Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039683 1 SC039683 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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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 owned by a local authority and is registered to provide care for up to six children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were five children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 7 and 8 October 2025. Shortfalls were identified in the arrangements to safeguard children and the effectiveness of the management arrangements of the home. Two compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. The compliance notices were in relation 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 review whether leaders and managers have taken sufficient action to meet the steps required in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Clear risk management plans are now in place for each child. The manager ensures that these plans are updated following significant events and any changes are communicated to the staff team. The risks to one child are better understood, and there is a suitable safety plan in place. These plans help staff to manage and minimise known risks to children. Staff follow children’s risk management plans and record the actions they are taking to safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

The manager is responsive to emerging risks to children. She is in regular communication with the team of professionals around the child. This promotes a Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039683 2 shared understanding of risk and supports a multi-agency approach to safeguarding children.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has taken action to review the continued suitability of the location of the children’s home following the address being shared on social media. There is a suitable safety plan in place to protect the children.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children. They understand the children’s safety plans and the actions they must take to manage risks to children.

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This monitoring visit

Direct work is completed with children to help them to understand any potential risks they may face, for example the dangers of knife crime and work regarding consent and healthy relationships. However, relationships between some of the children are fractious, and work has not been completed to help children develop and maintain positive relationships with each other.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight of significant incidents has improved. The manager reviews the records that staff make to ensure that staff are following agreed protocols and taking effective action to safeguard children.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have introduced changes to staff handovers to improve communication across the team and ensure that staff understand the plans for children.

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This monitoring visit

There are sufficient staff to care for children. However, instability remains in the staff team. This is because some staff are working at the home on a temporary basis and will be moving on. In addition, there are many different agency staff working at the home. This is unsettling for children and is a barrier to children forming secure relationships with the people who care for them.

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This monitoring visit

The home is generally well furnished and maintained. However, one child’s bedroom is quite bare and lacks personalisation. In addition, another child’s bedroom floor was dirty. This detracts from the homely environment staff are trying to create.

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This monitoring visit

Following a case review on 17 November 2025, it was determined that the steps outlined in compliance notices issued under Regulation 12 have been met. A compliance notice issued under Regulation 13 is reissued in relation to the lack of continuity of care that children are experiencing.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements made under Regulations 8 and 37 were not considered as part of this visit. They will be considered at the home’s next full inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039683 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/10/2025 Full Inadequate 06/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/12/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039683 4

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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 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are cared for by a consistent staff team. 25 January 2026

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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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; 5 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039683 5 help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are supported to access education in line with their individual plans. This includes ensuring that children have the resources they need to engage fully in education.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children who do not attend formal education are supported to engage in structured learning in line with their individual care plans and have routines in place that support a return back to formal education.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is an accurate record of all staff working in the home. 5 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—

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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. 25 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039683 6 help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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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)(iv)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are helped to develop and maintain positive relationships with each other.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children are supported to personalise their bedrooms so that they are warm and welcoming spaces. In addition, staff should ensure that children’s bedrooms are clean. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC039683 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 100, Preston PR1 0LD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Claire Rose-Dudley

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Inspectors

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Paul McKay-Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC039683 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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