Children's home run by ABC Care and Education Ltd in Lancaster

Inspection report for children’s home: SC443765 1 SC443765 Registered provider: ABC Care and Education Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider owns and manages the home. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in May 2012, the manager registered with Ofsted in February 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates : 12 and 13 February 2026

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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: 12 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: SC443765 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2024 Full Good 20/02/2024 Full Good 18/01/2023 Full Good 01/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC443765 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they love living at the home and they make progress from their starting points. Staff help children to develop and grow through their nurturing approach. The positive relationships that have developed between children and staff provide a strong family-like atmosphere which helps children to develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use the word ‘love’ frequently when talking about and to the children, this is reciprocated by children. Children talk about staff as though they were their family. Through life story work, children are supported to understand their past experiences and the role of their own families. They are also able to talk about the positive impact living at the home has on their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Care plans are reviewed and updated regularly, providing clear information about how staff help children to understand and manage their emotions. Staff set individual targets and goals for each child that are linked to the care plans in collaboration with them at keywork sessions. Staff also respond sensitively to emerging issues in children’s lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to understand the value of education, as a result children’s attendance and attainment levels remain high. A head teacher said, ‘The children have made really good progress because of the strength of the relationships and communication between staff in both school and the home’. This reflects the strong partnership working that supports children’s sustained progress in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff consult with children in a variety of ways including individual weekly sessions using the ‘my week in words’ approach and twice monthly group meetings. These meetings provide opportunities for children to express their views on day-to-day matters such as activities and food choices and to engage in discussions about topics such as respect for themselves and others and world events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in a wide range of activities both individually and through involvement in local groups and clubs. This enables children to explore their interests, develop new skills and build their confidence. As a result, children gain a stronger sense of identity and develop increased self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff work effectively with external professionals. Although this does not always mean reaching agreement, discussions remain child-focused and demonstrate strong advocacy on behalf of children. One professional said, ‘We do not always agree but we both have [name] best interests at heart and work through things to make sure he gets the best he can’. This reflects a culture of constructive challenge and collaboration. Inspection report for children’s home: SC443765 4 The home continues to look tired and worn in some areas. For example, the front door and a window is in need of repair due to areas of damp and a cracked pane of glass.

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

Children say that they feel safe at the home and have trusted staff that they can go to if they are worried or concerned.

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

Children rarely go missing from the home, however, staff are fully aware of the protocols to follow when this occurs and take prompt, co-ordinated action to ensure that children return quickly and safely.

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

Staff manage children’s behaviour effectively through the use of incentives and positive rewards. On occasions when children experience heightened emotions linked to past trauma, staff may need to use physical intervention to keep them safe. Records indicate that interventions are brief and use the least restrictive methods necessary. While the documentation provides a thorough account of the incidents, there are some gaps in the detail describing the periods between incidents and the movement of children and staff between rooms within the home. Some incident records contain language that could be interpreted as blaming rather than reflecting language that cares.

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

Risk assessments are individual and reflect the specific risks associated with each child. Staff update these promptly in response to incidents or changes in circumstances and they are reviewed on a monthly basis to ensure that they remain current and effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager strives to ensure that children feel genuinely cared for and develop consistent, loving relationships with the whole staff team. The manager is supported effectively by a deputy, together forming a strong leadership team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The leadership team are ambitious for the children and demonstrate a strong commitment to advocating on their behalf to ensure that they have the same opportunities as their peers. This high level of advocacy is a strength of the home. As a result, children feel listened to and valued and are making sustained progress across all areas of their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development at the home. She recognises the potential within the staff team and implements plans to nurture and build on this. As a result, staff feel valued, supported and confident in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides consistent support to staff through regular supervision sessions and team meetings. These are used to discuss children’s individual needs, Inspection report for children’s home: SC443765 5 share best practice and review learning. Practice is further strengthened by the use of research and input from the psychology team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

New staff report that their induction is thorough and effective. This initial training is then built upon through a comprehensive learning and development programme for the whole team, which includes the providers mandatory training and training tailored to the individual needs of the children. This ensures that staff are well ‑ prepared, confident and equipped to provide high ‑ quality, individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager develops strong, collaborative relationships with other professionals to ensure that children receive the highest level of care and support possible. One professional said, ‘The manager is fantastic, she fights for them [the children] like they are her own, the model they have works well with the children and they develop a sense of belonging which enables the work addressing trauma to take place.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has clear and robust monitoring processes in place to ensure that she is able to identify any developmental areas within the home. She makes effective use of the independent person’s visits and oversight. However, recent reports from the independent person include photographs, which potentially poses a risk to children. In addition, the reports do not consistently record the timescales of visits, which limits Ofsted’s ability to verify that these visits are effective. Inspection report for children’s home: SC443765 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that records contain all relevant information and do not include blaming language. 1 March 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that reports by the independent person include details of their time spent at the home and any photographs included in the reports do not pose a risk to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person should ensure that repairs required within the home are completed in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.7)

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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: SC443765 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: ABC Care and Education Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: International House, 61 Mosley Street, Manchester M2 3HZ

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Kennedy

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Inspector

Sue Atkinson- Millmoor, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC443765 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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