Blue Lily Lodge

Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 1 Blue Lily Lodge Bluefront Care Ltd 166 Barton Road, Barton Seagrave, Kettering NN15 6RY Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this residential family centre

This family centre is privately owned and is registered to provide accommodation for up to four families.

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Information about this residential family centre

At the time of the inspection, no families were living in the centre.

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Information about this residential family centre

There has been no registered manager since September 2024.

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Information about this residential family centre

The responsible individual has been in post since July 2025 and was deemed suitable by Ofsted in September 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and parents, taking into account inadequate

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and parents are helped and protected inadequate

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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Overall experiences and progress of

There are serious or widespread failures that mean children and parents are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and parents are poor.

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

The last full inspection was undertaken in July 2024, when the judgement was requires improvement overall, with leadership and management inadequate. A monitoring visit was carried out on 1 October 2024. Serious and widespread Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 2 concerns were found. An urgent suspension notice was issued alongside three compliance notices under regulations 8, 12 and 15. A further monitoring visit was undertaken on 21 November 2025. The compliance notices were considered met and the suspension notice was lifted. Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to access and review vital documents to inform assessment work with families prior to their placement. This includes key information such as letters of instruction and pre-birth assessments. As a result, the support provided to families is limited and lacks a sound understanding of their needs and risks. This lack of preparation and oversight undermines the quality of assessments and could place children at potential risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

The centre has not completed a full assessment since the last full inspection. Two assessments were initiated during this period; however, both placements were terminated early by the local authority due to serious concerns about the safety and well-being of the families living in the centre. One family received a midway assessment whereas the other family did not, despite having been placed for the same duration. This inconsistency demonstrates a lack of clear oversight and professional accountability in the assessment process. As a result, leaders and managers cannot evidence that the centre fulfils its core function of providing robust, timely and meaningful assessment to inform local authority decision-making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

The quality of the recordings of the parenting assessment sessions is poor. The recordings are not descriptive and lack evaluation. It is unclear whether the child is present during sessions. Key observations about the child’s interactions, presentation and responses are missing. There is a strong focus on the parents and their needs; however, the child’s experiences and voice are largely overlooked.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Weekly reports do not reflect the daily observations and concerns that are recorded about children and families. Information is not triangulated, and this results in an inaccurate and, at times, misleading picture of parenting capacity. The lack of management oversight and quality assurance means this has gone unnoticed and opportunities to improve assessments are missed. This shortfall significantly impacts the decision-making process for parents and their children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

Weekly reports are not being completed in line with the centre’s own planning and expectations. The frequency and quality of the reporting are inconsistent, with several gaps noted. The reports that are available lack views and contributions of parents, meaning their perspectives are not being considered or used to inform ongoing assessment and support. In addition, there is no evidence of management oversight or review within these reports. This limits leaders’ ability to monitor progress, identify emerging concerns or assure the quality of practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

The views of families and requests for support are not taken seriously or acted on in a timely manner. This demonstrates a lack of respect for families’ voices and a failure to provide responsive, needs-led support. For example, one parent’s risk assessment and matching assessment identified that relapse prevention support would be offered as part of the placement plan. However, enquiries were not made Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 4 for this support until one month later. This delay placed the parent and child at potential risk and undermined the purpose of the agreed support plan. This also demonstrates a lack of responsiveness to need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and parents: inadequate

There is an institutionalised feeling in the home. For example, there are large stickers on kitchen cupboards indicating which room they belong to. A blanket 5pm curfew is imposed on families, regardless of their individual circumstances, need or assessed risks. Despite both families expressing that they found this restrictive, no meaningful action was taken to review or adapt the centre’s practice. This leaves parents feeling unheard and disempowered. As a result, the environment does not foster trust, respect or positive relationships between families and staff. The lack of responsiveness to feedback and the institutional culture significantly limit the quality of experiences for both children and families.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Leaders, managers and staff do not consistently ensure that children and parents are kept safe. Safeguarding policies and procedures are not consistently followed. Leaders and managers have failed to foster an open culture in the home where safeguarding is a priority.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Safer recruitment procedures are not followed. Leaders and managers do not evidence due diligence when employing staff. For example, one social worker carried out assessment work with parents and children without leaders assuring themselves that they had a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Leaders and managers were unable to explain how this breach occurred, demonstrating serious shortfalls in oversight.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not follow their own safeguarding policies and safeguarding concerns are not always identified or responded to promptly. For example, a parent raised a complaint the day after they observed concerns regarding the way in which a member of staff allegedly rough handled a baby. Safeguarding policies and procedures were not followed, as the concern was not reported to the local authority designated officer (LADO). The social worker was only made aware of the issue when visiting the home five days later. This delay demonstrates weak oversight, poor management of risk and ineffective safeguarding practice, leaving children vulnerable to harm.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not respond effectively to parents’ safeguarding concerns. For example, one mother raised a concern that a member of staff had not followed safe sleeping guidance with her baby. There is no evidence that this concern was taken seriously or followed up appropriately. This lack of action highlights weak oversight and poor safeguarding practices, leaving children at risk and parents without confidence that their concerns will be addressed.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff do not take sufficient action when concerns about a child are raised, leaving children at risk of significant harm. For example, a parent reported being worried Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 5 that they had held their baby too tightly, resulting in the baby becoming overheated and vomiting. This concern was recorded in a chronology of concern; however, this was an isolated document. There is no evidence that the information was reviewed by managers, triangulated with other records, or followed up to ensure the child’s safety. Consequently, no assurance could be given that any action was taken in response to this serious concern.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Risk assessments are static and are not updated in line with the provider’s own expectations. Risk assessments do not reflect risky behaviours and concerns noted elsewhere, such as the chronology of concerns. There is a lack of regular review and analysis, and specific actions to reduce risks are not clearly set out. In addition, there is little evidence of triangulation between different sources of information, which limits the effectiveness of safeguarding measures and increases the potential for harm.

