Children's Home run by Hopscotch Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 1 Registered provider: Hopscotch Care 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 offers care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, no children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: A monitoring visit took place on 28 July 2025 to review the progress made against the two compliance notices issued under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). Following the visit, Ofsted determined that the provider had not taken sufficient action to meet the requirements set out in the compliance notices. As a result, the compliance notices were reissued under regulations 12 and 13. Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/06/2025 Full Inadequate 06/11/2024 Full Good 16/01/2024 Full Good 11/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, a child had recently moved out of the home. The information in this report is based on the child’s experiences before their move from the home. Although there have been some improvements made to the care provided in the home, changes are not fully embedded into everyday practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff supported the child in having a carefully planned move from the home. Staff celebrated the child’s time at the home, which helped the child experience a positive ending and settle into their new home.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff encouraged the child to engage in education. They helped the child to learn new skills in line with their age and understanding, including making their bed and assisting with the washing and cooking. This helped to promote the child’s independence.

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improvement to be good

Staff encouraged a range of activities relevant to the child’s needs and interests, including playing on the games console, watching films, playing football and walking.

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improvement to be good

The child maintained good health, and staff actively encouraged and supported the child to attend health appointments. The child’s healthcare needs are detailed in their plans.

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improvement to be good

Staff encouraged the child to spend time with people who are important to them. This included staff supporting the child in spending time with family members who they had not seen recently. This provided the child with a support network where they felt safe to maintain relationships with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

The child developed positive relationships with staff. The child wrote a letter to staff and did a speech during their leaver’s meal, reflecting on their memories of the time they spent with staff.

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improvement to be good

The use of natural consequences helped the child to rebuild relationships with staff at the home and promote a sense of ownership. However, not all consequences or their effectiveness are recorded. The lack of recording means it is not always clear whether consequences are proportionate and reasonable, resulting in missed opportunities to reflect and identify lessons learned.

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improvement to be good

Staff are provided with training to support children’s individual needs. Training includes safeguarding, first aid, professional boundaries, substance misuse, sexualised behaviours, and mental health awareness. This ensures that staff have the skills to Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 4 support children’s individual needs. One member of staff said, ‘Over the past couple of months, staff have had a lot of training, helping us have the best skills and mindset for the children coming into our care.’

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improvement to be good

Staff have received specific training around risk management plans to ensure that they have a good understanding of the strategies in place to reduce the risk of harm to the child. The training was supported by reflective discussions during team meetings and supervision sessions. One member of staff said, ‘We are doing quizzes and knowledge checks, and we are now seeing an improvement in the responses, especially around risk assessments.’

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improvement to be good

Improvements were made to the child’s risk management plan, ensuring that it is easy to read and clearly demonstrates if risks increase or decrease. However, further guidance was required to ensure that staff supported the child in the best way. While progress is evident in risk management, the improvements are not yet fully embedded into practice.

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improvement to be good

There have been no incidents of restraint or children going missing from home since the last inspection. Staff have a good understanding of the missing-from-home procedures.

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improvement to be good

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: requires improvement to be good

The home is managed by a dedicated, caring, and ambitious manager who advocates well for children. The manager has a leadership and management qualification. The manager speaks about the child who has recently left the home with warmth and enthusiasm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have worked to address the concerns raised at the last inspection. The compliance notices, requirements and recommendation raised at the last inspection were deemed to have been met at this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been a change in the senior leadership structure of the home. The responsible individual is working closely with the registered manager. Leaders and managers have introduced new systems aimed at improving oversight and accountability. Although these changes are promising, they are still in the early stages and not fully embedded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The management team has introduced new monitoring and review systems to ensure that the home operates in line with its statement of purpose. The manager is working closely with the newly appointed independent person to enhance independent oversight and to assist leaders and managers in continuously developing and improving leadership and management, safeguarding practices, and the quality of care at the home. As a result, the child experienced greater consistency and an improved quality of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 5 Staff attend regular team meetings and supervision sessions, in line with the home’s statement of purpose. These sessions offer valuable opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice and explore ways to better support children. The manager has introduced a supervision audit tool to highlight staff’s strengths and identify areas for development. However, this system is still in early stages and not yet fully embedded.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say that they feel supported by the managers. One member of staff said, ‘The management team are always on hand if I have any questions.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 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

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline, or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time, and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used, or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 21 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2617303 7 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is a detailed record of any consequences which also includes the effectiveness of the consequence.

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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: 2617303 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: 2617303 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 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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