Children's Home run by Hopscotch Care Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children’s home: 2742263 1 Registered provider: Hopscotch Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience emotional and social difficulties. At the time of the inspection, one child lived in the home, and they were spoken with during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered on 23 August 2023. The suitably experienced manager has been in post since May 2025 and registered with Ofsted in February 2026.

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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

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: 2742263 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/01/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/09/2025 Full Inadequate 11/03/2025 Full Good 20/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2742263 3

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Summary of findings

Poor relationships between managers and placing local authorities have resulted in a lack of clarity when planning for children’s care. This has resulted in the risks to children increasing and a sudden end to one child’s placement.

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Summary of findings

The manager has made progress in some areas since the last inspection. Risk assessments are updated regularly, and management oversight is reflective about the issues impacting on children. Leaders and managers have appropriately challenged when communication from local authorities has been inadequate.

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Summary of findings

Staff work hard to develop positive relationships with children. However, staff have not always maintained appropriate professional boundaries in their relationships with children.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not always effectively assess children’s needs and the suitability of children to live together in advance of children moving to the home. One child has recently moved into and out of the home. The child’s complex needs and behaviours were not fully understood before they moved in, and full consideration was not given to the effect that these may have on the other child. This meant that, despite the child being supported on a one-to-one basis, staff were unable to support them effectively, and this resulted in an escalation in risk for both children.

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improvement to be good

Staff conduct is not always appropriate and professional boundaries are at times blurred. This has included some staff making inappropriate comments in the home and to other professionals. This does not model positive behaviour to children, and one independent reviewing officer (IRO) has reported a lack of confidence in the professionalism of staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff support and encourage children to engage in daily in-house education when they are unable to attend school. One child stopped attending education for a period of time; however, leaders and managers successfully encouraged their return to school through the use of incentives.

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improvement to be good

One child is positive about their experiences and says that they feel at home. They identify supportive relationships with staff and say that staff are ‘like family’. This promotes a sense of belonging for the child, who feels listened to.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are met effectively. The manager is proactive in seeking specialist support for children and referring them to external services to improve outcomes for children. Children are consistently encouraged to engage with external Inspection report for children’s home: 2742263 4 providers, such as child and adolescent mental health services and substance misuse services.

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improvement to be good

Children are given opportunities to engage in fun activities outside of the home, such as motocross and ice skating. This increases the quality of children’s day-to-day experiences of living in the home, creating opportunities to build positive attachments with staff and long-lasting core memories.

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improvement to be good

Staff have struggled to manage children’s behaviour and escalating risks to them, resulting in children frequently going missing from home and a rise in incidents of self- harm. A refresher course in ligature training for staff, and necessary safety measures, were not put in place for one child until after a significant incident of self-harm occurred. This was despite this being a known risk. Recordings of the incident contain conflicting information about what support staff sought for the child, so it is unclear how promptly the necessary support was provided. Managers have since taken action to improve staff skills and knowledge in this area, but delays in this have compromised children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always provide children with clear, age-appropriate boundaries or manage their behaviour safely. Children’s negative behaviour and language are not consistently challenged by the manager and staff, and staff are not always able to de-escalate situations effectively when children are distressed. This has led to staff calling the police for support on a number of occasions and, at times, has left children and staff feeling unsafe.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been an increase in children going missing from home. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding procedures in these situations and actively search for children and inform relevant professionals. These responses have led to the safe return of children. Children who go missing receive return home interviews from the local authority and are spoken to by staff to understand the factors which influence behaviour.

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improvement to be good

Meaningful key-work sessions are completed with children around known risk factors. Staff use professional curiosity to understand triggers for children and to help children to unpick their emotions and understand their own feelings and behaviour. An IRO for one child reported that staff ‘appear to work hard to build a relationship and have advocated for the child’.

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improvement to be good

The manager demonstrates a good understanding of children’s previous experiences and the impact of these on their care needs and behavioural responses. The manager demonstrates good levels of reflection and professional curiosity following incidents, which helps them to identify the needs of children and improve measures to keep them safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2742263 5

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

Relationships between the manager, staff and the wider professional network supporting children have been strained at times. This has resulted in a lack of communication and inconsistency in the care provided to children.

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

Leaders and managers seek to achieve positive outcomes for children. When there have been staff shortages, the manager has undertaken regular overnight shifts to avoid using agency staff. This helps to provide consistency for children; however, it has also affected the effectiveness of management oversight of children’s care and staff practice.

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

Staff report feeling supported by leaders and managers. Staff receive regular supervision sessions and take part in regular team meetings, which are reflective and focus on the quality of care provided to children. Appropriate action is taken by the leadership team to investigate and address complaints received from external professionals. This demonstrates a drive by managers to improve staff practice and ensure consistent care for children.

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

When damage occurs to children’s bedrooms, the manager ensures this is promptly repaired to ensure children are provided with homely and comfortable surroundings. This gives children a sense of value and belonging. Inspection report for children’s home: 2742263 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 (1) 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

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)(b)) 16 June 2026

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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; (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(c)) 16 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2742263 7 In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that there is a consistent approach when concerns about staff practice and conduct are raised. This must ensure that staff are always accountable for their actions to prevent further inappropriate behaviour in the workplace.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 16 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; 16 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2742263 8 help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should work to develop and maintain positive working relationships with the wider network of professionals involved in the care of the children, such as local authorities and independent reviewing officers, who play an important role in caring for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 11, paragraph 2.5 and 2.7)

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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: 2742263 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Hopscotch Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 19 Lancaster Road, Carnforth, Lancashire LA5 9LD

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Inspector

Sarah Adotey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2742263 10 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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