Children's home run by Guidance Care Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2620266 1 Registered provider: Guidance 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

This privately owned home provides care for up to 2 children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection there were 2 children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2025.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2620266 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/03/2025 Full Outstanding 05/03/2024 Full Outstanding 21/02/2023 Full Good 07/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2620266 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have trusting and secure relationships with staff who know them well and put their wellbeing as a priority. Staff treat the children with dignity and respect, and they experience care that is sensitive to their individual needs. Staff speak fondly and passionately about the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There continue to be difficulties with some children’s attendance at school and college. The manager and staff are working closely with education providers and placing authorities to identify additional support and strategies to encourage improved attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff also help children develop their life skills and independence skills in preparation for adulthood. This work is delivered gradually and tailored to each child’s age and ability. One child has recently moved successfully into semi-independent living as a result of the progress made through this structured life-skills programme.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with a range of opportunities to take part in activities that support their hobbies and interests. They also recognise that, due to the children’s ages, they often prefer to spend time with their friends. Friends are welcomed into the home, and staff actively encourage the development of positive and healthy friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage children to express their views, wishes and feelings. This happens through daily conversations as well as more formal opportunities, such as monthly children’s meetings and individual support sessions. These approaches help children contribute to day-to-day decisions about their care, enabling them to feel listened to and reassured that their views are valued. Staff advocate for children and consistently act in their best interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, the manager completes a detailed assessment to determine whether they are suitably matched to live together and whether staff have the skills and experience required to meet their needs. These assessments are based on information provided by the professionals involved in each child’s life. The manager provides appropriate challenge to placing authorities to ensure that any move is carefully considered and firmly in the child’s best interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children have moved on from the home the manager and staff have ensured this has been done sensitively and with the best possible planning under the circumstances. They have worked with the new provider to support the move to be as least disruptive for the child as possible. Inspection report for children's home: 2620266 4

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

When children raise complaints or concerns about staff, these are responded to appropriately and shared with the relevant professionals. Children’s welfare remains the priority throughout the process.

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

Children’s support plans and risk assessments are detailed documents that provide staff with clear information and strategies to ensure consistent care. However, these records would benefit from being streamlined to include only up-to-date and relevant information, and from ensuring that risks are assessed proportionately.

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

When it has been necessary to physically hold a child, the intervention has been reasonable, proportionate and used only to keep children and staff safe. All involved receive a debrief to reflect on the incident, and this process also helps staff understand the child’s feelings and emotional responses. There are, however, some shortfalls in the electronic recording of these incidents, and elements of the manager’s oversight have been lost due to a system error. This impacts the quality of future reflection and record-keeping.

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

When children have stayed away from the home without permission. Staff have taken suitable steps to locate them, to keep in touch with them and to encourage them to return home at the earliest opportunity. Staff have worked with family and the local police to support a safe return home. When children have returned to the home, staff talk to them to identify their reasons for being away without permission and to see if there is anything they can do to help.

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

Staff encourage children to attend routine health appointments such as the doctor and dentist and also access specialist wellbeing support when needed. When children have refused to attend appointments, staff have completed individual support sessions with them to help them understand the importance of the appointment and to help them to make an informed choice about whether they attend.

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

Individual support sessions take place often and are used to discuss key events and to support children to understand risks such as drug use and to understand the importance of personal hygiene and school attendance.

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

When staff identify that children are smoking cannabis, they take appropriate action by completing room searches, educating the child about the risks associated with drug misuse, and encouraging engagement with external support services to help reduce substance use. However, not all staff have received training in substance misuse.

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

There are systems in place for the safer recruitment of staff. However, these have not been successful in obtaining all information. For one staff member there was not a full employment history and the reason for leaving previous care roles was not explored. Inspection report for children's home: 2620266 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is an experienced manager in post who is ambitious for the children and plays an influential role in improving their lives. She is supported by a deputy manager, and together they share a strong, determined vision for what the children and the home can achieve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a core team of staff who provide stability and consistency for the children. They know the children well and understand their individual needs. Staff have clear roles and responsibilities and share a strong sense of ownership and accountability. They work effectively as a team, and managers lead by example.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff are committed to working collaboratively with relevant professionals, including placing authorities and schools. They attend regular meetings and reviews to ensure children’s needs are understood and met. When external services are not fulfilling their responsibilities or are not meeting children’s needs, the manager and staff provide professional challenge to ensure that children’s rights are upheld and their voices are advocated for

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is innovative and has an ambitious vision for what she wants to achieve. She has systems in place to ensure that she has oversight and a detailed understanding of the home and uses these systems effectively to drive improvements. The quality-of- care review is evaluative and identifies areas of strength and areas of challenge. However, the report does not have a clear action plan or the views of children about the care they receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff have completed training to provide them with the skills and knowledge to meet children's individual needs. In addition to formal training sessions, the manager also uses team meetings to deliver information she has learned from research to inform staff practice to support children's specific needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Team meetings take place often and are well attended by the team. They are child- focused and used to share information and updates on children. They are also used as a training and development opportunity for staff. These meetings are interactive and are an opportunity to explore staff understanding of relevant topics and enhance their skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Supervision sessions are held regularly and are used to support staff wellbeing and development. They are used to reflect on significant events, are child-focused and practice related. In addition to these sessions, appraisals are completed regularly. They are used to assess the staff members competency to do the role and there is an emphasis on staff progression and development. Inspection report for children's home: 2620266 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, 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 recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d)) 26 March 2026

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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; 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

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are all trained in substance misuse. 26 March 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that if records are kept electronically, that information can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view it and, if required, be reproduced in a legible form. IT systems should ensure the safe storage Inspection report for children's home: 2620266 7 of these records and business continuity planning should be in place to prevent loss or damage to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations.’ Page 61, paragraph 14.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Information within plans should be concise and accessible to staff. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations.’ Page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the quality-of-care review includes the views of children about the home and the care they receive. The report should clearly

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Recommendations

identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations.’ Page 64 and 65, paragraph 15.2 and 15.4)

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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: 2620266 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Guidance Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 8 Sovereign Court, Wyrefields, Poulton Industrial Estate, Poulton-le-fylde FY6 8JX

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Lorraine Anderson

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Inspector

Katie Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2620266 9 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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