Children's Home run by Hopscotch Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2510847 1 Registered provider: Hopscotch Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in April 2019 and is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

No child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2021. The registered manager has been absent from the home since May 2025. An interim manager was appointed in July 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2510847 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2024 Full Good 10/05/2023 Full Good 12/04/2022 Full Good 02/02/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2510847 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Shortfalls in the leadership and management of the home, along with staff’s poor safeguarding practices, have had an adverse impact on the overall safety, progress, and experiences of the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, the child has moved out of the home. The child experienced inconsistent care from staff. This has not provided the child with stability or helped them to make progress in their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not provide care in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Staff do not follow the home’s policies and procedures to keep children safe. This does not demonstrate that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff encourage children to spend time with people who are close to them. However, there has been no consistency or clear boundaries for when they visit the child at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child made some progress from their starting point. A social worker said, ‘There has been a significant reduction in substance misuse.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home is well presented, and the child’s bedroom has been redecorated in readiness for the arrival of a new child.

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

Staff failed to follow agreed strategies to reduce and minimise risks to the child. This failure in staff practice does not demonstrate an understanding of their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from harm.

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

Staff failed to support the child in line with a court-directed order. The child was able to access illegal substances. Not all staff followed the correct procedure to ensure that the child’s safety was prioritised.

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

Staff have failed to report significant safeguarding concerns to management in relation to poor staff practice. The child faced potential harm due to this failure to act.

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

Staff only use physical intervention as a last resort to keep the child safe, after all de- escalation and distraction methods have been explored. There has only been one occasion when the use of physical intervention has been required to keep the child safe. Debriefs took place with the child and staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2510847 4 Staff access training to ensure that they are appropriately skilled to meet children’s individual needs. Training includes topics such as missing from care, fire awareness, substance misuse, child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, and deprivation of liberty safeguards. Staff have a good understanding of the missing-from-home procedure.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed, which means that staff are recruited safely. Recruitment checks ensure that only suitable staff are employed to work with children at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has been absent from the home since May 2025 due to personal circumstances. An interim manager has been overseeing the home since July 2025. The interim manager ensures that she is present in the home and accessible to staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Shortfalls in staff practice are not always clearly communicated following internal investigations. This does not ensure that the manager has effective oversight of staff practice and the impact on children’s safety and experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not ensure that records of significant events, such as missing- from-home episodes, are accurate. Records are not clear and concise. This does not ensure that they accurately reflect the event with clear management oversight to support and protect children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Professional feedback is mixed. One social worker raised concern about sometimes not receiving relevant documentation. This does not ensure an effective professional relationship between the staff and the placing authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are supported through regular supervision and team meetings. However, not all supervision sessions are unique to the individual, and they lack reflective discussions. This is a missed opportunity for staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Due to the significant shortfalls, compliance notices were issued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). Inspection report for children’s home: 2510847 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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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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have a thorough understanding of risk management plans and strategies in place to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that systems are in place to promptly and appropriately escalate concerns in relation to staff practice. 19 October 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—

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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; 19 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2510847 6 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are systems in place so that managers have effective oversight of staff practice and the impact on children’s safety and experiences.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff record significant events accurately and concisely.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies, or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are effective professional relationships between the staff and the placing authority. This includes good communication and sharing all relevant documentation. 31 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2510847 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the recording of supervision sessions is unique to each individual and every discussion. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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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: 2510847 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hopscotch Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 19 Lancaster Road, Carnforth, Lancashire LA5 9LD

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Inspector

Stacey Ilaboya, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2510847 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 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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