CFS Care Limited Lancashire and North West

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Lancashire and North West 1 CFS Care Limited Lancashire and North West Registered provider: CFS Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

This supported accommodation service is owned and managed by a private provider. This service provides 4 shared group-living homes for up to 21 children and young people. The homes are not limited to accommodating looked-after children and care leavers.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, the service provided supported accommodation for 9 children.

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provider

The provider registered with Ofsted on 23 November 2023. The service manager registered with Ofsted on 23 July 2025.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 26 January 2026 and started that day. The inspector was on site on 28 and 29 January 2026.

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Outcome

Consistently strong service delivery leads to typically positive experiences and progress for children. Where improvements are needed, leaders and managers take timely and effective action. The next inspection will be within approximately 3 years.

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Summary of findings

All children speak very positively about the service. Children feel happy, safe, and well supported. They value the nurturing support and the experiences that staff provide.

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Summary of findings

Children develop their independence and receive help from staff when they need it most. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Lancashire and North West 2 Staff listen to children’s voices and act on their requests. Children have requested a better internet service. The registered service manager has researched this and has improved connectivity in the accommodation.

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Summary of findings

The accommodation is currently being renovated, and the communal areas are comfortable and inviting.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers recognise what is important in children’s lives and are passionate about continually improving the service.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children express their views freely. They give positive feedback about their homes and the help they receive. One child said: ‘I have never been as settled as this. The staff have all been really good to me since arriving and I am actually happy here.’ There are regular social events and children’s forums within each home. Children have a say in what happens in their home. Additionally, staff offer independent advocacy services for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

All children know how to complain. The complaints process is clearly written in the children’s ‘welcome guide,’ and the company complaints process. Leaders and managers take complaints seriously. Complaints from children, staff or third parties are investigated impartially and fairly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Most children attend education every day. Staff view education as key to children reaching their full potential. Children attend courses in health and social care, agriculture, and construction. One child recently won an award from college for farming and is inspirational. When children are not in education or training, staff accompany children to careers meetings and encourage them to consider different courses or colleges. Staff maintain excellent communication with education services.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff help children prepare for independence in adulthood, teaching practical skills in planned support sessions and ongoing discussions. Children can see their progress towards meeting their goals and know what they need to do to improve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers consider ways that they can enhance children’s opportunities and experiences, for example providing funding for driving lessons and clothing for a job interview. One child has a moped licence, and this has increased his independence and employability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Leaders and managers complete a regular assessment of the local area of the premises. This is useful for identifying any concerns in the local community and the resources and amenities available for children to use. Staff are aware of children’s individual cultural needs to feel connected to communities they identify with. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Lancashire and North West 3 Staff prepare children to move on from the service. When children reach adulthood, they remain in the accommodation service until they have a plan of support in place and suitable accommodation. Children receive leaving gifts and a photo book or video collage of their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff meet with children before they leave the service to gain their feedback on what works well and what could be improved in the service. Leaders and managers use these views in development plans for the homes.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers complete assessments of all children’s known vulnerabilities. Staff know what to do to help children feel safer. Risk assessments are updated when incidents occur or new information is available. Following incidents, children have learning sessions about how they can identify potential harm and act differently in future. This has led to positive outcomes for children. For example, instances of children self-harming are rare.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff follow appropriate guidance when children are missing from home. They follow police and local authority protocols. There is a well-coordinated response to reduce the risk of harm. When staff locate children, they check on their wellbeing. Children feel that they are cared about and welcomed back to their home.

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How well children are helped and protected

One child was admitted to the service in an emergency and needed a higher level of supervision to keep them safe. Limited information was known by the placing authority. Staff followed multi-agency safeguarding procedures when the child did not return to the setting. Leaders and managers quickly recognised that caring for the child would be operating outside their statement of purpose. As a result, leaders and managers have implemented a referral screening system to consider whether children are ready for supported accommodation. The registered service manager gathers sufficient information to make informed decisions about children’s placements at the point of referral. All children are appropriately placed in the service and staff support them to be safe.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff help children to be safer when there are risks in the community. Staff are trained in the specific needs of children in the setting. When risk of harm becomes apparent, such as drug misuse and risk of exploitation, prompt action is taken to identify support. Children who enter the criminal justice system are supported to understand their actions and consequences. The provider has good links with the youth offending service, harm reduction agencies, and complex safeguarding services.

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How well children are helped and protected

Serious incidents are not always reported to Ofsted in a timely manner. This does not give the regulator effective oversight. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Lancashire and North West 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered service manager knows the children and the staff team well. He is passionate about helping children and wants them to thrive. The manager delivers good support and models relationship-based practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Supervision of staff is carried out regularly and gives staff the opportunity to discuss any worries they have about children and their plans. Additional supervision sessions are held when staff ask for support for their wellbeing or for further reflection about plans for children. Staff value these discussions and provide respectful challenge to leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have a comprehensive plan to develop the workforce. They recognise that it is important for children to have familiar staff working with them. There are ongoing efforts to recruit skilled and experienced staff. Leaders and managers enrol staff on relevant qualifications, prioritise training and hold reviews of staff progress. The company also awards performance for individual staff members. Staff feel valued and they want to stay. This has contributed to a reduction in the use of agency staff and improved stability within the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Inter-agency working is a strength of the service. Social workers for children were overwhelmingly positive about the provider. Staff communicate by phone and write informative weekly reports to update partner agencies. Staff participate fully in meetings to progress plans for children. One child’s independent reviewing officer said: ‘[Name of child] used to be a child on my caseload that I worried about. However, since moving to [name of provider], it has been the best thing ever for him. I am pleased that he has progressed with his independence and life skills so much.’ Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Lancashire and North West 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify the CIECSS and any 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 or child criminal exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the supported accommodation undertaking or a person working for it;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is an incident involving the use of a measure of restraint of a child;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 27 (3)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)(f)) 27 February 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that they consider children’s experience of trauma when assessing the suitability of their placement. This is a shared responsibility with children’s accommodating authorities. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards,’ page 17) Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Lancashire and North West 6

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Lancashire and North West 7

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Inspector

Sue Garner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: CFS Care Limited Lancashire and North West 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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