Children's home run by Holywell Children’s Services Limited

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 1 Registered provider: Holywell Children’s Services 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 operated by a private provider and offers care for one child with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection. The child spoke with the inspector during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted on 31 January 2022. The registered manager post has been vacant since 15 March 2024.

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This monitoring visit

During the full inspection on 23 and 24 September 2025, inspectors found several regulatory breaches that impact on children’s safety, environment and welfare. In response, Ofsted issued two compliance notices under 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 monitor the progress made against the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has made some progress; however, not enough time has elapsed to enable managers to implement the measures outlined in their action plan. As a result, the two compliance notices are not met and have been reissued.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have completed training in record-keeping, recording and reporting, missing- from-home awareness, substance misuse awareness and risk assessment training. However, some training is still outstanding. For example, staff are still to complete training about key working, behaviour management and communication strategies. Risk assessments are not accurate and contain inconsistent risk levels. This does not support staff to manage risk effectively and consistently. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 2 There have been eight missing-from-home episodes of children since the last inspection. A new process is now in place to ensure that the child is spoken to by an independent person on their return. This provides assurance that any issues in the home contributing to the missing-from-home episode are identified and addressed.

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This monitoring visit

Care plans and risk assessments are not consistently reviewed and updated in response to changes in the child’s needs and risks. This limits staff’s ability to care for the child effectively.

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This monitoring visit

Fire safety arrangements at the home are not effective. For example, some fire doors have gaps when they are closed, and fire extinguishers have been removed from their designated locations. Although the provider is taking steps to rectify these issues, it is concerning that the home’s own checks have not identified these shortfalls, which compromises the protection of staff and children in the event of a fire.

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This monitoring visit

The provider is due to recruit a new independent person to undertake the monthly review of quality of care visits. Therefore, their effectiveness is not yet known.

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This monitoring visit

The child is not currently accessing any education, resulting in no measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential. Furthermore, staff do not engage the child in constructive activity during the day, which means that they are left without meaningful opportunities for learning and development.

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This monitoring visit

Senior managers are providing regular support to the manager to support him implement the standards required to improve the quality of care for the child. However, the manager is not receiving regular supervision. This leaves the manager without consistent opportunities for his practice to be reviewed and appraised.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders understand that improvement is needed. They have a clear plan of the actions they need to take to make the required improvement. However, the steps in the restriction notices relating to the leadership and management of the home and the protection of children standard have not been met. One requirement raised at the full inspection has been met. However, the remaining requirements have not been met and have been restated. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/09/2025 Full Inadequate 26/02/2025 Full Good 13/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 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 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;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that managers and staff understand and act on any risks to children’s welfare and safety promptly and effectively. Staff must understand their roles and responsibilities and follow 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 5 risk assessments. Risk assessments must be reviewed and updated.

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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

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

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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)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must use monitoring systems effectively to ensure that they have oversight of all incidents in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff receive the appropriate training to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills to meet children’s needs. 30 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

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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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; Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 6 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

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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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

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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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)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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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.

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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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(v)) 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 7 The registered person must ensure that any key working that is carried out with the child is relevant and promotes their well-being and safety.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they undertake a full assessment of children’s needs before they move into the home. 30 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is an organisation or a partnership. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the new manager is appointed to manage the home. 30 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (30) and any regulations made under it are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b)) 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 8 The registered person must ensure that fire doors in the home offer protection from fire. Fire extinguishers need to be kept inside the home as part of firefighting equipment.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the manager and staff receive regular, effective supervision. 30 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")— 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 9 has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children and staff are spoken to following an incident requiring a physical intervention.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that regulation 44 reports provide a thorough and robust assessment of the home’s arrangements for providing care to children. 30 January 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 10 The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3)(5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the quality of care review includes sufficient detail about the quality of care provided and the way the home is managed. 30 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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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: 2662751 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Holywell Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Dalton House, 9 Dalton Square, Lancaster LA1 1WD

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Inspector

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2662751 12 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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