Children's Home run by Lifetime Opportunities Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 1 SC411046 Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates this home. It provides care for up to 4 disabled children.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 2 children living at the home at the time of this inspection. The inspector spent time with both children during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

This manager also manages another setting within the organisation.

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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: 30 September 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This home was judged inadequate at a full inspection in September 2025. Compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These were in relation to Regulation 6 (the quality and purpose of care standard), Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 2 A monitoring visit was completed on 28 November 2025. At this visit, leaders and managers had taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices issued under Regulations 6, 12 and 13. A requirement remained in place in relation to Regulation 13. This is no longer subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/09/2025 Full Inadequate 04/03/2025 Full Good 20/03/2024 Full Good 23/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 4

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have remained living at the home. One local authority moved a child from the home following the inadequate judgement made at the last full inspection. As a result, the child experienced disruption and change that was not in line with their care plan.

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improvement to be good

Children continue to be cared for by staff who work across all three of the provider’s homes. This reduces the opportunity for children to build relationships with staff and experience consistent care.

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improvement to be good

More purposeful one-to-one time is now spent with children. There has been an improved focus on developing children’s communication. The children, who do not use words to communicate, have more opportunities to make choices about their day-to-day lives, using their preferred methods of communication.

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improvement to be good

Children have access to some activities outside of the home. One child has recently started to attend a local dance class. Children’s access to activities in the community continues to be limited due to the skills and confidence of some staff to care for them outside of the home. This impacts on children’s ability to try new experiences and develop new interests. Recently, outside lighting has been installed in the large garden, which increases children’s access to the garden throughout the year.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are understood well by staff. One child with complex physical health needs receives highly personalised care. Children’s health plans are detailed and support staff to understand children’s health needs. For the most part, children’s plans are followed, and this helps them to remain in good health.

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improvement to be good

For one child, who is a wheelchair user, leaders and managers have not followed recommendations set out in the child’s education, health and care plan to provide the child with planned time out of their wheelchair. Although the child is able to do this at school, leaders and managers are not proactive in looking at ways that this can be facilitated for the child outside of the school environment.

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improvement to be good

Children’s education needs are met. Both children are in full-time education, and there is effective communication between children’s schools and staff at the home. School and home staff work together to implement a consistent approach to caring for the children and encouraging their communication and decision-making. Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 5

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improvement to be good

Children’s assessments and plans are written by the registered manager and are detailed. They provide staff with a clear understanding of children’s needs and how they should care for them in order to keep them safe. Assessments and plans are updated after significant incidents and are discussed with the staff team.

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improvement to be good

Some local authority plans and documents are not present on children’s files. This was raised at the last inspection and has not been effectively addressed. As a result, staff do not have access to all the information they need from the child’s local authority to inform their care of children.

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improvement to be good

Children are cared for in the least restrictive way, taking into consideration their individual needs. Children are not routinely held by staff in response to their behaviours.

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improvement to be good

The home provides children with a safe environment to live in.

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improvement to be good

There have been a small number of errors in respect of recording of children’s medication. These have not resulted in children being administered the wrong medication and have not impacted on children. Audits of these records have quickly identified these recording errors. There is no record of how this issue has been addressed with the staff involved or with the wider staff team. It is therefore unclear what additional support or training staff have received to reduce the likelihood of this reoccurring.

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improvement to be good

When concerns are raised about the conduct of staff, leaders and managers act swiftly to safeguard children. Information is shared with local authorities and other relevant agencies. Ofsted are informed of these incidents, and this ensures regulatory oversight of practice at the home.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been a renewed focus on ensuring that staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Staff are able to describe the process of raising concerns about or on behalf of children within the organisation and externally. This strengthens the safeguards in place for children.

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improvement to be good

Staff new to the home are subject to safer recruitment processes, including overseas checks when this is appropriate. This ensures that decision-making about staff coming to work at the home is based on all available information in order to keep children safe.

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

Leaders and managers have begun to address the concerns raised about practice that were identified at the last full inspection. The registered manager is supported by another skilled and experienced registered manager from the organisation. This provides additional oversight of the home and the quality of care children experience. Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 6 The current model of practice in the organisation means that staff are working across all three of the provider’s homes. This does not provide consistency of care for children. This was raised at the last inspection and has not been sufficiently addressed.

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

Staff say they are now receiving regular supervision of their practice. Staff do not receive their own copy of their supervision records. These are held by the registered manager. During this inspection, the registered manager was absent from the home. As a result, the majority of supervision records requested were not available to the inspector.

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

The supervision records seen demonstrate that supervision meetings have a child- centred focus and are used to build staff knowledge and understanding. However, supervision meetings are brief. The duration of meetings does not provide sufficient one- to-one time with staff to fully explore their role and reflect on the progress and experience of children.

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

Staff receive the training required to meet the individual needs of the children in their care. Some staff have not completed the formal qualifications required for their role within statutory timescales. The registered manager has not been proactive in ensuring that staff achieve these qualifications in a timely manner. Plans are now in place to address this and ensure that staff understand their responsibility under regulation to gain these qualifications.

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

Leaders and managers have positive working relationships with the placing authorities for the children currently living at the home. There is regular and effective communication between managers and children’s social workers. This helps to ensure that the care children receive is contributing to their longer-term care plans. Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 7

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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 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

children have a consistent staff team caring for them;

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Requirement Due date

staff have the skills to take children on activities in the community;

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Requirement Due date

staff complete their required qualifications within the expected timescales.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 31 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 8 undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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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)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff have supervision that is of sufficient quality and duration to support the development of effective child-focussed practice and that staff receive a copy of their supervision records.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

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.

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Requirement Due date

in cases not falling within sub-paragraph (a), for 75 years from the child’s date of birth;

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there; and

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Requirement Due date

in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all children’s files contain, as a minimum, those documents listed in Schedule 3 and all other relevant documents.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 9

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children’s health needs, as detailed in their education, health and care plans are followed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.15).

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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: SC411046 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3AT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Shona Wands Alderson

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Inspector

Dawn Parton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 11 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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