Children's Home run by Northridge Care Group Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 1 Registered provider: Northridge Care Group 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 the home. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. They may also have special educational needs and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home and were spoken to by the inspector.

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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 widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2025

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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: 2679574 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2025 Full Good 29/01/2024 Full Good 24/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The inspector identified shortfalls in relation to safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home. These shortfalls have had an adverse impact on children’s safety and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children say they are unhappy living at the home. Although children have some positive relationships with staff, they do describe staff as being tired, which means that they do not have sufficient time for all the children. Relationships between the children are broken and irreparable. One child describes the environment as chaotic, saying this negatively impacts their daily lived experiences. Boundaries and routines are inconsistent, resulting in children being awake at night and sleeping during the day. One child said, ‘I’m trying to attend school, but I can’t sleep at night due to the noise, and then I’m too tired to go.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children say they do not feel listened to by those making decisions about their lives. One child describes raising complaints with staff and managers about the broken relationships in the home and the children being unable to live positively together. The child said, ‘There’s no point mentioning it anymore because nothing ever changes.’ This leaves some children feeling that their views are not valued and that their concerns do not lead to meaningful action.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Before a child moves into the home, the registered manager completes a risk assessment. This identifies the potential impact of the known risks of the child already living in the home and the child who is moving in. However, the registered manager did not consult the placing authority for the child already living in the home. As a result, compatibility between the children was not fully assessed or evaluated. One child said that the children are ‘not a good match’ to each other, highlighting the impact of these gaps in practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The home environment is not consistently maintained to an acceptable standard. Repairs in one child’s bedroom remain outstanding, and leaders and managers are slow to respond to the required maintenance. One child described how the communal television was broken during an incident and was not replaced for over a month. This lack of timely action means children do not live in a homely environment that supports their comfort or sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

When barriers to children attending educational settings occur, the registered manager works with external professionals to find solutions that meet the children’s individual needs. Both children now attend an appropriate education provision. However, their attendance is affected by a lack of routines in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s health needs are met. Staff support children to attend regular routine appointments with health services. When specialist support is required, staff make the Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 4 necessary referrals to external services, and they escalate concerns when they feel children’s needs are not being met effectively. This ensures that children receive the most appropriate support to meet their health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s relationships with their families are encouraged by staff. Staff recognise and understand the importance of children spending time with people who are important to them, and they support and encourage family time. As a result, children enjoy regular time with their families.

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

Staff do not consistently recognise the risks to children or take effective action to reduce them. One child is frequently missing from the home and is highly vulnerable to exploitation, both online and in the community. However, staff do not monitor the child’s internet ‑ enabled devices.

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

Direct work to help the child understand and reduce these risks is minimal. Staff show limited professional curiosity about the child’s experiences while missing from the home. Although detailed safety plans provide clear guidance on how risks should be managed, staff do not consistently follow these. As a result, the child is left without the protection they need.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff do search for them. However, their responses are inconsistent and do not always safeguard children effectively. On one occasion, a child was missing for three days; staff did not continue searching despite being given information about the child’s possible location. On another occasion, staff delayed acting on similar information. These shortfalls demonstrate that staff are not taking the necessary action to locate and protect children, increasing the risk that they remain missing from home for longer than necessary.

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

Decision-making in connection to missing-from-care incidents is poorly managed and does not prioritise children’s safety. On one occasion, while a child was missing from the home, staff took another child out in the early hours of the morning to search the local area. This exposed the child to unnecessary risk of harm and disrupted their routines and sleep, demonstrating poor judgement and a failure to consider the wider impact of their actions on all children in the home.

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

Staff did not ensure that there was appropriate supervision following a significant incident during the evening. Staff failed to undertake a welfare check on the child until the following afternoon. On completing the check, staff found the child was missing from the home. When reviewing CCTV footage, staff discovered that the child had left the home in the early hours of the morning. This left the child at risk.

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

The manager has not ensured that all significant incidents are notified to the regulator in a timely manner. This means that Ofsted is unable to scrutinise information to ensure that children are kept safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 5 Staff use a range of positive behaviour management strategies, including rewards, de- escalation techniques and distraction methods to manage children’s behaviour. Consequences implemented by staff are proportionate and appropriate to the behaviour displayed. There have been a number of incidents of verbal and physical aggression between the children. However, staff respond effectively by using de-escalation techniques and separating the children, giving them time and space to regulate their emotions.

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

Staff complete necessary bedroom searches when there may be unsafe items that are not permitted in the home. They remove items that may pose a risk to children’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are significant concerns about the leadership and management of the home. The identified shortfalls are undermining the staff team’s ability to safeguard children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Oversight from leaders and managers has not identified all the significant shortfalls found during this inspection. Senior leaders have recognised some of these issues and have taken steps to improve practice. This includes providing additional support and monitoring for the registered manager and appointing a deputy manager. The registered manager has submitted an application to cancel their registration with Ofsted and is due to leave her post in January 2026.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Feedback from external professionals is variable. Some professionals raised concerns about the manager’s lack of communication and information-sharing, as well as the children’s fractured relationships and their difficulties in living positively alongside one another. However, professionals also reported positive progress for some children and highlighted the strength of their relationships with staff. One social worker said, ‘Staff have done some good work with [name of child]; they have done really well with relationships and the work they have completed with [name of child]. However, I have had to make a number of complaints. I have repeatedly asked for documents and not received them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Shortfalls in the keeping and quality of children’s records were identified throughout this inspection. There is a lack of sufficient core staff working at the home. The provider uses staff from other homes or from a pool of casual staff within the company. This impacts on consistency for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision of staff provides staff with opportunities to reflect on their care of the children. However, supervision does not always take place regularly or in line with the provider’s timescales.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are provided with a wide range of training, including courses tailored to the individual needs of the children. However, there are gaps in staff completing their annual Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 6 refresher training, which means they do not always have the up-to-date knowledge and skills required to promote the safety and welfare of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 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 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 22 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 8 * 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 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;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 22 February 2026

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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— 22 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 9 that staff—

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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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children; and

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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)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(b))

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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; 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)) 22 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 10 The registered person must ensure that the local authority is actively involved in all discussions necessary to support safe and well ‑ informed decisions about children moving into the home. They must implement an effective system for assessing and understanding the combined risks presented by children living together.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (1)(a)(b)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Specifically, the registered person must ensure that serious incidents are notified to Ofsted without delay. 22 February 2026

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

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

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

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In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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

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enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. 22 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 11 (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that required maintenance repairs are actioned in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a workforce plan that can fulfil the workforce- related requirements of Regulation 16, schedule 1, paragraphs 19 and 20. The plan should be updated to include any new training and qualifications completed by staff while working at the home and used to record the ongoing training and continuing professional development needs of staff – including the home’s manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 53, paragraph 10.8).

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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: 2679574 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Northridge Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Richard House, 9 Winckley Square, Preston, Lancashire PR1 3HP

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Inspector

Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2679574 13 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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