Children's home run by Therapeutic Care Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2850179 1 Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited 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 up to two children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home, and they both spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in August 2025. This is the home’s first inspection since registration.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2850179 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The planning for children moving into the home is robust. The manager reviewed all available information to identify the children’s needs and complexities. Before moving in, the manager visited the child to explain all about the home, and the child was given an opportunity to visit with their parents. This helped reduce the child’s anxieties.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are nurturing, caring and committed to making a positive difference. They are trained and skilled in delivering the company’s therapeutic model of care. The company therapist oversees this work and provides staff with ongoing support and advice, helping them to meet children’s emotional needs. As a result, staff build positive, trusting, and meaningful relationships with the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff meet children’s health needs effectively. They register children with universal health services as soon as they move into the home. Staff talk with children regularly about health-related issues, including healthy eating, personal hygiene, mental health and emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place high value on family time. They support children to have regular and positive time with people who are important to them. For one child, staff have supported parents to rebuild their relationship, resulting in positive time spent together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote children’s education. One child has remained at their school since moving into the home and is making progress. The other child is not currently in formal education, and the manager is working with the virtual school head to identify a suitable local provision. Staff provide informal learning opportunities, which is helping the child to rebuild confidence in their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to learn age-appropriate life skills, such as cooking and completing daily household tasks. This support helps children build confidence and develop skills for future independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly encourage children to express their wishes and feelings through daily conversations and weekly meetings. Through these discussions, children take part in decisions about their day-to-day care, including choosing activities and menu options.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that the home environment is clean, tidy, warm, and welcoming. Children have personalised their bedrooms by choosing wall colours and room layouts. Photos and children’s artwork are displayed throughout the home. However, the manager has not identified all hazards, including a cracked paving stone near the front door and broken carpet grippers at the side of the house. Inspection report for children’s home: 2850179 3

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

Staff keep children safe by understanding each child’s individual strengths and vulnerabilities. Effective multi-agency working, regular communication and information sharing ensure that care planning responds to children’s individual needs. Safeguarding practice is good. When incidents occur, staff manage them well and act appropriately to ensure that children’s safety is paramount.

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

The manager has implemented in-depth risk assessments that give staff clear guidance on how to manage and minimise risks. He ensures that these risk assessments are reviewed regularly and updated when new risks arise. This approach ensures that staff always have the most up-to-date information to keep children safe.

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

Staff use a nurturing approach to promote positive behaviour and clearly explain expectations to children. When staff apply consequences, they use them appropriately and talk with children to help them understand why the consequence was necessary. There have been no incidents involving physical intervention.

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

Staff focus on building trusting relationships that provide children with emotional safety and encourage them to express themselves freely. Staff regularly talk with children about risks they may face in the community, including the dangers of alcohol, substance misuse, and unhealthy friendships. However, staff have not provided one child with education about the risks associated with knife crime. As a result, this child does not currently have the information needed to make informed, safe and positive choices.

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

Staff only carry out room searches when a recognised risk exists, and they record these searches appropriately with management oversight. However, staff do not always inform the child of the reason the search was necessary.

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

Children say that they feel safe at the home. They know how to make a complaint and can identify a trusted adult they would speak to if they had any concerns or worries. There has been one complaint, and this has been managed effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is working towards his leadership and management qualification. He is child centred, caring and supportive, and has a good understanding of the children’s needs. He places children’s welfare at the centre of everything he and the staff team do.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has systems in place that provides clear oversight of the day-to-day practice and the care provided to the children. He ensures that the homes statement of purpose is regularly reviewed and updated so that it accurately reflects the ethos and objectives of the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has ensured that there is a suitable staff team in place. Staff share his aspirations, demonstrate enthusiasm and show a strong understanding of children’s needs and how best to support them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2850179 4 Staff receive comprehensive training and take regular refresher courses. However, the manager has not ensured that all staff have completed training on knife crime, drug awareness, and substance misuse, even though one child has clear needs in these areas. As a result, some staff do not have the knowledge and skills they need to fully meet that child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular supervision sessions, which provide opportunities to reflect on practice and promote learning and development. New staff complete a thorough induction programme that gives them the skills and knowledge required to understand their roles and responsibilities. Staff say they feel well supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that team meetings take place regularly. This gives staff an opportunity to come together and share their experience and skills. This provides a consistent approach to caring for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works proactively with other professionals and with parents. They speak highly of him and the staff team. He understands the importance of effective communication and acts as a strong advocate for children by ensuring that professionals put appropriate services in place to meet children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 2850179 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, 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;

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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 to

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff complete training on knife crime, drug awareness and substance misuse. This will give staff the required knowledge and understanding they need to meet the children’s needs. 3 April 2026

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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— 3 April 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2850179 6 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

meet the needs of each child; and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that issues of maintenance at the home are addressed. Specifically, the broken flag is replaced, and the broken carpets grippers are removed from the side of the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when staff carry out a room search, the child is informed why the search was necessary. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that children are educated on the dangers of knife crime, so they have the appropriate information to make positive choices and keep themselves safe. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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: 2850179 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Errigal House, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool FY4 2DP

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Inspector

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2850179 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 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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