Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1241782 1 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council Full inspection 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 local authority. It provides care for up to six children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, five children were living at the home. Three children spoke with the inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since August 2025. An acting manager is in place.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be 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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 14 October 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1241782 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/10/2024 Full Good 25/10/2023 Full Good 20/09/2022 Full Good 13/04/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1241782 3

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improvement to be good

There have been significant changes in the staff and management team due to a reorganisation within the local authority. Five children have moved out of the home in planned moves to independent living or to live with family. Four new children have moved into the home. The impact of staff changes on the children currently living at the home has been limited as these changes coincided with the children’s admissions.

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improvement to be good

Two children are currently not accessing education, and one child has only a very limited timetable. Staff have not consistently provided structured alternative daytime activities to promote routine and achievement. Managers acknowledge this shortfall and say that they are assembling resources to offer a more structured day, but these arrangements are not yet embedded.

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improvement to be good

Children are not consistently supported to maintain their bedrooms to an acceptable standard of cleanliness and tidiness. Some bedrooms have clothes on the floor, dirty dishes and takeaway wrappers. This impacts negatively on the children’s overall living standards.

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improvement to be good

Children say that they are sometimes unsure of the boundaries and expectations as staff do not always consistently apply these.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy positive day-to-day experiences and describe caring relationships with staff. There are warm, nurturing interactions between staff and children. Children benefit from positive experiences with staff, such as going on trips and holidays.

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improvement to be good

Staff support family relationships well, including arranging time for children to spend time with their family members. Children feel cared for and continue to have the opportunity to spend time with their families, which helps promote their identity and feeling of belonging.

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improvement to be good

When children move into the home, the moves are thoughtful and planned, giving children opportunities to meet staff and their peers before moving in. This helps children to settle into the home.

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improvement to be good

Children, some of whom have complex health needs, are supported by staff to manage their conditions independently, access appropriate health services and maintain their overall health. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241782 4

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improvement to be good

An error occurred when a child was given the wrong medication. A fact-finding exercise was completed and actions were identified to prevent this happening again. However, scrutiny of records shows that children’s medication records are not fully documented and there is no evidence of management oversight. The actions arising from the fact- finding exercise have not yet been fully implemented.

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improvement to be good

Staff’s practice in response to children who go missing from the home is inconsistent. While episodes are reported promptly to the police, staff do not routinely conduct active searches. Historically, records relating to episodes of children going missing have been very brief. There has been some improvement to this in recent months, with more detailed records and a thorough response. Furthermore, there is a decrease in the number of times children are going missing from the home.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint. When they make a complaint, they are taken seriously and their complaint is addressed. Children say that they feel listened to.

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improvement to be good

Staff share information and undertake safety planning in response to children who are at risk of exploitation. They have challenged partner agency responses when they judge these to be insufficient to ensure that children receive the right services to remain safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is new in post and is not yet registered with Ofsted. He is supported by a deputy manager who has long-standing knowledge of the setting and an assistant manager who demonstrates a strong child focus. The management team members are still developing the way they work together. Initial difficulties with communication have resulted in some staff reporting that they do not feel supported. Managers are aware of these issues and have implemented a plan to address them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Behaviour management records and incident reports do not demonstrate sufficient managerial oversight. They are not subject to consistent, rigorous evaluation, nor are they analysed to identify learning opportunities. This lack of scrutiny undermines the delivery of consistent messages to children and limits the provider’s ability to assess and refine strategies that promote positive behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Supervision sessions occur regularly. They primarily focus on operational matters and reinforcing staff responsibilities. Records of supervision and team meetings lack a clear focus on the experiences and needs of children. Staff do not use these opportunities to reflect meaningfully on their practice or the impact of their work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager demonstrates professional challenge to partner agencies to ensure that children receive the appropriate resources and support to meet their needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241782 5 Professionals provide highly positive feedback about children’s placements at the home. They say that staff offer strong support for family contact, communicate effectively and ensure that children’s health needs are met. Inspection report for children’s home: 1241782 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 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;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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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. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when children are not in education, there is clear structure and routine in place at the home to support independent study. 4 January 2026

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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

promotes their welfare. 4 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1241782 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all incidents are evaluated with scrutiny, taking into consideration any possible learning outcomes that can be implemented within children’s risk management plans, or to support the development of staff.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(v)(vi)(c)(i)(ii)) 4 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1241782 8 In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s bedrooms are clean, tidy and free from any health and safety hazards.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for a child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and to no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that medication records are completed, dated and signed legibly when medication is administered. 4 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use 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")—

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Requirement Due date

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)(vi)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when consequences are used, they are subject to scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and that they are also restorative in nature and not punitive. 4 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 1241782 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is a clear system in place to record room searches and follow-up actions when they occur. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that staff are provided with good-quality supervisions that give them opportunities to reflect on their practice and to discuss their ongoing development. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 1241782 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Hayley Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1241782 11 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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