Children's Home run by Holywell Children’s Services Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 1 Registered provider: Holywell Children’s Services 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

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 in the home at the time of the inspection. The child spoke with the inspector during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a new manager in post, who started work at the home in April 2025. She has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

This home was registered on 14 December 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and/or the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/07/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 3

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inadequate

The quality of care provided to children is inadequate. There are serious and widespread failures in the safeguarding arrangements for children and the leadership and management of the home. During this inspection, Ofsted issued a notice to suspend the registration of the home due to the serious safeguarding concerns found.

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inadequate

Moves into the home are poorly managed. The manager moved a child into the home without care planning documentation, which included placement plans, education plans and health plans. Because of this, the provider has failed to provide the staff with key information to help them understand how to keep children safe or promote their education, health and care needs.

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inadequate

Copies of local authority care plans were only obtained on the second day of the inspection. Staff are not aware of the plans agreed at the child’s most recent review. Because of this, staff do not know what the current plans are for the child. This means that staff do not have the necessary guidance to provide children with personalised care.

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inadequate

Staff do not ensure that the child’s health needs are met. There is no health plan in place for the child, which means that children are not receiving help and advice in relation to their specific health needs and how to address them.

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inadequate

The child is not accessing any education. Consequently, they are not making any measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential. Plans are not in place to support the child’s educational needs. This does not demonstrate that the manager and staff prioritise children’s education.

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inadequate

Some areas of the home are dirty, hazardous and poorly maintained. The home does not provide the child with a safe or welcoming place to live. There are some areas of damage, which need repair and cleaning. For example, a child’s bedroom window remained boarded up two weeks after it was broken, and pieces of glass from this window were found to be in the garden. This does not provide the child with a nurturing, comfortable and homely environment.

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inadequate

The child is supported to maintain positive relationships with those people who are important to them. Staff support the child to spend regular and safe time with their families. This means that the child benefits from having a wider support network outside the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 4

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

The child is at risk due to the failings in safeguarding arrangements in the home. Incidents have been managed poorly, and staff have not taken action to safeguard the child. A child told the inspector, ‘I don’t feel safe here.’ The child talked about having a lack of confidence that staff would keep them safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

The day-to-day care provided by staff does not ensure that children are protected from harm. Children have no structure or boundaries to their day and are often left without meaningful activity. Furthermore, discussions with the child are not supporting them to recognise the consequences of their behaviour. These are missed opportunities to help the child understand how they can keep themselves safe.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Managers and staff do not understand and manage risk. This has left the child vulnerable to harm. Staff do not always follow guidance set out in risk assessments and risk management plans. For example, inspectors found that despite the child who previously lived in the home being on increased supervision, the child was able to use ligatures to harm themselves on a number of occasions and gain access to knives. On another occasion, a child forcibly entered the staff office and took medication from drawers. This resulted in paramedics attending the home to check on the child’s well-being. As a result, children’s safety is not promoted effectively.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: inadequate

Staff have failed to take appropriate action to de-escalate incidents of violent and aggressive behaviour. There has been a heavy reliance on police intervention to manage behaviour. Over a three-week period, staff contacted the police seven times to support them. On one occasion, a child was taken to the police station and held overnight. Staff are ill-equipped to support children with their behaviours, and this increases the risk of children being criminalised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The leadership and management of the home are poor. Leaders and managers have not taken action to address shortfalls in staff practice. This has led to repeated incidents where children have suffered harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Care planning for children’s moves into the home is poor. Systems are not in place to ensure that the staff team is able to meet children’s needs at the time of them moving into the home. As a result, notice was served for the child currently living in the home eight days after moving in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager did not have a good understanding of the child and their needs. As a result, the child is not receiving the level of care that they need. The manager is not aware of the child’s current education plans, and action has not been taken to obtain all local authority documentation relating to the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 5 Training provided to staff is not effective. Staff do not apply their learning in practice. The staff team does not understand its roles and responsibilities for caring for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Monthly staff meetings take place, and staff receive regular supervisions. All the staff either have a minimum level 3 qualification in residential childcare or are due to complete their course within regulatory timescales. Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 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;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that managers and staff understand and act on risks to children’s welfare and safety promptly and effectively. This includes staff understanding their roles and responsibilities, following risk assessments and adopting a consistent approach. 31 October

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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 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 7 promotes their welfare.

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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

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

This specifically relates to the manager having oversight of the care being provided in the home and using monitoring systems to take swift and effective action where there are shortfalls in the care of children. In addition, leaders and managers must ensure that all local authority documentation for children living in the home is obtained.

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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

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose; protect and promote each child's welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that leaders and managers ensure that the staff provide care to children in line with their plans and that the 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 8 home environment is decorated, furnished and maintained to a good standard and that any damage to the home is repaired promptly. 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 31 October

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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

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff supporting the child to be able to self-manage conflict before it escalates. 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 9 The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all local authority documentation is on file. 31 October

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and 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. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(x))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to children in the home being engaged in education, training or employment. 31 October

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 10 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: 2763683 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: Scott & Wilkinson, Dalton House, 9 Dalton Square, Lancaster LA1 1WD

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Inspectors

Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Paul McKay-Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2763683 12 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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