Children's home run by Yourcare (Northwest) Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2783182 1 Registered provider: Yourcare (Northwest) 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

This home is operated by a private provider and provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties and have additional learning needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, no children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a qualified and experienced registered manager in post. The manager is also registered to manage another home owned by this provider.

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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 outstanding

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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: 11 December 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 for children’s home: 2783182 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/12/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2783182 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have left the home since the last inspection. Children’s moves in and out of the home are managed well. Staff supported the 2 children well to prepare them for independence. This was done in a positive way. Following their moves, managers sought feedback from the children about their time at the home. Both children who moved on keep in touch with the manager, which demonstrates the strong relationships that children develop with staff when living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide a nurturing environment that enables children to build positive relationships with staff. This helps children to develop a sense of permanence and belonging. One child who had recently moved out told the inspector, ‘I’ve asked my social worker if I can come back into care,’ as they missed living in the home and the relationships that they had built there.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health improves because of the support that they receive from staff. Staff support children to attend appointments and to understand the importance of good personal hygiene, the benefits of good nutrition and regular exercise. One child has improved their health and fitness so much that they are now enrolled in higher education to become a personal trainer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff champion education with high aspirations for children, and work proactively with schools and colleges to secure provision matched to each child’s needs. When children are not in formal education, the manager and staff work with education professionals to ensure that children have access to alternative education provision. This has led to home tutoring, alternative work experience and the sourcing of suitable placements. As a result, one child has a structured transition plan in place to return to formal education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use creative, personalised approaches to care for children and maintain their focus on the child’s voice; one social worker said that staff are child centred and advocate effectively on children’s behalf.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend routine health appointments. Staff act to secure specialist support, such as child and adolescent mental health services, when required. Staff also use their positive relationships with children to have open and honest discussions about their feelings and emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and managers understand the importance of family and friendships for the children, and they go above and beyond to support and promote these relationships. This is a key strength of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2783182 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s risks and vulnerabilities and take timely, proportionate action when concerns arise. The manager maintains effective oversight of safeguarding. She reflects on incidents to identify learning and promote continuous improvement, embedding consistent practice across the team.

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

Staff ensure that they take action to keep children safe. When children go missing from the home, staff follow the protocols in place. Staff take suitable action to find them and return them home, attempting to keep in contact with them while they are missing. Staff work closely with the police to take action to protect children. The manager challenges professionals when they do not provide children with an independent visit after missing- from-care incidents.

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

Children have a voice in the home, and their views are listened to through team meetings, feedback forms and through conversations.

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

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted and suitably rewarded. When staff give consequences to children, they are fair and proportionate. The manager and staff identify the effectiveness of consequences and look for alternative solutions to address negative behaviours.

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

Staff physically hold children when necessary to protect the child and/or those around them. Methods used are proportionate and only last as long as necessary. All incidents are recorded, reviewed and monitored by leaders. Staff focus on promoting children’s positive behaviour and children are encouraged to learn from incidents. Staff are proactive in supporting children when they feel overwhelmed by their feelings and children are supported to manage distressing emotions.

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

Staff remain alert to unsafe behaviours and manage challenging situations with calm, sensitive and nurturing approaches that help children to feel supported. Their strengths-based practice, combined with consistent routines and boundaries, provides children with stability and promotes positive behaviour, enabling them to better understand the impact of their actions on themselves and others.

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

Police involvement is used only when necessary to safeguard children. Staff do not use police intervention to manage behaviour, nor is it presented as a threat or consequence.

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

Recruitment procedures are safe and effective. All staff are fully vetted before they start work. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with the children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager consistently monitors the quality of care provided to children. She has established effective systems to maintain oversight of the home, allowing her to identify Inspection report for children’s home: 2783182 5 strengths and weaknesses. Monthly audits, regular supervision and daily guidance support accountability and learning. Through strong partnerships with schools and other agencies, the manager has secured coordinated support that improves children’s experiences and progress. Discussions about children are strengths-based and clearly focused on impact and outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is reflective in her approach to caring for children. Leaders and managers create a culture of high aspiration and positivity in the home. Staff receive a high level of support to deliver the highest quality of care to the children in their care. The manager considers the personal development of the staff and invests in their professional development to improve the quality of care provided to the children. Managers provide staff with a comprehensive training programme, ensuring that practice is specific to the child and informed by specialist learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and managers are visible in the home. There is strong oversight of the care being provided, and they continually review practice and look at how they can learn and improve. Team meetings are well attended and used as valuable development sessions. Staff receive regular supervision which is underpinned by research and development. During supervision, behaviours of the children and practices of the staff are thoroughly examined, and actionable steps are agreed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There have been occasions when serious incidents have occurred. Managers ensure that they notify the regulator and provide relevant updates. However, there was a delay in making the regulator aware of one incident. This did not affect the child’s safety. A requirement has been raised to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Leaders and manager lead by example and the staff team is dedicated to the children. Staff describe ‘loving’ their jobs. A member of staff said, ‘[Name of manager] is amazing. She is so knowledgeable and I aspire to be like her. Best manager! Fair, consistent and supportive.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2783182 6

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, notifications should be sent to the regulator without delay. 13 March 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: 2783182 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Yourcare (Northwest) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 64 St George’s Park, Kirkham PR4 2DZ

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Inspector

Nicola Jeffery, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2783182 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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