Children's home run by Lifetime Opportunities Limited in Bolton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC060750 1 SC060750 Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities 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

The home is owned and managed by a private company and provides care for up to three children who may have physical disabilities, learning disabilities and/or autism.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home on a shared care arrangement. The inspector spent time with the child during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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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good

Date of last inspection: 24 February 2025

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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: SC060750 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/02/2025 Full Good 19/03/2024 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 16/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC060750 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has continued to be cared for in the home on a shared care arrangement. This arrangement has provided the child with time away from their family home each week to have individualised support. This provides the child with additional experiences and activities that support their learning and development.

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improvement to be good

The child’s ability to form relationships with the staff who care for them has been impacted by a lack of stable staffing in the home. Regular use of non-permanent staff, alongside staff from the provider’s other homes, means that there has not been a consistent team of staff caring for the child.

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improvement to be good

The child’s family say that they are welcomed into the home and feel able to visit the child when they want to. For the most part, the child’s parents are happy with the quality of care. There has been one incident when parents raised concerns about their child’s care on a visit to the home, and this was responded to swiftly by the registered manager.

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improvement to be good

The child, who is non-verbal, has not always been able to communicate their needs and preferences and make choices about their day-to-day care. This is due to some staff not using the child’s communication aids consistently and effectively. Some staff have demonstrated a lack of understanding about the use of communication aids, such as picture exchange and objects of reference.

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improvement to be good

The child benefits from close working arrangements between the registered manager and school staff. Regular communication takes place to ensure that there is a consistent approach to the child’s care and, when possible, their day-to-day routines. This helps the child to understand how their day will be structured and supports the child to have more control of their emotions.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager is a strong and effective advocate for the child and has been proactive in ensuring that the child’s health needs are met. The manager has worked with the child’s learning disability nurse to ensure that the child’s hospital dental treatment was brought forward. This meant the child’s discomfort from dental problems has been addressed and they are no longer experiencing the pain that was impacting on their daily life.

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improvement to be good

Child-centred and individualised plans and assessments written by the registered manager provide staff with clear guidance to inform their care of the child. Some Inspection report for children’s home: SC060750 4 staff do not always follow this guidance or demonstrate a sufficient understanding of how to use this information to support the care of the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff complete written records of the child’s day-to-day care. These are not always clear and comprehensive. Language used in these records is not always sensitive and child centred. Some handwritten records are illegible, and it is not clear which staff have signed these records. As a result, there is a lack of accountability and transparency about some practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff help the child to manage their emotions through support for positive behaviour. The more experienced staff in the home, including the waking night staff, are able to explain how they are able to soothe the child and minimise any discomfort or distress.

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improvement to be good

Staff consistently use the least restrictive practice in their care of the child. The child is only held by staff to ensure the child’s personal safety. This provides the child with a positive experience of their care in the home.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is a safe and secure space for the child. The child is able to access communal areas of the home as well as their own bedroom with the support of staff.

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improvement to be good

Concerns raised about staff practice were shared with the child’s social worker and the local authority designated officer in a timely manner. However, there was a significant delay in the notification of this incident to Ofsted. This delay impacts on the regulator’s oversight of safeguarding practice in the home.

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good

The child and staff benefit from the skills and knowledge of the registered manager, who demonstrates a child-centred approach throughout his practice.

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good

Leaders and managers are aware of the shortfalls in the home. The ongoing challenges of recruiting skilled and experienced staff significantly impact on the ability of leaders and managers to embed the required improvements. In addition, the registered manager is working across the provider’s other homes. This reduces the time available to him to focus on the home he is registered to manage.

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good

There is a continued reliance on the use of non-permanent staff to ensure sufficient staffing to meet the child’s needs. The names of agency staff used are not recorded on the staffing rota. The registered manager’s presence in the home is also not accurately recorded on the rota. This leads to a lack of transparency about staffing in the home.

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good

Staff have access to appropriate training to help them understand the child’s needs. Since the last inspection, staff have completed training with the child’s learning Inspection report for children’s home: SC060750 5 disability nurse, which focused on the individual needs of the child. The registered manager has recently delivered training to staff in relation to the importance and use of the child’s preferred methods of communication. The use of these tools is improving but is not yet fully embedded across all the staff team.

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good

Staff, including non-permanent staff, receive regular practice-related supervision sessions. When staff practice requires improvement, formal action, supported by written plans, is put in place to address this. These plans provide staff with a clear understanding of the expectations and support improvements in the care experienced by the child.

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good

The registered manager has established systems in place to monitor and evaluate the quality of care. Monthly reports from the independent person provide a comprehensive overview of staff practice and areas for improvement. There is robust and appropriate challenge from the independent person that provides valuable information to the registered manager to drive improvement.

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good

The registered manager has strong and effective working relationships with the child’s parents, local authority and school. The child’s family and the professionals involved with the child value the contribution the registered manager makes to the child’s progress and experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: SC060750 6

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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 within 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

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

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

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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; and

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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)(iii)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff understand and act in accordance with the child’s risk management plans and demonstrate a sufficient understanding of how to use this information to support the care of the child and keep them safe. 31 December

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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

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

is instigated; or 31 December Inspection report for children’s home: SC060750 7 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)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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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 staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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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)(b)(c)(e)) 31 January

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s care records are written sensitively and in language that is respectful to children and provide a detailed understanding of children’s care experiences. Handwritten records should be legible and should clearly identify which staff have signed children’s records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that their presence at the home and their working hours are clearly recorded on the staffing rota and the names of agency staff are recorded on the rota. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) Inspection report for children’s home: SC060750 8

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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: SC060750 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3AT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Shona Wands Alderson

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC060750 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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