Children's home run by Lancashire County Council in Preston

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035439 1 SC035439 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, three children were living at the home. Two children spoke to the inspector about their experiences of living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2023.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 28 and 29 May 2025. Compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These are in relation to Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). The purpose of this visit was to monitor the actions taken by the provider to meet the steps outlined in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the same three children live at the home. There are two new deputy managers, and the manager continues to receive additional support from the responsible individual. Improvements are being made to ensure that the children’s care needs and risks are fully understood.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are calm and caring in their approach, and they use preventative behaviour support techniques to help children manage their emotions and frustrations. However, on one occasion, the police were contacted to help staff manage a child’s behaviour. The recording of the incident did not provide evidence of the home’s Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035439 2 understanding of the concerns, and follow-up actions were not undertaken to identify any reflection and learning.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have attended regular team meetings with leaders and managers. This provides staff the opportunity to reflect on practice. Leaders and managers are helping staff to develop nurturing, positive relationships with the children to ensure that children know staff care about them.

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This monitoring visit

There is sufficient space in the home for the children who live there. However, one child has court restrictions in place for their safety, and all external doors are locked. However, in keeping this child safe, leaders, managers and staff have not considered the effects of these restrictions on all children. One child has broken drawers in their bedroom. This does not ensure that children live in a comfortable and safe environment.

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This monitoring visit

The manager is caring and motivated. He understands the home’s strengths and areas to develop and is developing more robust processes. However, these processes have not been embedded into practice.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers are taking action to address the instability in the staff team, which has led to a lack of consistency for the children living at the home. There is now a stable staff team, and staff say they feel supported by the managers. Their actions are providing more stability to ensure that children receive consistent care from the staff, who know them well.

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This monitoring visit

Training is undertaken to ensure that the staff have the relevant skills and knowledge. However, not all staff have updated their training to meet the needs of children living at the home. Leaders and managers are continuing to embed monitoring systems to improve their oversight of training for all staff.

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This monitoring visit

Internal and external monitoring systems are continuing to be developed. Current systems provide limited opportunities to monitor and evaluate children’s care. However, leaders and managers have identified plans to further develop practice in the home.

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This monitoring visit

One requirement and one recommendation raised at the last full inspection were not considered during this visit. They remain in place and will be reviewed at the next inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, a case review was held on 22 July 2025. It was agreed that sufficient action has been taken to meet the compliance notices issued under Regulations 12 and 13. Requirements under Regulations 12 and 13 have been raised. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035439 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/05/2025 Full Inadequate 23/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/06/2024 Full Inadequate 06/06/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035439 4

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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 with 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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;

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children. This specifically relates to ensuring that any restriction of a child’s movement in the home used to safeguard the child does not affect other children in the home and is kept under review. 5 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035439 5 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 to aspire to their full 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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff have completed all identified training to meet the individual needs of children and that training identified to improve staff practice is completed in a timely manner. In addition, the registered manager must ensure that the home’s training matrix reflects how often the training is required.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that they have oversight of practice in the home. This includes ensuring that recording 5 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035439 6 systems are effective and reviewing and evaluating all incidents to identify any learning and support to develop practice in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(vi)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the standard of care children experience reflects that promised in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that children are treated with dignity and respect. 5 September 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035439 7 The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the statement of purpose is kept under review and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. 5 September 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should make sure that their review of the quality of care provided by the home does not contain any confidential information, such as children’s photos or personal details. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.3)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035439 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspector

Michelle Snape, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC035439 9 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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Inspector

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