Children's home run by Hopscotch Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2528141 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

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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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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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

Date of last inspection: 26 February 2025

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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: 2528141 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/02/2025 Full Good 24/05/2023 Full Good 12/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/02/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2528141 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported well and is held in high regard by managers and staff. Staff know the child well. The child has positive relationships with staff. One social worker said, ‘[Name of child] has bonds with the staff.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a relaxed atmosphere in the home. The home is furnished and decorated to a good standard. At the time of the inspection, the home was decorated for Halloween, and the child had carved a pumpkin. The child chose a colour scheme and furniture for their bedroom. This supports the child’s sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child enjoys a range of activities and different experiences. These include baking, arts and crafts, shopping and watching films. Staff help the child carry out chores such as cooking, baking, and shopping, which promotes the child’s independence skills and education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of helping children maintain and develop their cultural and religious beliefs. One child was supported through Ramadan. Staff assisted the child in attending workshops and seminars at their Islamic society. One social worker said, ‘One of the things [name of child] said they like about the staff is they have all gone out of the way to learn about me and my culture.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff supported the child through a period in hospital. The child’s social worker said, ‘The staff support when [name of child] was in hospital was amazing.’ Staff actively encourage and support the child to attend health appointments. However, the child uses a vape, which does not help promote their health and well-being. The child is not allowed to use the vape in the home. Staff have a good understanding of the vaping policy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The local authority has informed the child that they will be moving on from the home. Leaders and managers have expressed concern that a new placement had not been identified before the child was informed of the move. However, they did not consistently escalate these concerns when no response was received, which limits staff’s ability to provide the child with complete information and answer any questions they may have.

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

The manager and staff have created a safe environment in which the child feels listened to and can express their wishes and feelings. One social worker said, ‘[Name of child] is really comfortable here.’

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

Staff take time to listen to the child and help them understand their emotions. Staff know the child’s likes and dislikes and what may be a trigger for them. Staff use this Inspection report for children’s home: 2528141 4 knowledge to support the child’s individual needs. Consistent approaches from staff help reinforce boundaries and make the child feel safe and secure.

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

Staff are provided with regular training that helps them meet the specific needs of the child in their care. Training includes topics such as safeguarding, ligature and self-harm, eating disorders, deprivation of liberty and county lines awareness. This ensures that staff have the skills to support children’s individual needs.

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

There have been incidents where the use of physical intervention was required. Staff receive training on the use of physical intervention and only resort to it when necessary to ensure the safety of children. The manager reviews all physical interventions to ensure that they are proportionate, and reflective work is carried out with staff and children.

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

Staff understand the child’s risks and vulnerabilities. The child’s individual risk assessment is regularly reviewed. However, the child’s risk assessment does not include details of all the agreed changes in procedures to support the child effectively. This is a missed opportunity to ensure consistency in staff practice and reduce potential risks to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

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 the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The interim manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. The manager has good oversight of the child’s progress and any changes needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders, managers and staff maintain good communication with other professionals. One social worker said, ‘Communication has been amazing.’ This ensures that the team around the child has all relevant information to support the child’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend regular team meetings and receive regular supervision of their practice. This provides opportunities for staff to reflect on and develop their practice. Staff say they feel supported by the managers. One staff member said, ‘Staff are very supportive of each other and are willing to talk me through what they are doing without me asking.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have failed to report all serious incidents to Ofsted as required. As a result, the regulator does not have sufficient oversight and scrutiny of the management of significant incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: 2528141 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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children’s risk management plans are up to date, allowing staff to access all relevant information to reduce risks to children. 28 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended 28 November 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2528141 6 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children have a positive planned experience when moving on from the home and escalate concerns about care planning with the local authority.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that when a serious incident occurs, a notification is made to Ofsted. 28 November 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being, in particular around the use of vapes. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 33, paragraph 7.10) Inspection report for children’s home: 2528141 7

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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: 2528141 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: 2528141 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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