Children's home run by Therapeutic Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2740092 1 Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider and offers care for up to two children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home, and one child had recently moved out.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2740092 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/07/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2740092 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child living at the home spoke to the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children receive high-quality individualised care and have made significant progress. Staff are committed to supporting children and have an excellent understanding of their needs. Living at the home has led to sustained change and improvements in the children’s lives and enhanced their life chances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff prepare children with the skills needed for adulthood and independent living. Recently, one child transitioned from the home through a carefully planned process, having developed the capabilities to live successfully with reduced support. The manager ensured that the child had access to appropriate support systems throughout this transition, contributing to a positive and successful outcome. The child continues to maintain contact with staff, reflecting the strong and supportive relationships that were fostered during their time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child who currently lives at the home has developed positive, trusting relationships with the staff, who provide genuine warmth and nurturing care. The child’s views are taken seriously and are central to the decisions made. As a result, the child said they feel valued and heard. One social worker said, ‘The child has made progress. I have found staff to be patient, kind and caring. They are supportive in encouraging the child to share how they are feeling.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child is now engaging in full-time education, which is significant progress for them. Staff have worked with other professionals to break down the barriers to the child’s learning due to their past experiences and anxieties. The child has now gained confidence in their ability and has positive aspirations of completing their college course and moving on to university next year.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child’s health and well-being have significantly improved since living at the home. Staff have an excellent understanding of the child’s health needs. Staff are working with the in-house therapist to help the child understand and manage past traumas that affect their emotional health and well-being. This has helped significantly reduce the child’s self-harming behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child spends time with people who are important to them. Staff are committed to ensuring that family time takes place regularly, and they support family members in rebuilding relationships with the child so that they can spend quality time together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

One of the strengths of the staff is the support they give to the child in developing age- appropriate life skills. There is a comprehensive independence programme in place, and the child regularly carries out tasks with support and guidance from staff. This is helping Inspection report for children’s home: 2740092 4 the child to acquire the necessary skills and confidence to live more independently in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide children with a warm, welcoming, comfortable and homely living environment. Staff encourage children to take an active part in their local community, and they have engaged in fundraising activities together.

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

Staff ensure that children’s safety is consistently at the heart of their practice. Staff have an excellent awareness of the risks children face. Children become increasingly safer due to the effectiveness of staff’s actions to support and protect them.

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

Staff have an excellent understanding of children’s risks and vulnerabilities. Risk assessments are clear, and they provide guidance for staff on how to manage and minimise risk. Children are encouraged and supported to participate in their risk assessments through age-appropriate discussions, which include internet safety, personal safety and safe relationships. This has resulted in children understanding their vulnerabilities and making safer choices.

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

The child spoken to said they feel safe and trust the staff to help them if they have any concerns or worries. There have been no complaints.

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

Staff encourage positive behaviour by building strong, trusting relationships with children. Clear rules and consistent boundaries provide a supportive framework that children respond to well. Following any incidents, staff engage with children to help them explore safer ways to express their emotions and manage feelings of frustration. This thoughtful approach has contributed to a significant reduction in behavioural incidents, and there have been no missing-from-home occurrences.

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

On one occasion, physical intervention has been used to keep a child safe. Following the incident, the child was helped to reflect on their feelings and understand why the hold was necessary. The manager has clear oversight of physical intervention records to look at triggers and provide any additional support required to prevent further incidents.

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

Children are supported in taking age-appropriate risks as part of their development for independence. Children go out regularly with friends in the local community. Staff are proactive in their approach to educating children about maintaining their personal safety, and this helps the children feel more confident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is qualified, dedicated, highly inspirational and child centred. He leads by example and has high expectations of the staff. Children are at the heart of everything the manager does. He is ambitious about what the children can achieve and ensures that they have positive experiences and live in an environment that helps them flourish. Inspection report for children’s home: 2740092 5 The manager has excellent oversight of the day-to-day practice in the home. He has a good understanding of the strengths and developmental needs of the staff and continues to improve their practice. The manager has a clear plan of how to keep improving the quality of service and care for children. There are robust systems in place to monitor children’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a highly motivated and stable team of staff who share the manager’s aspirations. Staff are enthusiastic, committed, work well together and provide consistency for the children. All staff say they feel supported by the manager. One staff member said, ‘My manager has been so personally supportive of my role here. He is approachable, supportive and goes above and beyond for myself, the children and all the team.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff speak enthusiastically about the training available to support them in their roles. They say that training has given them a deeper understanding of the home’s model of care. The company’s therapist regularly reviews the progress children are making and ensures that staff know how to target their interactions with children most effectively. This wraparound approach helps children make exceptional progress and thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a strong advocate for the development of the staff team. Staff receive regular supervision sessions and annual performance appraisals. This gives the manager and staff the opportunity to reflect and consider any areas for development. Furthermore, the manager is keen to support the career development of the staff by giving them the opportunity to take on extra responsibilities. This provides staff with a shared ownership in the continual development of the care provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings are an opportunity for staff to reflect and share ideas. The manager uses the meetings to provide additional learning opportunities by researching current events that may have an influence on children. This promotes a culture of continuous learning to ensure that staff remain knowledgeable and motivated in delivering high-quality care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The child’s placing authority is extremely complimentary about the staff and the care they provide to the child. An independent reviewing officer (IRO) said:

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

‘I have been [name of child]’s IRO for over eight years, so I have been part of the journey in care, including being at this home. Throughout this time, [name of manager] and his staff have worked tirelessly to advocate for the child in all areas of their life.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

An independent person visits the home each month and scrutinises the care provided to children. This includes the arrangements for safeguarding children and promoting their well-being. However, the independent person does not gather feedback from parents regarding their children’s care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2740092 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that parents are offered the opportunity to discuss the quality of care provided to their child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2740092 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2740092 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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