Children's Home run by Elm Housing Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2836174 1 Registered provider: Elm Housing 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 operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This was the first full inspection since the home registered with Ofsted.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2836174 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with local universal services and are encouraged to attend routine appointments. Children are encouraged to eat healthily and enjoy fitness. The children benefit from the home having a large garden which contains football nets which they can use as part of their training routine. Additionally, the children’s guide contains information about staff supporting children to stop smoking. However, it does not contain information about the use of e-cigarettes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported with education, employment and training. One child has plans to attend college after school. One child’s placing authority has worked with the staff team to consider plans for another child to attend a local training provider.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and encouraged to participate in a range of activities which promote their confidence and self-esteem. These activities have included sky diving, going to the gym and eating out. One child, who is a skilled footballer, is supported by staff to attend training and matches on a weekly basis, which staff watch and support them with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Significant discussions take place with children on a regular basis and cover a wide variety of topics, such as sexual health, promoting physical and emotional health, maintaining healthy friendships and online safety. The voice of the child is captured in these sessions and staff take on a supportive role in order to understand the child’s perspective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is supported to have their hair styled monthly. This supports the child’s cultural identity, which is crucial to supporting and promoting the child’s identity needs. Children’s birthdays are celebrated in the home and staff coordinated their family members’ visiting times to celebrate alongside the child and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Photos of the children celebrating their birthday and completing activities are contained within their memory books. One child, who has recently moved into the home, already has a memory book in place, with photographs showing them enjoying a range of activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend regular time with their family in line with their plan. One child has returned to live with their family. This child’s family member said, ‘[Name of child] has looked the healthiest he has ever looked and has made progress which I can build on, and we now have a better relationship.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to complete basic tasks in the home, such as cleaning their bedroom, tidying up after themselves and helping with basic chores. Inspection report for children’s home: 2836174 3 Not all repairs are acted on in a timely way. However, the responsible individual took action to report the identified repairs to the maintenance team during this visit.

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

The manager implements risk management plans that are regularly reviewed. These plans provide staff with guidance and strategies to care for children. However, there have been inconsistent responses to safeguarding concerns and serious incidents, due to staff not following children’s plans and not being professionally curious to understand the triggers for children’s behaviour. Subsequently, on occasion, children’s behaviour has heightened, which has led to staff managing difficult situations where children have become distressed.

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

Staff do not always use effective de-escalation techniques when children feel upset and frustrated. Staff have relied on the police to manage behaviours and diffuse situations. On one occasion when police were called to the home, a child was injured by a police dog and required medical treatment. This does not provide children with a positive message that staff have the confidence or skill set to support children when they are in crisis.

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

When physical intervention is necessary to help keep children and others safe, children and staff are provided with a debrief following the incident. Leaders and managers have full oversight of these incidents and take a critical view to understand the situation from the child’s perspective.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff report and share this information with relevant professionals and external agencies. Staff are currently working collaboratively with one child’s placing authority as a child remains missing from home. The child has been missing for thirteen consecutive days. Staff have conducted daily searches and have been in regular contact with family members, as well as attending multi-agency meetings to share critical information so that safety plans can be implemented.

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

When children make complaints, leaders and managers act to share their concerns with the appropriate agencies, including the local authority designated officer, and Ofsted in accordance with statutory guidance. Investigations take place to establish facts, and decisive action is taken regarding staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers acknowledge that recent staffing instability has affected the consistency of care delivered to children. However, adjustments to staffing levels, along with revisions to the rota and on-call system, have resulted in a well-balanced distribution of experience and skills across all shifts.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers actively involve staff in both individual and group reflective discussions regarding serious incidents. Managers reinforce the significance of collaborating with the broader system to improve care planning for children. Additional Inspection report for children’s home: 2836174 4 training is being provided to staff to support them to expand their knowledge and skills in relation to both the criminal and sexual exploitation of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Internal monitoring is undertaken by the manager and the responsible individual, who staff confirm are both present in the home on a regular basis. Together, they understand the strengths and areas for development of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers recognise the importance of promoting staff’s emotional well- being and have arranged additional training for staff which focuses on self-care and emotional resilience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision takes place regularly and provides staff with the opportunity to discuss practice issues as well as any personal issues. These sessions are well recorded and detailed. Staff are familiar with the company whistle-blowing procedure as well as what to do if they feel a closed culture is emerging. Staff are confident that, should they have a concern, this would be managed quickly and confidentially.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have a through induction and have a probation period of nine months. Individual progress and professional development are measured periodically to ensure that staff have the skills required to effectively care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2836174 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

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

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in ensuring that children’s risk assessments and relevant plans are followed to keep them safe from harm at all times. 17 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults. 17 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2836174 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(vii)(ix)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff have the confidence, knowledge and skills to help children manage their behaviour in line with their care plans to prevent children’s behaviour from escalating.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, staff must have the skills to de-escalate behaviour which is damaging or violent in a way that does not cause further distress or harm.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person must make a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person should ensure that children and staff are provided with written guidance which details the home’s approach to the use by children of cigarettes, e- Inspection report for children’s home: 2836174 7 cigarettes and related equipment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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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 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: 2836174 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Elm Housing Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Turner & Brown, 105 Garstang Road, Preston PR1 1LD

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Inspector

Michelle Greenhalgh, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2836174 9 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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Inspector

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