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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2830706 1 Registered provider: The Rubix Care Group Limited

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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 managed by a private provider. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home and was spoken to by the inspectors.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 17 December 2025

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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: 2830706 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/12/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2830706 3

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Summary of findings

The child is making good progress, particularly in developing an understanding of their vulnerabilities linked to missing from home incidents, which were previously an area of concern. The child now safely manages free time independently in the community.

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Summary of findings

Staff actively support the child to rebuild and maintain important family relationships. The child has positive relationships with staff. Staff report high job satisfaction and say that leaders and managers support them effectively.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers are aspirational for the child. However, leadership and management is inconsistent. They do not consistently identify areas of vulnerability. This limits their ability to respond effectively to emergency situations and impacts on the quality of care provided to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of education. They work with the child to encourage re- engagement with education at a pace that is right for them. Staff make clear, appropriate decisions in line with the child’s developmental needs and care plans. When barriers to school attendance arose, the manager worked effectively with external professionals to find a suitable solution that works for the child. As a result, the child now receives tutoring at home while an appropriate education provision is being identified.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has developed positive and meaningful relationships with the staff. Staff are both practically and emotionally available to the child. They have worked hard to build trust and create a sense of security and belonging. The child is able to identify trusted staff they feel comfortable with and can share any worries and concerns.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise that family relationships are central to emotional safety. They support the child to rebuild and maintain connections with family members. For example, the child spends time with people who are important to them and celebrating significant family events. This has helped to maintain meaningful connections for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Support for the child’s health and wellbeing is inconsistent. Staff ensure that the child attends routine health appointments and respond appropriately to accidents by seeking medical attention. However, staff do not consistently promote a healthy lifestyle or routine. The child spends increasing time awake at night, which disrupts their daily routine. Staff are beginning to support age-appropriate independence and address concerns about vaping, but this work is not yet fully embedded. Inspection report for children’s home: 2830706 4 There has been one significant health and safety incident since the last inspection. Although the child did not come to harm, delays in responding and managing the situation resulted in a negative experience for the child.

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

Staff understand the child’s risks. Risk assessments are detailed and set out clear guidance for staff to follow. The placing authority provides thorough information, which strengthens practice. Staff understand thresholds for information sharing with relevant professionals and attend regular meetings with external professionals to support the child’s care.

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

There has been a significant reduction in missing from home incidents for the child. Missing from home safety plans provide clear guidance for staff to follow. Staff understand how to respond if the child goes missing. This supports the child to spend free time safely in the community.

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

Recruitment procedures and practices are robust and effective. Leaders complete all required pre-employment checks, ensuring that only suitable adults are employed to work with children.

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

Online safety arrangements are inconsistent. Staff have implemented effective parental controls on the child’s mobile device. However, they do not apply these controls to all devices that the child can access unsupervised. Although this has not resulted in harm, staff do not fully monitor the child’s online activity, which leaves them vulnerable to potential harm.

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

Staff understand the child’s vulnerabilities and follow clear guidance. They use a range of behaviour strategies and incentives to promote positive behaviour. Staff speak openly with the child about the impact of their behaviour and reinforce incentives and rewards. This has reduced behavioural incidents. However, on one occasion, staff used physical intervention before exhausting all de-escalation strategies. This does not demonstrate that physical intervention is only used as a last resort.

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

At the time of this inspection, the registered manager was absent from the home and the responsible individual led the inspection. Oversight from leaders and managers has not identified all the relevant shortfalls in the home.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been a significant health and safety incident. Leaders and managers did not provide staff with a timely or effective response to manage the emergency. Although the child was not significantly harmed, there is a lack of clear contingency planning in place. Staff remain unclear about what action to take should a future similar incident occur. The responsible individual acknowledges this shortfall and has plans in place to address it. Inspection report for children’s home: 2830706 5 The manager and staff have not identified online PC gaming as an area of risk for the child. For example, when considering safety measures required for the child’s online presence, management oversight has not identified this as an area of vulnerability, despite being aware of the child’s known risks in relation to exploitation. As a result, there are no effective monitoring and reviewing systems in place to understand who the

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

child is communicating with while gaming online. This places the child at increased risk of harm.

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

Records lack clarity about staff actions and decision-making. Monitoring systems have not identified weaknesses in practice. For example, following one incident of physical intervention, the manager did not challenge staff practice or the quality of the recording.

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

Leaders and managers have missed opportunities to respond effectively to the child’s complaints. For example, following the incident of physical intervention, responses given to the child in their discussion with staff were not in line with the behavioural management strategies in place. As a result, the voice of the child was lost and opportunities to involve them in future learning were missed.

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

Since the last inspection, there has been one safeguarding incident relating to staff conduct. Leaders and managers responded appropriately. They have taken a wider organisational approach and implemented effective plans to reduce the risk of recurrence.

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

Following the last inspection, managers and leaders e prioritised areas of staff development. Staff now receive regular supervision and benefit from individualised personal development plans. Team meetings are consistent with quizzes and safeguarding scenarios discussed to improve staff knowledge on a range of topics relevant to the child in their care. This includes risk and behaviour management.

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

Staff describe the leaders and managers as supportive and available to provide them with advice and guidance. Staff say that they enjoy coming to work and describe ‘loving’ their jobs and working with the child. Staff describe positive relationships with one another and say that they feel supported by the team. However, staff express frustration about the management response to the significant health and safety incident. This shortfall is acknowledged by the responsible individual who has plans to address this.

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

Leaders and managers have ensured that there is consistency across the staff team. This s provides the child with a sense of security and promotes positive working relationships between staff members. Inspection report for children’s home: 2830706 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, 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child's health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home's child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(a)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that appropriate monitoring and review measures are in place on all online devices that the child can access. 13 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2830706 7 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that any use of physical intervention is proportionate and necessary.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that there are appropriate contingency plans in place in the event of health and safety emergencies to ensure that the child's health and wellbeing needs are met.

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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

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

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff understand the contingency plans in place to respond effectively to emergencies at the home. 13 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2830706 8 The registered person must ensure that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding the child when online.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that effective monitoring and review systems are in place to identify and address any shortfalls in staff practice.

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Requirement Due date

The children's views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child's views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child's best interests when making decisions about the child's care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child's views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(in) to (iii);

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

has access to the home's children's guide, and the home's complaints procedure, when the child's placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child's stay in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vii)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that effective systems are in place to support the child to make a complaint should they wish to do so.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that effective and responsive action is taken to any complaints made by the child to ensure 13 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2830706 9 that their voice is heard and acted on. They must also ensure that any complaints made by the child inform future learning for staff.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the child’s day to day health and wellbeing needs are met. This includes ensuring that appropriate routines are in place to support the child’s overall welfare. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations,’ including the quality standards, page 33, paragraph 7.3)

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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: 2830706 10

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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

Chervone Collins, Social Care Inspector Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2830706 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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