Children's home run by Outbound Care

Inspection report for children’s home: 2838887 1 Registered provider: Outbound Care

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is a privately operated. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of this inspection. This child was seen and spoken to during the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2838887 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming. There is a lot of space for children to spend time with staff and have time on their own when needed. Bedrooms are large and personalised. Lots of photos on the wall of the child’s enjoyable experiences with staff, from being on holiday and having fun, enrich the environment.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made good progress since living at the home. They have developed trusting relationships with staff and benefit from structured boundaries that have helped them to feel safe. The child spoke warmly about staff and the fun they have together. The child said, ‘I feel like this home is for me.’ Professionals spoken to during the inspection recognise the progress the child has made in a short space of time.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have helped the child to engage in alternative education. Because of this, the child has developed a new confidence around learning. Staff understand the difficulties the child has faced with education previously and have worked with education professionals to develop a bespoke timetable, which is encouraging the child to engage.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where there have been issues around the child seeing family, staff have developed a plan to ensure that the child is helped to see family members in a positive way. The child is developing stronger relationships with their family and has a better understanding of their own identity as a result.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has lots of opportunities to engage in activities. The child has been on holiday with staff and spoke of the fun they had. They have had a variety of enjoyable experiences that they have not had before living at this home. This is helping to develop the child’s self-esteem.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Language used when writing about the child in records is not always child friendly. This is not always helpful for the child should they choose to read their records to help them reflect on their time at the home. This is not in keeping with how the child is cared for.

p.2

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

The child feels safe and secure living in this home. The child can speak openly to all staff about how they are kept safe. Staff have helped the child to learn better ways of managing overwhelming emotions. This has helped reduce incidents of physical interventions in the home. The child is now able to reflect on any incidents and speak to staff about safer ways to express themselves. Inspection report for children’s home: 2838887 3 There have been no missing-from-home incidents. However, staff remain vigilant in their understanding of the process to follow should an incident occur.

p.2

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

When safeguarding concerns arise, such as allegations about staff’s practice, these are managed well and in line with safeguarding procedures. Appropriate action is taken to ensure that the child is safeguarded. The child is helped to express their views and feelings, and all professionals are kept up to date so investigations can be completed and appropriate outcomes concluded.

p.3

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

When there have been behaviours that are difficult to manage during the child’s visits with family, staff have reflected on this with the child. They were able to add more structure to family time to reduce the likelihood of repeat incidents. This meant that the child was able to have a happier experience seeing their family. Behaviours that were difficult to manage no longer occur.

p.3

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

Risk assessments are not reflective of the behaviour shown by the child. Strategies in how to manage risks are not clear to staff. Staff use different strategies to what is described in behaviour support plans, in comparison to the risk assessments. Due to this, there is a lack of consistency in how these risks are managed.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and experienced to manage the home. They provide staff with effective leadership and guidance. The manager also manages another home in the same organisation, but this is managed well.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear understanding of the progress that the child has made since they arrived in the home. The manager speaks warmly of the child and can speak about their views and experiences. They have a positive relationship with the child and make a point of spending quality time with them. For example, the manager successfully supported the child on their first bike ride to the local shop.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has strong links with professionals away from the home. This enables him to escalate effectively when documents are missing and ensures that these are obtained quickly. These positive relationships mean the manager works collaboratively with others to promote the best possible outcomes for the child. One professional said, ‘The manager is always there to help.’

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive supportive practice-related supervisions. Staff fully understand their roles and how best to support the child. They are well trained and benefit from an extensive induction package when new to their role.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers use monitoring tools to support their oversight of the home. They monitor and review the child’s experiences to analyse the effectiveness of staff’s practice and make changes where necessary. Their persistent scrutiny demonstrates their ambition to continually develop the team’s approach to care, so they remain responsive to meeting children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2838887 4 However, some incident records do not accurately reflect the child’s behaviour or how staff help the child during the incident. This means there is a lack of transparency in report writing, making it difficult for the manager to take any action necessary. Shortfalls in recording have yet to be rectified.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders and managers do not have effective systems regarding pre- employment checks for new staff. The registered manager has not gathered a satisfactory explanation around employment history gaps for a newly employed worker, demonstrating a lack of due diligence when assessing a person’s suitability to work with children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2838887 5

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 27 November

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills to make clear and accurate recordings when incidents occur. 27 November

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— 27 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2838887 6 full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.6

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: 2838887 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Outbound Care Ltd, Unit 2, Metropolitan Business Park, Preston New Road, Blackpool FY3 9LT

p.7

Inspector

Gary Smithson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2838887 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8