Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064735 1 SC064735 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

This local authority home provides care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since May 2025. There has been a new manager in post since August 2025. He has applied to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate at the full inspection 01 October 2025. Shortfalls were identified in the arrangements to safeguard children and the effectiveness of the management arrangements of the home. Three 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), regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) and regulation 8 (the education 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. This helps to ensure that risks to children are better understood, including risks children may pose to each other. There are appropriate strategies in place to help staff to manage and minimise these risks. Managers ensure that risk management plans are updated following significant events and any changes are communicated to the staff team.

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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 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064735 2 to manage risks to children. Additional safeguarding training has been provided to staff since the last full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Children do not attend school on a regular basis. However, staff encourage children to adopt good daily routines. They now offer children more structured alternative education when they are not in school and are helping them to develop their independent living skills. These changes are in their infancy and their sustainability is yet to be determined.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have taken steps to update each child’s individual behaviour support plan so that they reflect the child’s individual needs. These plans contain clear and be- spoke strategies to support staff to respond consistently to children. This is helping staff to start to embed more consistent boundaries and rules within the home.

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This monitoring visit

The home is generally well furnished and maintained. However, a bedsheet in one child’s bedroom has a burn hole in it. The risks relating to this child smoking in their bedroom are assessed and understood but effective action has not been taken to replace this item. However, this was rectified during the inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The responsible individual has increased his presence and oversight of the home. Furthermore, he has sourced additional, experienced deputy managers to work temporarily at the home. This is supporting practice change and driving improvements in standards.

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This monitoring visit

Management oversight of significant incidents at the home has improved. Managers review the records that staff complete to ensure that they are following agreed protocols and taking effective action to safeguard children. Increased oversight of records means that managers are identifying poor practice more effectively. This demonstrates that managers are addressing staff practice issues and taking steps to drive improvement.

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This monitoring visit

Following a case review on 12 December 2025, it was determined that the steps outlined in the compliance notices issued under regulations 12, 13 and 8 have been met.

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This monitoring visit

Requirements made under regulations 6, 14 and 32 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: SC064735 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2025 Full Good 05/03/2024 Full Good 08/03/2023 Full Good 06/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064735 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

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

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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

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff follow children’s risk management plans.

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Requirement Due date

Staff must take effective action to identify and remove any damaged items from children’s bedrooms. 08 February 2026

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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;

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; 08 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064735 5 that the child's placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child's relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child's needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1)(a)(2)(a)(b)(ii)(e)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must carefully consider the care needs of children alongside the needs of the children already residing in the home, and how staff will meet these needs before accommodating them into the home. These considerations should be reviewed following any incidents that impact other residents in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, leaders and managers must ensure that they manage and review the placement of children, considering the suitability of the placement with the child’s placing authority, particularly following significant incidents or when children are persistently absent from home.

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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 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.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that the home is maintained to a good standard, and repairs are made in a timely manner. This includes replacing broken guttering and maintaining the homes garden. 08 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

The requirements are that— full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. 08 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064735 6 (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that they follow safer recruitment practices, including requesting and verifying references from previous employers.

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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: SC064735 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: County Hall, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspectors

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC064735 8 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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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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