Children's Home run by Lincolnshire County Council in Lincolnshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC042967 1 SC042967 Registered provider: Lincolnshire County Council

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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 home is owned and operated by a local authority.

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Information about this children's home

It provides care for up to 6 children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, 6 children were living at the home. One child moved out on the first day of inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2025. They are absent from work. An interim manager supported the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 3 September 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC042967 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/09/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/06/2024 Full Good 09/05/2023 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children's home: SC042967 3

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Summary of findings

There has been no significant improvement since the last inspection. The judgement remains the same. Children are not consistently supported to understand how to keep themselves safe. Discussions with children following serious incidents are not always effective and do not support a reduction of risk long term. Some safety planning following serious or repeated incidents takes place, with a multi-agency approach. However, updates to care plans are not consistently shared with staff, which creates confusion and inconsistency among the workforce. Required improvements to leadership have been slow to progress. Some identified changes need more time to embed. This has impacted the overall progress and experiences for children who live here.

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from strong advocacy support. Regular discussions with the advocate help to ensure that children's views, wishes and feelings are heard and shared appropriately. This supports some children to take part in decisions about their lives and promotes their sense of being listened to.

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improvement to be good

Some children benefit from regular key-work sessions. In one example, direct work with a child was particularly effective and contributed to a safe response to concerns relating to self-harm. This demonstrates that, at times, staff can provide children with focused support for identified risks.

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improvement to be good

Some children are making progress. For example, the reduction in physical intervention for one child reflects the positive impact of staff's support and well-planned intervention. However, progress is not consistent for all children. For some children, there is little evidence of progress, which is recognised by staff and other professionals. Shortfalls remain in relation to education, independence work and support to build positive relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff know the children well and it is evident that they care about them and want the best outcomes for them. However, inconsistencies in care planning and leadership direction provided to staff means that children do not always receive care that is structured or consistent. Boundaries and routines are not always clear for children. Not all children are consistently attending or engaging in education, and they spend considerable time in their bedrooms. Behaviour expectations are not applied consistently for all children, which creates tension and uncertainty. Inspection report for children's home: SC042967 4

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers work appropriately with relevant agencies in response to significant safeguarding concerns. Multi-agency meetings take place and safety plans are reviewed promptly. Children are offered support from specialist services, including child and adolescent mental health services when this is necessary. These partnerships contribute to the overall management of immediate risk.

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improvement to be good

Staff safeguarding practice is often reactive to risk. While staff generally follow missing- from-home procedures and respond to incidents as they arise, there is no evidence that they consistently explore the underlying reasons for children's behaviours or their emotional experiences. This limits opportunities to develop children's understanding, strengthen relationships and reduce future risk.

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improvement to be good

Safety plans and risk management strategies for children who experience suicidal ideation and have been missing from home are reviewed regularly. Managers and staff show continued efforts to understand and reduce risk. However, information from multi- agency meetings is not consistently reflected in children's care plans or communicated clearly to staff. This has resulted in some confusion and inconsistent practice, including delays in reporting missing-from-home incidents on a low number of occasions. Managers are aware of these shortfalls and have identified the need for clearer systems.

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improvement to be good

The use of physical intervention is mostly appropriate and proportionate. Records are complete and demonstrate that incidents are generally managed in line with children's needs and there has been an overall reduction in use. However, in one incident, the hold used for one child was not an agreed strategy and could have been avoided. This shortfall was not identified during the manager's review, which meant that an opportunity for reflection and learning was missed.

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improvement to be good

Staff and children have experienced a challenging period, with a high number of incidents affecting both staff capacity and children's stability. Staff remain committed to the children and continue to support them during periods of heightened risk. However, this has, at times, led to blurred boundaries and inconsistent expectations, which have affected how safe children and staff feel. Managers recognise these concerns and have developed a plan to strengthen boundaries and routines, although this has not yet been implemented.

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

Professionals and family members generally recognise that staff care about children. All children who live here have formed some relationships with staff. Professionals describe the communication from staff as positive, which helps to support a coordinated multi- agency response. However, one family member said that communication is limited. They do not always feel well informed about their child's care and day-to-day experiences, which leaves them feeling removed from important aspects of their child's life. Inspection report for children's home: SC042967 5 Staff receive regular supervision, but the quality is variable. Opportunities for reflection are not consistent, particularly in relation to safeguarding matters and children's individual needs. This limits the extent to which professional supervision supports staff development and reflective practice.

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

Staff recruitment processes are robust, which helps to promote children's safety. Training is in place to support staff to meet children's individual needs. Staff say that they would value further training, and leaders have already planned these opportunities.

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

Three staff members are not progressing through the required qualification within expected timescales. One individual is significantly delayed. Leaders and managers have recognised this shortfall and now have clear plans in place to support staff to complete their qualification in line with regulation.

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

An experienced manager has been identified to provide additional support during times of crisis. However, the arrival of such support is delayed. In the absence of the registered manager, this has impacted the support available to both staff and children. Leaders and managers understand the required areas of improvement and are developing plans to address them. Inspection report for children's home: SC042967 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph

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Requirement Due date

requires the registered person to ensure—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that the home's day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children's risk management plans are responsive to all known risks and contain clear guidance for staff to follow to reduce these risks. Leaders and managers should ensure that children are supported to understand risks and provide support to enable a reduction of risks to children. 23 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC042967 7 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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that all staff are working and responding to children consistently and in line with the home's statement of purpose. Ensure that children are provided with positive experiences through relationships and support them to progress individually. Leaders and managers should ensure that systems are in place to review the care provided to children and support development for staff and children. 23 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or 23 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC042967 8 in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home's statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(iv)(vi)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are prepared and supported to gain skills for moving on from the home towards adulthood. Ensure that plans for children are individualised to their needs and consistently used by staff. 23 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC042967 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control and discipline are subject to systems of regular scrutiny. In particular, the use of de-escalation strategies or any alternative strategies should be clearly documented, and the effectiveness of the measure should be reviewed. ('Guide to Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that they actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. This also includes ensuring that the point-in-time surveys are distributed to all relevant people so they have the opportunity to provide feedback. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: SC042967 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Lincolnshire County Council, County Offices, Newland, Lincoln LN1 1YL

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Children's home details

Registered manager: Craig Bristow-Hudaczek

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Inspectors

Eleanor Quanbrough, Social Care Inspector Caroline Coop, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC042967 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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