Children's home run by Pelican Care Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2592781 1 Registered provider: Pelican Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. Children may also have diagnosed learning difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with both children.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 29 January 2025

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2592781 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/01/2025 Full Good 19/07/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Good 21/09/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2592781 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who live at the home benefit from warm, trusting relationships with staff, who provide consistent emotional support. The environment is calm, welcoming and homely, with personalised bedrooms and thoughtful touches around the home, such as photos of children having fun with staff, which help children feel valued. Staff invest time in building relationships, ensuring that children feel listened to and supported.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s progress is clear. One child with a complex history has engaged in short educational courses and gained certificates that builds their confidence and enhances their future opportunities. Their independence skills are developing well. Another child has made good progress by attending full time mainstream education and engaging in meaningful hobbies, such as horse riding. Structured boundaries around phone use and consistent support contribute to this progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children’s involvement in activities and to spend time with their families when this is in line with their individual plans. Children’s emotional wellbeing is supported through regular conversations with staff and planned involvement from specialist services. Staff advocate on behalf of children, ensuring that their voice is heard and considered. As a result, children demonstrate confidence in expressing their views and contributing to decisions that affect their lives.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children continue to find it difficult to engage consistently with daily routines, which limits their progress in developing independence and stability. Staff remain aware of these barriers and continue to adapt their approaches to meet children’s needs, offering ongoing encouragement and support.

p.3

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

There has been a significant reduction in missing from the home incidents and no child has gone missing for several months. This improvement reflects the stability within the home and the positive relationships children have built with staff. Staff provide consistent supervision, clear guidance and emotional reassurance, helping children to understand risks and make safer choices.

p.3

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

There have been no incident of physical intervention, indicating that staff use de-escalation strategies effectively and have established positive, trusting relationships with children.

p.3

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

Children know how to make a complaint and when they do, their concerns are taken seriously by the manager and addressed promptly.

p.3

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

Some safeguarding records lack sufficient detail. Records relating to incidents of children going missing from home are brief, inconsistent, or lack analysis or clear follow up Inspection report for children’s home: 2592781 4 actions. Limited managerial oversight of these records reduces the rigour of safeguarding evaluation. In addition, delays in completing direct work with children after these incidents reduce opportunities for children to reflect on what happened and learn how to keep themselves safe.

p.3

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

Oversight by the responsible individual is inconsistent. Shortfalls in monitoring and challenge mean that leaders do not always have an accurate understanding of the home’s strengths and areas requiring improvement. As a result, opportunities to drive improvement and address operational gaps are missed.

p.4

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

Partnership working with external professionals is variable. While some professionals describe staff as positive and supportive, others report delays or inconsistencies in communication. These shortfalls reduce the home’s capacity to work proactively with partner agencies and can affect the timeliness and effectiveness of planning for children.

p.4

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

Supervision and appraisal records show that staff receive regular opportunities to explore children’s progress, reflect on their own work and identify areas for improvement. Staff describe feeling supported and confident, with managers encouraging constructive challenge and promoting continuous professional development. Appraisals have strengthened, with clearer targets and improved use of external feedback.

p.4

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

Team meetings are held monthly and provide structured opportunities for reflective discussion. Managers ensure that these meetings remain focused on children’s wellbeing, safeguarding and care planning. Staff are encouraged to share perspectives, explore challenges and discuss emerging themes. This contributes to a shared team understanding of children’s needs and consistent approaches to supporting them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2592781 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that there are clear safeguarding strategies and procedures in place and that managers and staff follow safeguarding procedures when children are missing from home. 27 March 2026

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. 27 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2592781 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 1(a)(b) (2)(a)(d)(e)(h))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they implement effective monitoring systems to ensure that there is an improved level of oversight and evaluation of significant incidents.

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when a significant incident has occurred, the local authority are informed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.18)

p.6

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: 2592781 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Pelican Care Group Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2a Swordfish Business Park, Swordfish Close, Higgins Lane, Burscough, Lancashire L40 8JW

p.7

Inspector

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2592781 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8