Children's home run by Care Afloat Ltd in West Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC062268 1 SC062268 Registered provider: Care Afloat Ltd

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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 home is one of several homes owned by a private provider. It offers care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 18 March 2025.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC062268 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/10/2024 Full Good 20/02/2024 Full Good 24/01/2023 Full Good 08/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC062268 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transition planning for children moving into and out of the home is detailed. The manager assesses the needs of children moving into the home alongside the needs of children already living in the home. The skills and knowledge of the staff team also form part of this planning process. Children are supported with smooth transitions through face-to-face meetings, visits, or video calls when emergency placements occur. However, not all children have statutory care plans signed by relevant professionals when they move into the home. This limits the abilities of staff to deliver care in line with the agreed care plan for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children leave the home, transitions are planned and supported. Staff help them build independence skills and work with families to rebuild relationships. Where needs cannot be met, staff support children with the move through clear communication and visits, offering stability during this period of change.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with local healthcare providers, but some children have not had an annual health assessment. This does not ensure that staff are able to respond to all children’s health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff promote children’s education. Before living in the home, children had not been in education for a long period of time. One child is now attending full-time, and one is attending a provision on a part-time timetable. However, there are no structured plans in place for alternative education in the home to supplement part-time timetables and ensure that children have access to twenty-five hours of education a week. In addition, not all children have personal education plans on file. This does not ensure that staff understand all children’s educational needs and the support they require to meet these needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well with social workers and parents to facilitate family time and help children maintain family connections, even when living far away. Staff also support parents to attend key appointments with their children. This ensures that parents are included in children’s care and children are supported by those important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote children’s identity, supporting their individuality and cultural needs. Children are supported and encouraged to wear what they feel comfortable in and listen to the music they enjoy. Staff ensure that all written communication is translated into the native language. This helps children maintain a sense of self and their connection to family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say they have positive relationships with staff and receive a lot of support. They describe receiving help with their education, maintaining family contact, and avoiding offending behaviour. This is helping children to make progress in key areas of their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: SC062268 4 The home is spacious and well furnished. Although tidy, there is a buildup of grease on fixtures in the kitchen and a buildup of dust around the home. The communal bathroom does not have a functional window and the glass panel in a corridor door is not safety glass. Although children’s bedrooms are well furnished, one child’s bedroom has broken window handles.

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

The staff build positive, trusting relationships with the children, and the children identify staff as trusted adults whom they can speak to about their worries and concerns. The children do not complain about their care and are aware of the processes in place if they want to make a formal complaint.

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

Staff talk to children about the risks they may face in their lives. However, staff do not revisit these key topics to support any learning or help children to make sense of their circumstances or feelings.

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

In the last year, there have been very few changes in the staff team. This ensures that children are provided with stability. Communication between staff is clear and there are consistent boundaries in place to support children. This enables children to feel secure.

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

The manager promotes a strong safeguarding culture. Staff have a clear understanding of safeguarding principles and are well informed about whistle-blowing procedures.

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

Staff understand the children’s individual risks and strategies for supporting them. The children’s risks are documented in risk assessments that direct and support staff in preventing and reducing risks. Significant incidents are managed well, and staff hold significant discussions with children following incidents to help them identify risks and keep them safe. The manager has full oversight of incidents and can recognise when staff are unable to meet the needs of children. The manager works with professionals and staff when a more suitable home needs to be identified, taking extra precautions to keep the child safe during this planned move.

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

There have been a high number of missing-from-home episodes. This is reported to be linked to children’s desire to be with their family. Staff know the individual missing plans for the children and follow them, looking in known areas and checking with known associates. Children are welcomed when they return to the home, and staff ensure that they are safe and well. The management team work with professionals, family and children to reduce missing episodes, risks and support children’s wishes.

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

Staff are trained in physical restraint and de-escalation strategies. Physical restraints are used as a last resort to prevent harm to children and others. Following incidents of restraint, children can discuss incidents with someone who was not involved in the incident. The manager reviews incidents to ensure that the action taken was reasonable. However, staff are not always offered the opportunity to reflect following involvement in these incidents. This does not ensure that staff are guided in their practice or provided with sufficient support. Inspection report for children’s home: SC062268 5 Complaints from the community are not recorded and therefore are not investigated or responded to appropriately. This does not ensure that the manager, staff and children are supported to establish relationships within the local community.

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

The manager notifies the regulator when there are serious incidents. However, some notifications are delayed, which prevents the regulator from having prompt oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s former manager now holds the role of residential service manager within the organisation. The current manager was previously the deputy manager of the home. The members of the management team have a good understanding of the operation and ethos of the home, the children and the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Independent person visits are not completed every month as required and the independent person does not routinely send the regulator the completed reports. This does not ensure that the regulator has oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s quality of care review is completed and received in a timely manner. However, the report does not provide a detailed analysis and evaluation of the care provided to children and does not always consider feedback from children, professionals or staff. Actions to improve the quality of care are not specific to the children, staff or improvements required in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures the home’s statement of purpose is reviewed and revised following any changes in the home. However, this is not shared with the regulator in line with the Children’s Homes Regulations 2015.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management team use daily checklists and weekly meetings to ensure that daily reports and plans have evidence of management oversight. The manager completes quarterly audits and uses the independent person reports to help them identify areas of development and plans for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager sources staff training specific to the individual needs of the children, such as neurodiversity, self-harm, adoption breakdowns and substance misuse. This ensures that staff have the knowledge and understanding to support the children they are caring for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. Annual appraisals provide opportunities for staff to reflect on the past year, recognise and celebrate achievements and identify any areas requiring support. Staff say that managers provide support to help them in their role. Inspection report for children’s home: SC062268 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 registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that complaints received about the home, or its residents, are recorded. 23 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that admission documentation is signed and dated by relevant professionals on the date of admission and that key documentation, such as annual health assessments and personal education plans, is obtained. 23 October 2025

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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

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

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect; 23 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC062268 7 ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(b) (2)(b)(v)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that the home is maintained to a good standard, repairs and damages are repaired to a good standard using UK safety approved materials, and windows are functional. Staff must ensure that the home is clean and tidy. Additionally, staff must ensure they are speaking to children sensitively about past experiences to help them make sense of circumstances and feelings.

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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

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and

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Requirement Due date

the responsible individual (if one is nominated).

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 44 (1) (4)(a)(b) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 23 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC062268 8 Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that independent persons’ visits take place monthly and that the independent person submits their report to the regulator within the required time frame.

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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 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 23 October 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where children placed in the home are not participating in education, or are not accessing 25 hours of education a week, that they and staff work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable, structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15).  The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. This includes notifying the regulator when children are missing for long periods. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.3).  The registered person should provide staff the opportunity to reflect and act upon

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Recommendations

how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the behaviour of the children they care for, following incidents. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15).  The registered person should provide a six-monthly review taking into account feedback from children and their network that identifies areas of strength and possible weaknesses specific to the home’s care. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4).

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This inspection was carried Inspection report for children’s home: SC062268 9 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: SC062268 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 158-160 Birkrig, Digmoor Parade, Skelmersdale, Lancashire WN8 9HP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael Fletcher

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Inspector

Renée Sims, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC062268 11 regulates 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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