring in their approach. However, the progress children make has been inconsistent and has not been sustained effectively.

p.3

improvement to be good

Two children lived here for several months and initially made some progress. However, there was an increase in unsafe behaviour, and the staff did not have the skills to keep the children safe effectively. This led to the management team serving notice to the placing authority and both children moving out. As a result, the outcomes achieved by children have not been consistently positive.

p.3

improvement to be good

Another child has recently moved from the home, having been there for a short period of time. The manager collaborated with other professionals regarding the child’s potential risks in moving back to their local area. However, the manager’s and professionals’ assessments were not robust enough and failed to identify the level of the child’s complexities and vulnerabilities. This led to the child being at risk in the local community, and the manager could not ensure their long-term safety.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child currently living at the home said that they are happy and are settled. The manager ensured that there was a robust plan in place to introduce the child to the team. This included the staff visiting the child, and the child having an opportunity to visit the home before moving in. The child said that this helped to reduce their anxiety.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s health needs. Staff are supported by an in-house therapist, who provides them with weekly advice and guidance on meeting the child’s emotional needs.

p.3

improvement to be good

The manager is working with the headteacher of the virtual school and has identified a new local school for the child to start in September 2025. In the meantime, staff provide the child with online learning and other forms of informal learning opportunities. This provides the child with a consistent routine to their day.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff provide the child with positive activities in the community and ensure that their experiences are consistently positive. The child enjoys trips to the beach, regular walks and swimming, and they are a member of the local snooker and pool club. This is developing the child’s self-esteem and confidence.

p.3

improvement to be good

The child spends time with family. Staff are working alongside other professionals to re- engage other members of the family. This ensures that the child can start rebuilding positive relationship with people who are important to them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 4

p.3

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

Keeping children safe is a priority and is integral to daily practice. The child said that they feel safe at the home and that the staff have explained the complaints procedure. The child said that they would talk to any staff member if they had a worry or a concern. There have been no complaints.

p.4

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s vulnerabilities. There are in-depth risk assessments in place, which give clear guidelines to staff on how to manage and minimise risks. As the child is new to the home, the manager ensures that any new identified risks the child faces are included in the updated plans.

p.4

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

When the child has not returned at the agreed time, staff are proactive in their response and follow the missing-from-home protocols. This includes actively searching for the child and working with other professionals to ensure the child’s safe return. The manager has developed good working relationships with other key professionals, including the police, the missing-from-home coordinator and the local contextual safeguarding team, to share intelligence about the local area and to ensure children’s safety.

p.4

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

Staff encourage positive behaviour, and they are nurturing and caring in their support. When physical intervention has been necessary, this has been appropriate to keep the child and others safe. However, at times, staff have not supported children to calm effectively, and there has been too much reliance on police assistance. On occasion, this has led to a disproportionate intervention, with the risk of the child coming to police attention unnecessarily.

p.4

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

Children enjoy a comfortable, clean, tidy, safe and welcoming environment. The manager also ensures that all necessary checks are completed before staff work at the home. This helps to ensure that adults working with children are safe to do so.

p.4

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

The new manager has been in post since February 2025 and has been recently registered. He is experienced, qualified and child centred. He is aspirational and has a clear vision for the development of the staff team and the care provided. He has identified shortfalls in practice and provides a consistent presence in the home.

p.4

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

Staff are caring professionals who genuinely aspire to make a positive difference in the children’s lives. However, staff are not meeting the aims and objectives, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose, effectively. This means that the desired outcomes for children have not been achieved. Despite the leadership and management’s best intentions, three children have left the home prematurely. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 5 Moving forward, the manager is eager to rectify any shortfalls in terms of future assessments and ensuring that the staff have the appropriate support in meeting children’s needs. The manager has ensured that there is now a more experienced staff team in place, who are providing consistency for the child.

p.4

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

The manager has systems in place to ensure that he has good management oversight of the day-to-day practice at the home. A review of the quality of care provided has been completed and there is clear feedback from others to help the manager identify the strengths and areas for improvement. However, the manager has not ensured that this has been made available to the regulator.

p.5

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

The manager is a strong advocate for the continual development of the staff team. There is a comprehensive training programme in place from induction to ongoing training. This allows the staff to continually develop their practice. Staff said that they valued this training, and it gives them confidence in their roles and responsibilities.

p.5

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

Staff morale is positive, and staff said that they feel more supported by the new manager. They are having regular supervision sessions that give them the opportunity to reflect and look at any areas for future development.

p.5

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

Team meetings are held regularly. They are well structured and provide opportunities for staff and the manager to reflect on their practice and how they can further develop to support and meet the child’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

p.6

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; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must only agree that children can move in when they are satisfied that the team can respond effectively to the child’s needs. 10 September 2025

p.6

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 10 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 7 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. (Regulation 45 (1) (4)(a))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a copy of the quality-of-care review is sent to the regulator.

p.7

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that there are procedures and guidance for staff to follow so that children are not criminalised for actions that would not lead to this if the same thing happened in a family home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.40)

p.7

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: 2744719 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Errigal House, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool FY4 2DP

p.8

Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2744719 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9