Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children’s home: SC035049 1 SC035049

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Registered provider: Partners in 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 registered with Ofsted in August 2002 and is run by a private organisation. It provides care for up to three children who experience social and 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.

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Information about this children’s home

There are two registered managers in post. They registered with Ofsted in July 2022 and December 2025, respectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC035049 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/04/2024 Full Good 02/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/04/2022 Full Good 26/01/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC035049 3

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improvement to be good

Children make variable progress living in this home.

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improvement to be good

A child who recently moved into the home is beginning to make progress. They are developing relationships with staff. Staff talk to them about their feelings. This is helping them to settle living in the home.

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improvement to be good

The child is not currently attending education, and they spend time playing computer games during school hours, which is not in line with their care plan.

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improvement to be good

There is a lack of daily routine and structure for the child. The child said they were bored. There is an activity planner in place for the child. However, staff do not follow this. Staff miss opportunities to engage the child in informal learning around their interests.

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improvement to be good

A child who recently left the home made significant progress in all areas of their life. The child knew what they wanted to achieve. Staff encouraged and supported them to achieve in all areas of their life.

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improvement to be good

Another child is preparing to move out into a semi-independent setting. The child has developed their independence skills but is not in education or employment. The manager experienced challenges with the placing authority and education services, which they challenged appropriately. Despite the challenges, the child achieved a recognised qualification in an area of interest.

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improvement to be good

Children have strong relationships with staff. This has enabled meaningful work to take place with one child around their mental health and self-esteem. Appropriate referrals for support are made, and staff respond effectively to incidents of self-harm. Staff work with children in a sensitive way around their health concerns.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to explore their interests and identity. Staff take time to understand children and are non-judgmental and therapeutic in their approach. This helps children to feel valued and cared for.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to maintain relationships with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks to children and the potential impact of their vulnerabilities. Risk assessments include the strategies that staff should use in practice to reduce risk. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035049 4 When children go missing from home, staff respond appropriately. They follow the protocols in place to support children to return home safely. However, on one occasion staff did not record or report a safeguarding incident. Therefore, strategies could not be put in place to prevent this from happening again. This was investigated by the registered manager and appropriate action was taken.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always support one child’s time with their family safely. The registered manager addressed this to ensure that staff are provided with training and guidance to improve their practice.

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improvement to be good

The registered manager ensures that safeguarding measures are used to reduce risk to children, for example waking night staff and door alarms on children’s bedrooms. These are used appropriately, and children understand the reasons why they are in place.

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improvement to be good

Staff talk to children to help them understand any potential risks. Staff encourage children to reflect on incidents and help them to understand how to keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Managers work with professionals to ensure that they are aware of escalating concerns for children so that referrals can be made to the relevant safeguarding professionals to help keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment processes are thorough. This helps to ensure that only suitable adults are employed to care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are two registered managers in post. One is currently absent from work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The responsible individual and registered manager take timely action to respond to any concerns about staff practices. These concerns are investigated thoroughly, and appropriate action is taken. However, it is not always clear why specific actions are taken to address some concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The actions taken by the responsible individual and registered manager regarding poor staff practice has led to some staff leaving the home. This impacts on children maintaining relationships with a stable staff team. Staff recruitment is a priority for leaders and managers, with all vacant posts either appointed to or with interviews arranged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are shortfalls in the registered manager’s review and monitoring systems. External monitoring reports do not always include feedback from relevant stakeholders. For example, parents and staff. This is a missed opportunity for the registered manager to make any changes to the care staff provide for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

While the core staff team has completed all relevant training, there are gaps for a member of bank staff which had not been identified by the registered manager. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035049 5 The registered manager uses supervisions and team meetings to ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities. However, the records lack detail and do not demonstrate the input of staff or show progress regarding any actions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The current registered manager has identified shortfalls in staff practices. She is starting to make improvements to the care that staff provide for children. For example, she ensures that if children receive any consequences, they are therapeutic rather than punitive. She has a strong focus on ensuring that children are prepared for independence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Children’s complaints are taken seriously. Managers provide children with feedback on the outcome of their concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035049 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to staff understanding their roles and responsibilities in respect of their supervision of children's time with friends and family and acting upon any concerns to prevent harm to children. 31 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 staff— 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC035049 7 help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(x)(ix)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to staff promoting informal learning for children and understanding the barriers to education to support the transition back to formal learning. Inspection report for children’s home: SC035049 8 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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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’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(c)) 31 March 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make best use of information from internal monitoring to ensure that staff complete training within timescales. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Specifically, team meetings and supervision should provide the opportunity to reflect on their professional practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that the independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. This should include seeking feedback

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Recommendations

from parents, relatives and staff caring for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: SC035049 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Hayley Williams and Natalie Cain

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Inspector

Andrea Foreman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC035049 10 regulates and inspects 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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