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How well children and parents are helped and protected: inadequate

Monitoring of closed-circuit television (CCTV), which is identified in placement plans and risk assessments as a key safeguarding measure, is ineffective in practice. On one occasion, a baby was out of sight of the cameras for 20 minutes with no staff present, and on another, a parent unplugged the audio, which remained inactive for approximately 26 minutes. These incidents demonstrate that 24/7 monitoring is not consistently implemented, and risk reduction plans are not followed. Children’s safety is compromised as a result.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership and management arrangements have been unstable over the inspection period, leaving this area extremely vulnerable and weak. The responsible individual has appointed a new manager who lacks experience in residential family centres and will require ongoing support in this new role. However, the responsible individual works only two days per month and has not ensured a contingency plan is in place to provide support on non-working days. As a result, the effectiveness of leaders and managers in driving improvements and ensuring children and families are helped and protected is significantly compromised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are not supported effectively in their roles to meet the needs of the families they work with. Supervision is not provided regularly and lacks the reflection needed to develop practice or support staff learning. Team meetings are infrequent, with only two evidenced to have taken place in 2025. Leaders and managers were unable to evidence that staff received training or guidance to meet the complex needs of one mother. As a result, staff do not have the skills, knowledge or support required to provide safe and effective care to families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Lessons learned from previous inspection activity has been ineffective. The responsible individual acknowledges that the evidence provided during this inspection does not reflect learning from previous serious incidents. Leaders and managers have not improved practice or strengthened safeguarding arrangements, leaving children and families exposed to ongoing risk. Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 6 Leaders and managers do not have adequate oversight or evaluation of whether staff are able to support vulnerable families effectively. The quality of the recording of information is also very poor. For example, there is information about one child recorded on another child’s file, and parents’ names are misspelled throughout. There is also no clear recording of when families have moved in and out of the centre.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have failed to ensure that staff have the qualifications, skills and experience required to perform their roles effectively and safely. There are no qualified members of staff, and the responsible individual is unclear about which staff are currently in post. Some staff have no experience of working in a residential family centre, which significantly undermines the quality of care and protection provided to families.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the residential family centre operates in accordance with its statement of purpose. The statement outlines a commitment to maintaining excellent standards in staff training and development to ensure high- quality service provision for families. In practice, this commitment is not being met. The responsible individual and operational manager acknowledge that staff have not received the specific training required to meet the complex needs of one mother. This failure demonstrates the disconnect between the service’s stated aims and the quality of practice. Further, there was evidence that staff appointed at the centre were providing supervised family time in the community. This is not reflected in the statement of purpose or agreed as part of the registration.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not fully considered the individual and collective needs of families when making placement decisions. Two families moved into the centre on the same day, without any evidence of consideration of the potential impact this might have on each family or on the staff’s ability to plan and deliver effective support. As a result, leaders and managers have failed to ensure that placements are planned in a way that promotes safety, stability and high-quality assessment practice. Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 7

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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 Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002 and the national minimum standards. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall prepare and implement a written child protection policy which—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard children accommodated in the residential family centre from abuse or neglect; and

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Requirement Due date

sets out the procedure to be followed in the event of any allegation of abuse or neglect.

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Requirement Due date

The procedure under paragraph (1)(b) must in particular provide for—

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Requirement Due date

liaison and co-operation with any local authority which is making child protection enquiries in relation to any child accommodated in the residential family centre;

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Requirement Due date

the prompt referral to the local authority in whose area the residential family centre is situated, of any allegations of abuse or neglect affecting any child accommodated in the residential family centre;

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Requirement Due date

notification (in accordance with regulation 26) of the instigation and outcome of any child protection enquiries involving any child accommodated in the residential family centre, to the Commission and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

written records to be kept of any allegation of abuse or neglect, and of the action taken in response;

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Requirement Due date

consideration to be given in each case to the measures which may be necessary to protect children in the residential family centre following an allegation of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

a requirement for persons working at the residential family centre to report any concerns about the welfare or safety of 17 December Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 8 any child accommodated in the residential family centre to one of the following—

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Requirement Due date

an officer of the local authority in whose area the residential family centre is situated; or

