Children's home run by Brinscall Care Limited

Inspection report children's home: 2775422 1 Registered provider: Brinscall Care 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

The home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or learning difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. All three children were spoken to during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 17 September 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2775422 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/09/2024 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2775422 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote and facilitate children’s relationships with their families and those who are important to them. They maintain consistent and meaningful communication with parents and carers, ensuring they are well informed about children’s progress and day ‑ to ‑ day experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This approach helps children to maintain their identity and maintain positive relationships with people who are significant. For example, one child’s mother is supported to play an active role in supporting her child’s passion for stage acting.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend school or alternative provision regularly. Children make good progress in their education. Staff work effectively with education professionals to ensure that children receive the support they need to overcome any barriers to learning. These strong partnerships contribute to children’s positive engagement and improved educational outcomes. Where one child is not in full time education there is effective challenge of the placing authority from the management team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported through carefully planned and sensitive direct work. This includes a significant piece of work undertaken with one child in relation to a bereavement. Although this was an extremely difficult and emotive topic, staff approached it with sensitivity, skill and at a pace that was appropriate for the child. As a result, the child felt supported and able to talk about their feelings safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children report that they feel happy and well supported in the home. They know that staff are available to help them whenever they need it. One child described the staff as “wonderful”, reflecting the positive and trusting relationships that they have with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities, including mixed martial arts, drama school and regular holidays. For example, during a recent trip to Scotland, children took part in a variety of positive outdoor pursuits. These experiences help to build children’s confidence, develop new skills and support their overall wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although the home provides care based on therapeutic principles, there was one occasion when staff were unable to fully meet a child’s needs. As a result, the provider made the decision that they could no longer look after the child. Staff made considerable efforts to prevent this outcome and went above and beyond to support the child during this period.

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

Safeguarding incidents, including episodes of children going missing from home, concerns relating to self-injury and issues linked to online safety, are managed Inspection report children's home: 2775422 4 effectively. Staff respond promptly and follow established procedures, ensuring that risks are reduced and children are kept safe.

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

Staff receive regular, reflective supervision that provides them with a safe space to discuss any concerns or worries. This enables them to seek guidance and maintain a consistent focus on children’s needs.

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

All staff are safely recruited in line with safer recruitment guidance. Robust checks are completed before staff begin to work at the home. This helps to ensure that only suitable staff care for children. work with the children.

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

On one occasion there was a delay in the provider notifying Ofsted about a serious incident. This limited the regulator’s ability to maintain timely oversight of the incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous registered manager submitted a voluntary cancellation form to end their registration in January 2026. There is an interim manager in place. They have been managing the home for a short time. However, they have not submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals working said that that they are very satisfied with the quality of care staff provide for children. They describe communication with staff as excellent and say that staff contribute effectively to ensure children’s outcomes are positive. This collaborative approach helps staff to provide children with consistent and well ‑ coordinated care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by a stable and consistent staff team. There is a strong emphasis on building and maintaining positive relationships. Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of each child’s needs, as well as their own roles and responsibilities in relation to care planning and safeguarding. This ensures that children receive well ‑ coordinated, safe and nurturing care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend regular training, which supports their understanding of children’s needs. This helps them to develop their skills and work towards implementing best practice. Training is reviewed regularly to ensure it reflects the changing needs of the staff and children. However, on some occasions staff do not consistently apply strategies effectively to meet the needs of one child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The independent person does not routinely seek the views, wishes and feelings of children, social workers or family members. This limits the manager’s ability to gain fully independent feedback about the quality of care provided and reduces opportunities for external scrutiny to inform improvement. Inspection report children's home: 2775422 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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills required to manage children’s individual needs. 30 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit 30 March 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2775422 6 ("the independent person’s report") which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(4)(a)(b) and (5))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that Ofsted is notified if there is an incident relating to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home which the registered person considers to be serious. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)

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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 children's home: 2775422 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brinscall Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 27, Barnfield House, Sandpits Lane, Accrington Road, Blackburn BB1 3NY

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Inspector

James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2775422 8 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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