Children's Home run by Prospera Group Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2839296 1 Registered provider: Prospera Group Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2025. .

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. They took part in the inspection.

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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: 20 November 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: Following an assurance inspection, compliance notices were issued under Regulation 12 and Regulation 13. Inspection report for children's home: 2839296 2

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improvement to be good

There is one child living in the home. Although managers and staff did not initially take the necessary steps to ensure the child's safety, the team has undertaken extensive work to reinforce everyone's roles and responsibilities. As a result, managers and staff have a stronger understanding of their duties, leading to improved practice in keeping the child safe.

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improvement to be good

Overall, the child has made progress in several aspects of their life. However, records relating to the child's care do not consistently reflect this progress. This limits opportunities to fully understand and celebrate the child's achievements.

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improvement to be good

The child spoke positively about relationships with some members of staff and reported feeling listened to and valued. Staff now actively seek the child's wishes and feelings and advocate on their behalf with partner agencies during care planning discussions.

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improvement to be good

Managers have taken proactive steps to develop an education plan to support the child to access alternative educational opportunities, as the child is currently unable to attend a formal education provision. Staff work closely with the headteacher of the virtual school and the placing authority to reduce disruption and promote the child's engagement in learning.

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improvement to be good

The child is reported to be in good health. However, the child has not attended health appointments for a significant period of time. Although staff encourage the child to understand the importance of maintaining good health, there is no detailed or coordinated plan that clearly sets out how staff will continue to support the child to meet all their health and care needs.

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improvement to be good

Family time is well supported by staff. Staff understand the importance of the child maintaining and rebuilding relationships with significant people in their life. This has been a particularly positive area of work and has contributed to improved family relationships. The child has valued this support, and feedback from a parent was extremely positive regarding the guidance and encouragement provided by staff.

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improvement to be good

Despite there being no court-directed order in place, staff have imposed limitations and restrictions on the child's freedom. Door alarms are in use without a clear assessment or rationale linked to identified safeguarding risks. This does not sufficiently promote the child's independence or reflect proportionate care planning. Inspection report for children's home: 2839296 3

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improvement to be good

In most cases, staff identify and understand risks to the child. However, strategies designed to keep the child safe are applied inconsistently, and not all staff have a shared understanding of identified risks. This is of particular concern when staff without a residential childcare background work together without sufficient experience or skills. This remains an unassessed risk, although it has not resulted in direct harm to the child.

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improvement to be good

There have been no incidents of the child going missing from the home. Most staff understand the actions required should the child go missing. However, plans to manage situations where the child may remain missing overnight are not sufficiently detailed. This could limit the effectiveness of staff responses when the child would be at their most vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

The child has formed trusting relationships with several staff members, which have enabled open conversations about risk-taking behaviours, including internet use. Staff show a strong understanding of the child's lived experiences and respond with nurturing and supportive approaches when the child displays behaviour linked to distress or anger. Physical intervention has not been necessary. However, staff do not consistently challenge inappropriate language in the home, which limits the child's ability to develop a clear understanding of consistently acceptable boundaries.

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improvement to be good

Consequences are not consistently recorded. Although the manager and staff describe using a restorative approach that incorporates natural consequences, this is not clearly documented or evidenced in practice. This is a missed opportunity to support the child's understanding that there may be both imposed and natural consequences when behaviour is unacceptable.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not ensured that all safer recruitment checks have been completed in line with statutory guidance. Records show that appropriate attempts were not made to verify one staff member's work history, and overseas checks were not readily available. This does not provide full assurance that recruitment practices are robust

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

The registered manager is appropriately qualified and maintains a strong focus on the child's needs. She is supported by a deputy manager and team leaders. However, she has not consistently provided effective management oversight or further developed her leadership skills. The responsible individual is aware of these shortfalls and is working closely with the registered manager to strengthen their skills, knowledge and overall leadership capacity.

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

There have been significant changes in the staff team, as the original team was unable to meet the child's needs. Although these changes initially affected the child's relationships, the introduction of a more diverse and mixed-gender staff team has Inspection report for children's home: 2839296 4 brought greater consistency and clearer boundaries. The child spoke very positively about the new team and described feeling listened to and supported in making positive choices in their life.

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

Managers have oversight of several aspects of the home. However, they have not consistently identified weaknesses in care plans, risk assessments and daily records, or taken timely action to improve them. This has limited the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements and does not show the progress that the child has made and their lived experiences. The registered manager accepted that this area of work required strengthening.

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

Staff report feeling well supported and receive regular, good-quality supervision. They can also speak to the responsible individual, who visits the home regularly alongside the registered manager. Team meetings take place and provide an opportunity to review staff practices. However, the records do not focus on the child and their care, safety and welfare. The registered manager has already identified how these meetings and documents could be strengthened, including working with the home's therapeutic service to review and plan.

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

Staff rotas have been improved. Rotas now clearly record the full names of staff and the registered manager, along with the actual hours worked. This provides clearer oversight of staffing arrangements in the home.

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

Since the assurance inspection, the registered manager has ensured that staff receive additional training to meet the child's specific needs. However, not all staff have completed the required mandatory training or had sufficient time to reflect on the learning they have already undertaken. Consequently, there remains limited assurance that all staff possess the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to meet the child's needs consistently. Inspection report for children's home: 2839296 5

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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, 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 registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children's home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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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; 25 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2839296 6 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 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person must clearly record all consequences promptly, including those that are restorative.

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children's home's premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child's privacy or access to any area of the home's premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that the registered person must ensure that the use of door alarms is for the safety and security of children. This must be reviewed regularly. Additionally, the registered person must ensure that the child is allowed as much freedom as possible, including time alone in the community. 25 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 registered person may only— 25 February 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2839296 7 employ an individual to work at the children's home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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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

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)) 25 February 2026

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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: 2839296 8

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Langholme, Longsight Road, Langho, Blackburn BB6 8AD

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Inspectors

Michelle Edge, Senior His Majesty's Inspector Rose Maddocks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2839296 9 regulates 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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Inspectors

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