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Requirement Due date

an officer of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(i)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that there are robust safeguarding policies in place and that staff, managers and leaders follow them to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure they make the relevant local authority aware of any child protection concerns in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that any person they have allowed to work with children and families is subject to full and satisfactory checks, in line with matters specified in schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure they report relevant safeguarding matters to the LADO.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that children and families’ risk assessments are accurate and provide detail regarding reducing risks to children. They must also ensure that risk assessments are updated and regularly reviewed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that staff are able to identify safeguarding concerns and that they are confident with actions that need to be taken.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6) the registered person shall ensure that the residential family centre is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 4 (5)) 17 December Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 9 The registered person shall ensure that they are operating a service which is in line with the centre’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that there is, having regard to—

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Requirement Due date

the statement of purpose of the residential family centre, its size and the numbers and needs of its residents; and

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Requirement Due date

the need to safeguard and promote the health and welfare of residents,

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Requirement Due date

a sufficient number of suitably qualified, competent and experienced persons working for the residential family centre.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure there are appropriate levels of staff who are qualified and experienced to meet the needs of the families they are supporting. 17 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that all persons employed by him—

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Requirement Due date

receive appropriate training, supervision and appraisal; and

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Requirement Due date

are enabled from time to time to obtain further qualifications appropriate to the work they perform.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure staff receive support to ensure they can meet the needs of the families they work with. This includes relevant training and supervision which is reflective and regular. The registered person must also ensure that staff have appropriate qualifications to support their work. 17 December

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Requirement Due date

employ a person to work at the residential family centre unless that person is fit to work at a residential family centre; or 17 December Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 1 allow a person to whom paragraph (2) applies, to work at the residential family centre unless that person is fit to work at a residential family centre.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (1), a person is not fit to work at a residential family centre unless—

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Requirement Due date

he has the qualifications, skills and experience necessary for the work he is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to him in respect of each of the matters specified in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

any offer of employment to a person is subject to paragraph (3)(d) being complied with in relation to that person; and

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Requirement Due date

unless paragraph (5) applies, no person starts work at a residential family centre until such time as paragraph (3)(d) has been complied with in relation to him.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 16 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(d) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that only persons deemed fit are employed and working with children and families.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall, before providing a family with accommodation in the residential family centre, or if that is not reasonably practicable, as soon as possible thereafter, draw up in consultation with the placing authority a written plan (in these Regulations referred to as “the placement plan”) setting out, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

the facilities and services to be provided during the course of the placement;

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Requirement Due date

the objectives and intended outcome of the placement.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that the impact of any family moving into the centre has been fully considered. This should be alongside staff’s ability to meet their needs and the impact each family may have on one another. 17 December Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 1 The registered person must ensure that the parents’ capacity to respond to the children’s needs and to safeguard their welfare is monitored or assessed by a suitably qualified person in accordance with the requirements of this regulation.

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Requirement Due date

All assessment or monitoring of parents’ capacity to respond to the children’s needs and to safeguard their welfare must be carried out in accordance with appropriate and generally recognised methods for such assessment and, in particular, having due regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State relating to the assessment of children in need and their parents under section 7(1) of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970.

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Requirement Due date

The methods of assessment or monitoring must be capable of evaluating the parents’ capacity to change.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that conclusions or recommendations are made as a result of the assessment or monitoring and that—

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Requirement Due date

such conclusions or recommendations are objective and based on verifiable evidence; and

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Requirement Due date

the evidence on which they are based is capable of being presented in a manner that is clear, accessible and appropriate to the persons who will need to consider them.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that they have access to important documentation to plan and carry out parenting assessments with families in an effective manner. This should be regularly reviewed and management oversight should take place. This is to ensure that the conclusions and recommendations are in line with the evidence which has been gathered during the assessment process. 17 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall maintain in respect of each family accommodated in the residential family centre a record which—

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Requirement Due date

includes the information, documents and other records specified in Schedule 3 relating to the members of the family; 17 December Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 1 is kept up to date.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person shall ensure that accurate records are kept in respect of the children and families in the centre. They must ensure that information is accurately recorded.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider shall appoint an individual to manage a residential family centre if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the residential family centre; and

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure a manager is appointed and applies to register with Ofsted. 17 December

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Requirement Due date

If, in relation to a residential family centre, any of the events listed in column 1 of the table in Schedule 5 takes place, the registered person shall without delay notify the persons indicated in respect of the event in column 2 of the table.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all notifiable events are reported to Ofsted. 17 December

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and parents, 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 Residential Family Centre Regulations 2002 and the national minimum standards. Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 1

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Residential family centre details

Registered provider address: Corby Enterprise Centre, London Road, Corby N17 5EU

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Residential family centre details

Responsible individual: Carmen Kiffin-Drackett

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Residential family centre details

Email address: contact@bluefrontcare.co.uk

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Inspectors

Becky Thompson, Social Care Inspector Kathryn Hurley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for residential family centre: Blue Lily Lodge 1 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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