Children's Home run by The Rubix Care Group Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2843663 1 Registered provider: The Rubix Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in November 2025 and is privately owned. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home and spoke with the inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2843663 2

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Summary of findings

The child is happy and feels safe in the home. They have positive relationships with the staff team, and incidents of being missing from home have reduced. Staff work effectively with relevant professionals, sharing information and reporting incidents appropriately to support the child’s safety and wellbeing.

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Summary of findings

Staff feel positive about working at the home and talk about the child with care and respect. The staff seek the child’s views and encourage their participation. When complaints are made, they are managed well.

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Summary of findings

Practice in the home is of a good standard. However, staff must assist the child in preparing to return to a suitable educational provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child experienced a well ‑ planned move into the home. Staff carried out thorough planning and visited the child several times. The child also visited the home and stayed overnight. This helped positive relationships develop before the child moved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to build trust and promote the child’s sense of security, taking into account their history and daily lived experiences. This has helped the child feel safe and comfortable with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage the child to engage in a range of activities in the home and out in the community. They actively encourage the child’s interests and provide opportunities for them to meet friends. This helps the child develop their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the child and work closely with relevant healthcare professionals to meet the child’s emotional and mental health needs. The child is registered with health services and is encouraged to attend appointments. Staff have offered support and advice to help the child reduce vaping; this support continues at the child’s pace.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff and the manager communicate with the child’s family and provide them with updates on the child’s progress. One family member reported that staff are helping the child make positive progress and described the staff team as ‘brilliant’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is warm and welcoming. Staff have helped the child personalise their bedroom so that it feels comfortable and reflects their preferences. The home’s shared spaces are designed to encourage the child to spend time with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is currently not accessing formal education and lacks a consistent daily learning routine. The child has secured a part-time job that reflects their interests, which is helping develop their self-esteem and confidence. However, there is no clear Inspection report for children’s home: 2843663 3 structure to the child’s day, and the manager has not ensured that there is a clear plan to help the child return to suitable learning or school. In addition, staff have failed to ensure that the child works only within the legal limits for a child of compulsory school age.

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

The child says they feel safe in the home. Staff seek and listen to the child’s wishes and feelings, and the child can identify a trusted adult they can speak to if they have any concerns or worries. On the two occasions when the child made a complaint, staff took them seriously and informed the child of the outcome.

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

Staff understand the risks the child faces and manage them effectively. Risk assessments are detailed, outline all known risks, and provide clear guidance for staff to follow. The risk assessments are informed by detailed information from the child’s placing authority. Staff understand information-sharing thresholds and attend regular multi-agency meetings to support the child’s care.

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

Staff offer the child a good range of planned support, covering relevant events or concerns. Staff consider the child’s preferred communication method and use various strategies to promote their engagement.

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

Staff talk with the child about how to keep themselves safe and help them identify triggers so that staff can offer effective support during times of crisis. Incidents of the child going missing from home have reduced and are managed well, with effective responses and clear information-sharing. Staff are confident in their practice.

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

There are robust recruitment processes in place to ensure that only suitable individuals work at the home.

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

There has been one incident involving the use of physical intervention. The intervention was appropriate and proportionate; however, the child was spoken to by the staff involved, which did not provide the child with access to independent support to discuss their feelings about the hold.

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

Staff manage significant incidents appropriately. The manager ensures that all relevant safeguarding agencies are informed. However, the manager has not always notified the regulator promptly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is confident and has a thorough understanding of the child’s needs and the strengths of the staff team. The manager is child focused, with a clear vision for the care they want to provide. The manager recognises the importance of building positive relationships and helping staff provide a high standard of care for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2843663 4 Staff have a good understanding of the child’s history and experiences and demonstrate respect for them in their practice. They remain child focused, particularly during times of distress. Staff speak enthusiastically about the child and clearly enjoy their work.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff describe positive support from the manager and say that the manager is available for advice and guidance when needed. Team meetings are held monthly and provide staff with a reflective space to discuss their practice and experiences. The meetings encourage staff to reflect on the care they provide and identify areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professional relationships are strong. The child’s social worker reported that the manager has ensured that the right staff team is in place, which has helped the child settle into the home and make progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access a range of training to support them in caring the child. Staff have received additional training to support their knowledge and skills, which has strengthened their ability to meet the child’s needs. However, the manager has not ensured that the staff fully understand the legal framework relating to the number of hours a child of compulsory school age is permitted to work. Inspection report for children’s home: 2843663 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning , training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2843663 6 help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when children are not in formal education, they receive a planned daily routine that includes structured learning activities during the school day. This helps children understand the importance of education.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that staff support the child so that any work they undertake is within the legal framework for their age.

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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

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)(b) (2)(c)(f)(g)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they and all staff clearly understand the legal framework relating to the number of hours a child of compulsory school age is permitted to work. 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2843663 7 The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are spoken to by a member of staff independent of the incident to allow them the opportunity to raise concerns if they wish. 29 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and 29 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2843663 8 notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that Ofsted receives the home’s statement of purpose when it is revised.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious incidents are notified within 24 hours to the appropriate individuals. The system should outline the appropriate action to take if the incident occurs at a weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the actions taken by the home’s staff in response to the incident. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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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: 2843663 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Rubix Care Group Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1 Cottam Lane Business Centre, Cottam Lane, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, Lancashire PR2 1JR

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Inspectors

Rebecca Robson, Social Care Inspector Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2843663 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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