Children's Home run by Therapeutic Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2846161 1 Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited Full inspection 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 company. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025. At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The child spoke with the inspector.

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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: 13 January 2026

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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: 2846161 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/01/2026 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2846161 3

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Summary of findings

The child feels settled in the home and is making progress in health and education. The child has developed trusting relationships with staff.

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Summary of findings

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s needs. Practice is child centred, and staff respond in a consistent and therapeutic way. Multi-agency working is effective and supports positive outcomes for children.

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Summary of findings

The manager is experienced in childcare. There was a delay in fire safety checks and a failure to notify the regulator of a significant incident, and risk assessments need to be clearer and reflect current risk. Safer recruitment practices are in place. However, applicants’ employment histories are not consistently explored.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the home registered, 2 children have moved into the home, and one child has moved out due to factors outside of the manager’s control. The child was supported during the move out of the home in a sensitive way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and support the child’s health needs. Staff ensure that they are registered with universal health services and attend relevant appointments. The child has access to the in-house therapist if they wish.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is valued at the home. Management and staff encourage the child to engage in education, and there is effective multi-agency working with education professionals to promote positive outcomes. The child has been provisionally accepted for a college placement, and staff have supported the child’s visit to college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and the manager understand the importance of family time. The child is encouraged to see their family and those who are important to them in a safe and planned way. This helps the child maintain meaningful social connections.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean and well maintained, and it is a safe environment for the child. The child’s bedroom is personalised according to their preferences and filled with their belongings. This gives the child a sense of belonging and ownership over their home.

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

The child has made significant progress while living at the home. Staff help the child develop independence skills in a measured way and in line with their needs. The child can perform various tasks, including cooking, laundry and cleaning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2846161 4 The child is kept safe by staff who are knowledgeable about their current needs and vulnerabilities. Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. They know how to escalate concerns, including to external safeguarding partners.

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

Staff mostly respond appropriately to incidents, which are infrequent. However, on one occasion, after a fire-related incident, a fire drill was not carried out in a timely manner. On another occasion, the manager did not notify Ofsted of an incident, which prevented independent oversight and scrutiny.

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

When the child feels unsettled, staff take a therapeutic approach and help them understand their emotions in a child-centred way. This has helped the child develop self- regulation skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced in residential childcare and is working towards the relevant qualification. The manager is supported by a stable and committed staff team. The home does not rely on agency staff, and the use of bank staff is minimal. Copies of staff rotas are maintained in the home; however, further oversight is needed to ensure that they are consistently accurate. This requirement has been restated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New members of staff complete an induction programme before being enrolled in a recognised childcare qualification. Staff have access to a wide range of training courses, and they demonstrate the necessary skills to meet children’s needs, including when new ones emerge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report feeling supported by the manager and are encouraged to develop professionally in the organisation. Regular team meetings are used for discussion, reflection and shared learning. Staff receive regular supervision, which supports reflective practice and ongoing development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Risk assessments are in place and help staff manage known risks. However, some assessments require further clarity and regular review to ensure that they accurately reflect children’s current risks and provide clear guidance for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s wishes and feelings, including their preferred location, should be consistently considered as part of planned moves into the home. This will help ensure that care planning remains child centred and that children are, as much as possible, involved in decisions affecting their lives. This requirement has been restated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Safer recruitment practices are in place. However, a detailed employment history and specific start and end dates were not clearly recorded, and potential gaps in employment were not explored for one member of staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2846161 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that fire drills are carried out without delay when incidents or concerns related to fire-setting occur in the home. 19 May 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

promotes their welfare. 19 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2846161 6 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

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; 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)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the children’s individual risk management plans provide staff with clear strategies to manage and reduce risk.

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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,

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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

is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or 19 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2846161 7 there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that significant incidents are notified to Ofsted in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that copies of the rota of persons working at the home are accurate. This requirement is restated. 19 May 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that robust recruitment procedures are followed. Application forms should include the precise start and end dates for each period of employment to ensure that any gaps in employment histories for new members of staff are identified. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person should ensure that risk assessments are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect children’s current risks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure that the child’s wishes and feelings about their preferred location are considered as part of any transition planning to the home, ensuring that care planning is child centred and that the child is fully involved in decisions affecting them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the

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Recommendations

quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.11)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2846161 8 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: 2846161 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Errigal House, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool FY4 2DP

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Inspector

Sonja Vega, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2846161 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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