Children's Home run by Take Time 2 Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 1 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.1

Registered provider: Take Time 2 Care Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children's home

A private company operates this home. The home provides care for up to 2 children who may be experiencing emotional and/or social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The home registered with Ofsted in April 2025.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The registered manager post is vacant and a new manager has been in post since October 2025. She has applied to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Information about this children's home

There were no children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children's home

The inspection started on 21 January 2026. Inspectors returned to gather additional evidence on 18 February 2026, in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that the care and experiences of children and young people are poor.

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

p.1

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 2 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 3 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/08/2025 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 4 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

On the day of the gathering additional evidence inspection, a child moved into the home. Another child has recently moved out of the home after living there for 16 days because staff were unable to meet their needs and keep them safe. Although managers gathered relevant information about the child before they moved in, they did not use this information effectively to make a well-informed decision about the suitability of the placement. As a result, staff were unable to manage the child’s behaviour or to keep them safe.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

This child had begun to build relationships with staff and was starting to look to them for support. However, poorly managed risks prevented the child from establishing trusting and secure relationships with staff.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff were beginning to understand the child's educational, independence and emotional needs before they moved out of the home. They had developed clear plans to support the child's learning and daily routines. However, as the focus of care shifted to managing escalating crises, staff were unable to support the child to make any measurable progress.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The quality of recording remains inconsistent. Some documents are accessible and easy to follow, while much of the key recording is overly complicated and difficult to understand. The use of overly complex language means that children and their families cannot easily access or understand their records.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

At the time of this inspection, there was some damage to the home that had not been repaired. This continues to undermine the overall quality of the home environment.

p.4

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

Due to staff being unable to manage the child’s needs or keep them safe, they repeatedly required assistance from the police and other emergency services to manage incidents. Therefore, the requirement raised at the last inspection under regulation 12 has not been met and is restated.

p.4

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

Recording of incidents is poor. Children’s risk assessments are overly generic and do not provide sufficient detail about the specific measures needed to keep children safe. This shortfall compromises staff’s ability to provide the right help and support at the right time, reducing the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements.

p.4

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

Managers sign off all incident reports, but they do not always complete a thorough evaluation of staff practice. Managers undertake regular, reflective practice sessions to support staff in considering children’s needs. Despite this, these sessions do not lead to improved safety for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 5 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.4

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

Staff know what to do when children go missing from home. They consistently follow missing-from-home protocols, search the local area, report children missing to the police and inform relevant professionals. The child experienced a well-coordinated response when they left the home without permission, but staff were unable to prevent such incidents.

p.5

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

Recruitment of new staff is not safe. The provider has not followed safer recruitment processes to ensure that the staff working at the home are safe to do so.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The new child has moved into the home without stable staffing arrangements in place. There continues to be a reliance on agency staff working waking night shifts. Lessons learned from the previous child's time at the home were not considered when planning the staffing arrangements for the new child.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight is poor. Despite the introduction of new systems, leaders and managers are not yet effectively identifying or addressing all issues of concern.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are not trained in all areas relevant to meeting children's needs. The child who has moved into the home has known and clearly identified needs relating to ASD and ADHD. However, staff have not completed the necessary training and do not have the knowledge and skills required to meet these specific needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not keep an accurate record of the staff working at the home. There are no rotas in place identifying which staff are on duty or the number of hours they have worked.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are not yet working effectively with other agencies. Professionals have raised several concerns about the care that children receive. Leaders and managers have challenged the practice of those agencies rather than addressing the concerns raised. As a result, multi-agency working is not yet functioning well enough to reduce risks for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have developed a clear vision for the care they aim to provide. This is reflected in the home's statement of purpose. However, the statement of purpose is lengthy and complex, reducing its effectiveness as a tool for clearly communicating the home's purpose and aspirations to children, families and professionals. Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 6 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.5

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.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children's risk assessments and plans provide a realistic assessment of the level of risk and a clear plan for how staff will address each risk. Risk assessments should be specific to the individual child.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all safeguarding incidents are recorded in sufficient detail and are effectively evaluated.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have all the information they need to understand children's vulnerabilities and risks.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 31 March 2026

p.6

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 7 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.6

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children's home; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home's statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that realistic, evidence-based decisions are made about the suitability of the home for children.

p.7

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.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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.7

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.7

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

p.7

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)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 8 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.7

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that management oversight and evaluation are used to drive improvements to the quality of care at a pace that is helpful for children.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that effective partnerships are established with other agencies.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

p.8

Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

p.8

Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

p.8

Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

p.8

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)(a) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

p.8

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that references are verified and gaps in employment history are explored fully. 31 March 2026

p.8

Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. The registered person must—

p.8

Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date;

p.8

Requirement Due date

and retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)) 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 9 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.8

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that records relating to children’s admissions to the home include the details of the child’s placing authority.

p.9

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home is clear and contains a record of the person’s full name and the number of actual hours worked.

p.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, a copy of the child’s local authority health assessment must be held on the child’s records.

p.9

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that recording is accurate and up to date. 31 March 2026

p.9

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home's statement of purpose is of a reasonable length and clarity so as to be fit for purpose. As the information set out in the statement of purpose is an essential part of the process of agreement between the registered person and placing authority that a placement in that home is the right one for that child, and that the home will be able to respond effectively to the child's assessed needs. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.6)

p.9

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is kept to a homely, domestic standard, which meets the needs of the children. This includes making sure that all repairs are completed in a timely manner. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.9

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 Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 10 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.9

Information about this inspection

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: 2808528 11 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.10

Children's home details

Registered provider: Take Time 2 Care Limited

p.11

Children's home details

Registered provider address: 1 Hardman Street, Spinningfields, Manchester, Greater Manchester M3 3HF

p.11

Inspector

Nicola Shaw, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Sarah Billett, Regulatory Inspection Manager Claire Hobbs, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children's home: 2808528 12 FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

p.11

Inspector

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.

p.12

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.12

Inspector

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

p.12

Inspector

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

p.12