Children's Home run by TLC Youth Care Ltd in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2532139 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: TLC Youth Care Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children, who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of the inspection, and their views were sought.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager position has been vacant since October 2025. A manager has been appointed but is not yet registered with Ofsted. The inspection was supported by the manager and responsible individual.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2532139 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/05/2024 Full Good 13/02/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/11/2022 Full Good 05/07/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2532139 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home, and one child has left the home. Notably, a child successfully moved into a semi-independent provision. This move was managed effectively by the manager and staff, who advocated strongly to ensure that appropriate planning was in place. This means that the child had a positive experience of leaving the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a warm and welcoming home environment. Children’s bedrooms are personalised and reflect their individual personalities and preferences. Staff work closely with children to help them chose decor and furnishings. This personalised approach helps children feel respected and listened to. As a result, children settle quickly into the home and demonstrate pride in their surroundings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who find school difficult are supported to learn and achieve. Staff work closely with educational professionals and social workers to ensure that each child receives the right guidance and opportunities to succeed. This proactive approach enables children to explore alternative pathways when traditional education is not suitable. As a result, one child has independently secured an apprenticeship in their chosen field.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although one child is not currently attending a formal educational provision, staff continue to advocate strongly on their behalf. Staff work collaboratively with professionals to ensure that decisions made about the child’s education are appropriate and aligned with their complex needs. One professional said: ‘The home has worked with us in all the conversations. I have not found them resistant or difficult, but they also will not lie down and just take what is said, they have always asked for more support.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive comprehensive support with their physical, emotional and psychological well-being. Staff are responsive to the children’s emotional needs and understand the traumatic experiences that children have gone through. Reflective practice is underpinned by bespoke training in the home’s preferred model of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have developed good multi-agency working arrangements. This means that children have the right services in place to meet their needs. These services are well coordinated and provide maximum impact for children. One professional said: ‘In three weeks, I have visited a couple of times and had numerous emails and contact. With all the homes I am currently working with, they are the ones that have stood out so far for being on top of things.’

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

Children are safe because staff demonstrate a good understanding of each child’s individual needs and vulnerabilities. Assessments of risk are balanced between keeping children safe and allowing them to take age-appropriate risks. When concerns arise, staff Inspection report for children’s home: 2532139 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

respond appropriately and with a consistent approach that helps children to feel protected and supported. Detailed assessments of risk are in place and are regularly reviewed, updated and communicated to the staff team. As a result, staff follow the guidance consistently, ensuring that safety measures remain effective.

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

Staff use physical restraint as a last resort to keep children and others safe. Each incident is reviewed by the manager to ensure that practice remains appropriate and proportionate. Learning from these reviews is shared with staff through reflective team meetings and supervision sessions, helping to strengthen staff confidence and consistency in managing challenging situations. Debrief discussions with the child take place and their views are sensitively revisited if required.

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

Staff encourage children to reflect and learn from difficult incidents. Overall, staff use natural consequences to help children to link their actions with decisions they have made. However, on one occasion, a child received a consequence that was not appropriate when returning home after going missing. This means that the child was punished rather than staff supporting them in trying to understand their reasons for going missing and responding to their views.

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

Incident recordings made by staff are detailed and provide a clear account of events. However, there is inconsistency in the language used in some records. While most records are written using caring, child-centred language, there are occasions when impersonal terms have been used. This inconsistency does not fully reflect the nurturing approach that staff demonstrate in their day-to-day interactions with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a leadership change since the last inspection. The registered manager left the home in October 2025. A new manager has been appointed but is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Despite the change, staff report feeling well supported by leaders and managers. The manager has a thorough understanding of the individual needs of the children and the dynamics of the staff team. This allows her to offer effective guidance and oversight. Staff morale is high, and staff say that they enjoy their work. This creates a positive culture which contributes to stable, consistent care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has developed good systems to help her to monitor the overall quality of care and the functioning of the home. She knows what is happening in the home on a daily basis. Management audits are regularly undertaken, and any outstanding actions are promptly dealt with. The manager reviews all staff recordings, and any learning is taken from records and shared with the wider staff team to support their development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff recruitment processes are robust. The manager has effective mechanisms in place to review and monitor the ongoing suitability of staff, maintaining high standards of safeguarding and care in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2532139 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any consequences used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. The registered person should ensure that any consequences used are appropriate and not used when children go missing from care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful for the child. In particular, records written by staff should have consistency in the language used. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 2532139 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 19 Harrier Park, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN4 0QG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Duncan MacKenzie

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Inspector

Caroline Coop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2532139 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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