Children's Home run by Thunderbolt Mobile Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC055153 1 SC055153

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Registered provider: Thunderbolt Mobile 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 service is owned by a private organisation that provides activity-based intervention for up to 3 children who may be experiencing a period of difficulty or crisis.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were accessing the service using a broad beam boat, a house and a mobile home. Both children spoke to the inspector about their experiences of the service.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2024.

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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 good

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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: 22 January 2025

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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: SC055153 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/01/2025 Full Good 12/03/2024 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 17/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC055153 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have successfully moved on from this service in line with their individual care plans, and 2 children have been welcomed into the service and are actively participating in their personalised activity programmes. Children say that they love the staff who care for them, that staff are kind and caring and that they enjoy living on the boat, in the house and in the mobile home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children accessing this service receive personalised care that reflects their individual needs and interests. Staff understand children’s histories and experiences and use this understanding to provide sensitive and responsive care. Children’s views, wishes and feelings are actively sought and influence their daily routines and care planning. Children are supported to express their views and reflect on their progress through direct work and daily discussions. Children say that they feel listened to by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support and encourage children to go to school and consistently promote learning outside of the school environment. As a result, children who previously experienced significant barriers to accessing education are increasing in their school attendance, actively participating in their education and speaking positively about their educational experiences. Staff celebrate children’s achievements, and as a result, children’s engagement in their own learning has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood by staff, who ensure that children are up to date with their routine health appointments and access the right service at the right time. Children’s mental and emotional health is a priority for staff, who spend considerable time with children, supporting their goals and prioritising children’s self- esteem and confidence building. Children are consistently supported to try new activities and learn new skills which support their sense of self-worth.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they like the accommodation they live in and move around periodically to spend time between the boat, the house and the mobile home. The child staying on the boat said, ‘I love it on here and have got to learn loads of new things.’ Children have their own bedrooms where they are given privacy and can personalise throughout their stay. However, some areas of the boat require redecoration to maintain a homely and welcoming space.

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

Staff provide children with warm, nurturing care and support children to actively participate in work that helps them to make safer choices. One child that has moved on from the service said, ‘Staff really helped me to grow up and make better decisions.’

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

Staff know and understand children’s individual needs and risks well. Staff are guided by clear risk assessments of children’s needs and consistently engage children in work that reduces their risks and supports positive change. Staff adapt their approach to suit Inspection report for children’s home: SC055153 4 children and develop trusting relationships, which encourage children’s development. Children try new things, work towards their career goals and aspire for their future.

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

Incidents of children being reported as going missing from the service are rare, and they are well managed when they occur. Staff always follow children’s missing-from-home risk assessments and do not stop looking for children until they are safely back in their care. Children are always welcomed back sensitively and return home interviews are always undertaken. Staff work closely with children’s local authorities to help reduce risks for children who may be missing from home.

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

Significant incidents are well managed, and staff effectively use de-escalation techniques and follow children’s behaviour support plans, meaning that no physical interventions have taken place. Children are always encouraged to share their views following any incidents, and on one occasion a child made a complaint following poor staff practice. This was appropriately investigated and addressed by the manager. The child said that they felt heard.

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

Room searches are carried out appropriately to keep children safe. Staff only undertake room searches to ensure that children are safe, conduct them sensitively and with children’s consent when able. Room searches are appropriately recorded and any items found are disposed of in line with children’s care plans. Follow-up work is completed with children to develop their understanding of any associated risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The service is managed by an experienced and committed manager, who is actively involved in the lives of children. Children identify him as a safe adult they trust and would approach for support if they had any concerns. The manager has high aspirations for children and ensures that children’s success is consistently celebrated across the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they love coming to work and that they are well supported by the manager and leadership team. The manager works with individual staff to develop a personalised schedule that works for them and promotes a positive work–life balance. Staff say that they feel valued and that there is an open and honest culture within the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions are used to reflect on staff practice and the work they do with children. The manager ensures that staff complete regular supervisions and that staff progression is recognised and promoted. Areas for development and learning are always discussed, and actions are created to improve staff practice with children’s safety, development and happiness at the centre of supervisory discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager develops positive relationships and works extremely well with external professionals and children’s families, where appropriate. One family member said, ‘The manager and staff are amazing. Their communication is fantastic and they are the best home I have ever worked with. I couldn’t be happier with how well they work with us and have helped us as a family.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC055153 5 Staff have access to a wide variety of training and say that they find this useful to their role. However, not all staff have had relevant training specific to some children’s needs, and some staff have not had retraining in line with service timescales. As a result, there is inconsistency in the level of training across the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has well-established systems in place which provide effective oversight of any incidents and the overall service and uses these to identify areas for development and highlight good practice. However, the quality of care review does not sufficiently reflect the work that they do or effectively evaluate the service provided and the impact on children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC055153 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 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;

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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) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff are trained and have a current understanding of children’s risks and needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they use monitoring and review systems effectively to identify any gaps in staff training and to clearly review any actions for staff in order to promote their development and learning. 7 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and 7 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC055153 7 any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home is maintained to a high standard and provides a warm, homely environment for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC055153 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Thunderbolt Mobile Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 158/160 Birkrig, Digmoor Parade, Skelmersdale, Lancashire WN8 9HP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Michael Fletcher

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Inspector

Justina Henry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC055153 9 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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Inspector

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