Children's Home run by Oaktree Childcare Limited in Lancashire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 1 Registered provider: Oaktree Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in September 2023. There is currently no registered manager. The new manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Inspection date: 27 November 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home, and one child has moved in. Both moves were in line with children’s plans. The inspectors spoke to the child living at the home and observed warm relationships between the staff and child.

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Findings from the inspection

The child’s education is promoted. They regularly attend school and are well supported by the staff.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff support the child to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. Family members are welcomed into the home, and this has helped the child to settle well.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff are not consistently child focused. The manager agreed that the child’s recent birthday celebrations were poorly organised and not consistent with the home’s ethos. The manager plans to support staff reflection to improve practice.

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Findings from the inspection

There has been a need to hold the child on several occasions to keep them safe. The holds have been proportionate, and both the child and staff have had the opportunity to reflect and speak with someone independent.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager has oversight of all incidents but has not consistently identified patterns in the child’s behaviour. Several incidents have escalated due to the child not being able to leave the home as the external doors are locked, preventing the child from leaving. The manager acknowledged that this constitutes a restrictive practice.

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Findings from the inspection

The staff have completed training specific to the child’s individual risks and vulnerabilities. However, much of this training is online learning, and the manager has not assured herself that staff are confident in applying their learning in practice.

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Findings from the inspection

Children’s risk plans are not robust. They do not provide clear guidance for staff on how to respond to incidents of self-injurious behaviour or outline the expectations for monitoring the child’s devices and internet use.

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Findings from the inspection

Not all serious incidents are notified to Ofsted as required. This limits the regulator’s oversight.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager and the staff receive regular supervision. Supervision sessions are well recorded and demonstrate that they are a protected time to support staff and provide an opportunity for reflection. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/08/2025 Full Good 15/05/2024 Full Good 29/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 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 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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; 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

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children’s plans provide clear steps for staff to follow to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in regard to training and are able to put into practice what they have learned. 7 January 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 5 The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are able to leave the home as and when they wish, if it is safe to do so, and that their liberty is not unnecessarily restricted. 7 January 2026

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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 any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 7 January 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that positive, stable relationships help the child to feel secure and cared about. Staff should ensure that children’s birthdays are celebrated in a way that any good parent would. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 21, paragraph 4.3) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Oaktree Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Ground Floor, Seneca House, Links Point, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool, Lancashire FY4 2FF

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Jacqueline Titterington

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Inspectors

Kelly McCurdy, Social Care Inspector Danielle Allen, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2651794 7 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

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Inspectors

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