Children's Home run by Hopscotch Care Limited in Cumberland

Inspection report for children’s home: 2741833 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

A private provider owns and manages the home. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 22 October 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2741833 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/01/2024 Full Good 22/10/2024 Full Good 10/02/2025 Monitoring Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2741833 3

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improvement to be good

Children report that they like living at the home and feel supported by the staff team. Staff adopt a nurturing approach, which helps children to settle quickly and make positive progress.

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improvement to be good

Children’s attendance at education provisions is inconsistent, with levels varying significantly between the two children living at the home. When children do not attend school, staff provide work within the home that focuses on developing independence skills with an educational underpinning. However, children are sometimes allowed to spend extended periods of time in their bedrooms using their electronic devices during school hours. Professionals expressed concern that staff do not offer sufficient encouragement to one child to attend education. Furthermore, there has been no evaluation of the reasons behind fluctuations in attendance, which could help to identify barriers and support children in overcoming their concerns about school.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide children with a wide range of activities in and out of the home. However, children often choose to remain indoors engaging in activities such as art projects or games with staff. This pattern could lead to a degree of social isolation for both children. This risk has not been identified or addressed in care plans or risk assessments.

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improvement to be good

Care plans, including those designed to support children in developing independence skills, are generic and do not sufficiently address the individual needs of each child. Children’s health plans are reviewed and updated regularly.

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improvement to be good

Children attend and engage well in health appointments and assessments. However, the manager does not ensure that recommendations from annual health assessment reports, which aim to improve children’s health, are incorporated into health or care plans. This is a missed opportunity to support children in learning how to manage their own health needs.

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improvement to be good

Daily records provide an overview of each child’s day and any progress observed. However, due to the extended periods of time children spend alone in their bedrooms, notes frequently conclude in the early evening, making records appear incomplete for the full day.

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improvement to be good

An internal movement sensor is installed on the staircase as a safeguarding measure. However, staff agree that this is no longer relevant for the current children, and its continued use has not been reviewed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2741833 4

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improvement to be good

Children say that they feel safe at the home and can identify staff they would go to if they had any worries or concerns.

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improvement to be good

Although risk assessments are reviewed regularly, they do not consistently include details of all known risks for individual children. Strategies to manage identified risks are not always clear, and it is difficult to determine when changes have been made to assessments. This lack of clarity can lead to confusion and may leave children at risk.

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improvement to be good

Children do not go missing from the home. However, staff are aware of the protocols to follow if this should occur.

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improvement to be good

Staff manage behaviour through the use of incentives and praise. As a result, the frequency of incidents that occurred when children first moved into the home has significantly reduced.

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good

The inspection was led by the deputy manager and the responsible individual as the registered manager was not present.

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good

Staff receive regular supervision and speak positively about its benefits. They feel well supported by a management team they describe as approachable. Training is comprehensive, covering both the provider’s mandatory subjects and own practice model.

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good

Team meetings are held monthly. However, the minutes are brief and do not provide sufficient details for staff who were unable to attend or for other professionals to understand the discussions around practice. Additionally, actions and follow-up points are consistently recorded, limiting management oversight and reducing consistency across the team.

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good

The workforce development plan is brief and does not include all elements required. This is particularly important given recent incidents where staff practice required challenge. The plan should clearly outline the processes for addressing such issues.

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good

Although the manager regularly monitors children’s records and plans, this has not been effective in assessing the quality or content of records.

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good

There have been two incidents that should have been reported to Ofsted. While the manager and organisation took all relevant safeguarding actions, the lack of notification prevented Ofsted from assuring that all actions were completed promptly. Inspection report for children’s home: 2741833 5

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)) 30 December 2025

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 30 November 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— 30 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2741833 6 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential;

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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;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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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)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(vi)) 30 November 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that— 30 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2741833 7 the health and well-being needs of children are met.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 10 (1)(a) (2)(a)(iii))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation— must include details of—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 14 November 2025

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: 2741833 8  The registered person should ensure that procedures put in place for monitoring within the home are only used where relevant and regularly reviewed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)  The registered person should ensure that records are detailed and cover all aspects of the issue being recorded. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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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: 2741833 9

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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

Sue Atkinson-Millmoor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2741833 10 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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