Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Lancashire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 1 SC010090

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Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in December 2025. A new manager was recently appointed.

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Inspection date: 17 March 2026

Date of last inspection: 18 November 2025

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Inspection date: 17 March 2026

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 17 March 2026

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Since the last inspection, staff have supported the children well. One child has continued to make progress with their education and with developing their independence skills.

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Findings from the inspection

Another child has experienced difficulties in engaging with education and independence because of delays in the placing authority’s plans for their future. The child said that they feel they are ‘in limbo’ but that staff are providing them with support and encouragement.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have raised their concerns with the placing authority and escalated these by making a formal complaint. The child works with an advocate, who has also made a complaint on their behalf.

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Findings from the inspection

A child who self-medicates refuses to take their medication as they do not believe that it is helping them. There is clear guidance in place, which staff use to reduce the risk to the child. Staff provide encouragement and support the child to attend medication reviews.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are well supported with their emotional wellbeing. They have trusted staff who they can talk to about their feelings as well as spending time each week with the providers’ psychotherapist. Staff use sensory activities to support children to manage their own emotions.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff follow risk assessments to reduce the risk of harm to children. Room searches are completed where there is concern that a child may have items that could cause them harm. However, there is no formal recording of searches to show how they are conducted, what is removed and what is done with the items. The use of physical intervention has not been needed since the last inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The home’s deputy manager has supported the team while the newly appointed manager completes their induction.

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Findings from the inspection

The deputy manager’s oversight of incidents in the home is thorough. There are detailed debriefs with staff individually following incidents to support them to reflect on their practice. Managers identify follow-up actions with target timescales to ensure that any further work is completed in a timely way.

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Findings from the inspection

Natural consequences given to children in response to their behaviours are well documented. The manager considers the fairness of the measures put in place but does not review the effectiveness of those measures. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 3 Leaders and managers take effective action to address poor staff practice and conduct issues. Thorough investigations are completed, and professionals, including the local authority designated officer, are informed. An allegation made by a child about a staff member was not notified to Ofsted due to miscommunication between managers.

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Findings from the inspection

Delays with staff completing qualifications have been addressed by the deputy manager. There is a monitoring system in place to ensure that timely progress is made.

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Findings from the inspection

Some improvements have been made to the decoration of the home. Improvements needed to the kitchen units and floor are not complete. However, there are approximate timescales in place for the work to be done. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/11/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/10/2024 Full Good 23/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/10/2023 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 5

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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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to leaders and managers ensuring that they consider all children’s needs before new children move into the home. 30 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

must include details of— 30 April 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 6 the matter;

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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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

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;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

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

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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)(b) (2)(a)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, any consequences used to address poor behaviour must be reviewed to ensure that they are fair and effective. 30 April 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 7

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Recommendations

 The responsible person should ensure that the home environment and décor is maintained to a high standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The responsible person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. There should be clear recording of any room searches completed to reduce risk to a child’s or another person’s safety or well-being. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 8

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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

Responsible individual: Kealey Rushworth

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Inspector

Andrea Foreman, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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