Children's Home run by Hopscotch Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 1 Registered provider: Hopscotch Care Limited

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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 one child who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, one child was living at the home. The inspector spoke with the child as part of the visit.

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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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This monitoring visit

A full inspection was carried out on 10 September 2025. The inspector identified serious and widespread shortfalls in relation to safeguarding practices and ineffective leadership and management arrangements.

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This monitoring visit

Following the inspection, two compliance notices were issued under Section 22A of the Care Standards Act relating to regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the actions taken by the provider to meet the steps outlined in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The home admitted one child without fully considering whether the staff have the necessary skills and experience to safely meet their needs. Although the referrals manager and the registered manager engaged in discussions with other professionals about the referral, records provide limited evidence of a full risk analysis before the child moved into the home. All known risks, such as the close access to the train station, were not taken into account. This demonstrates that the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 2 child’s move into the home was insufficiently planned, exposing the child to avoidable hazards.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments are not updated in line with the child’s changing needs. There are duplications and gaps in the documents, which the registered manager has failed to identify. The child’s risk assessments rely on staff ratios and the deprivation of liberty order (DoL order) to keep them safe. When it is evident the child’s risk assessment fails to ensure their safety, there is only limited evidence of challenge or revision. The manager accepts that there are shortfalls in the child’s risk assessments.

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This monitoring visit

During the first two weeks of the child moving into the home, they were arrested by the police on two occasions. Staff do not consistently implement identified behaviour management strategies to de-escalate situations, which has resulted in risks to the child and staff increasing during incidents.

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This monitoring visit

An online safety risk assessment has been implemented to restrict the child’s access to the internet in line with the DoL order. However, checks of the child’s games console are not consistently carried out. As a result, there are significant gaps in the identification and management of the online risks to the child, as staff are not aware of who the child is communicating with online.

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This monitoring visit

Appropriate action is not taken to manage and reduce risks to the child. The child’s risk assessment identified the need to replace the window restrictors in their bedroom with a more robust system and to relocate the radiator beneath the window to reduce the risk of the child leaving the home without permission. However, these measures have not been implemented. Consequently, the child was able to exit the home through their bedroom window.

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This monitoring visit

Risks to the child’s health associated with the use of vaping devices have not been adequately considered. Although it is illegal for a child of their age to possess and use vapes, they are able to do so. Additionally, staff and the child’s social worker have occasionally accepted unlabelled vape juices that the child’s mother has sent to the home without checking the contents or assessing the potential health risks.

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This monitoring visit

Furthermore, when the child leaves the home to use their vape, this increases their risk of going missing. Although the child is subject to a DoL order, the current arrangements have not prevented the child from leaving the home. The child also has a history of multiple missing-from-home incidents, both before and since moving into the home.

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This monitoring visit

The child has gained access to hazardous items, including broken glass bottles and a knife, and they have threatened to use these items when frustrated by staff actions. On one occasion, the child managed to obtain a knife from the kitchen despite it being stored in a locked cupboard, highlighting weaknesses in storage security, supervision and de-escalation techniques. During this incident, staff did not use physical restraint, which prevented further escalation but failed to reduce the immediate risk of harm. This incident ultimately resulted in the child’s arrest. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 3 Not all staff have received adequate training to meet the significant needs of the child currently living at the home. This includes training in criminal exploitation, alcohol and substance misuse, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This could impact on staff’s ability to keep the child safe.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted is not always informed of significant incidents. On one occasion, the child was able to leave the home without support and is reported to have accessed illegal substances from a member of the public. The regulator was not informed of this incident, which limits its oversight.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has introduced new incident management forms to address the shortfalls identified during the full inspection. These documents are intended to help staff recognise the actual or potential actions required and prompt them to seek additional safeguarding guidance when necessary. However, staff do not always complete these forms fully or follow the required procedures. In addition, the responsible individual has not reviewed all significant incidents to ensure effective oversight, despite this being an expectation of the incident management process. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2025 Full Inadequate 09/10/2024 Full Good 10/05/2023 Full Good 12/04/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 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 with 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

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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have a thorough understanding of risk management plans and strategies in place to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that systems are in place to promptly and appropriately escalate concerns in relation to staff practice. 14 December 2025

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 14 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 6 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are systems in place so that managers have effective oversight of staff practice and the impact on children’s safety and experiences.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff record significant events accurately and concisely.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies, or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there are effective professional relationships between the staff and the placing authority. This includes good communication and sharing all relevant documentation. 14 December 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— 14 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 7 mutual respect and trust;

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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.

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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

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

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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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

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff understand and respond appropriately to the child’s social and emotional needs.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. 14 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 8 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the child’s health needs are consistently prioritised. Behaviours that pose a health risk, such as vaping, must be sufficiently challenged.

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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)) 14 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 9 *These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that supervision sessions are recorded in a manner that is unique to each individual and conversation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 10

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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

James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2510847 11 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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