Children's Home run by Residential Child Care Community (North West) Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2766141 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Residential Child Care Community (North West) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered in April 2024. She is suitably experienced.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home. The inspector spoke to all children.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2766141 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/08/2025 Full Good 17/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2766141 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, one child has been welcomed into the home and 2 children have remained living there. One child has returned home to live with their family. This is a positive outcome.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers are visible in the home. They are experienced and support staff effectively to develop their knowledge and skills. This enables staff to safeguard children effectively.

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Summary of findings

Children enjoy good relationships with staff, and, as a result, risks to children have reduced since they have been living at the home. Children make progress in many aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a comfortable and well-maintained home. Recent redecoration has improved the environment. One area of the home is used to celebrate special events, including Halloween, Christmas and Easter. One child proudly shared photos of the Christmas grotto and described it as 'cool'.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Moves into and out of the home are sensitively and carefully planned. Following a robust and gradual plan, one child has successfully returned home to live with their family. Professionals speak positively about the support provided by staff, reflecting the stability and quality of care they experienced. As a result, long term outcomes for children are positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive and trusting relationships with staff. They feel able to share their concerns and feel listened to. One child said, 'It is awesome, I love the staff.' This has been echoed by one social worker, who shared that, 'I could always see that strong relationships with staff were in place. [Child's name] was open and comfortable with them.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers demonstrate professional curiosity to ensure a thorough understanding of each child's needs. This is strengthened through effective relationships with wider professionals, enabling the development of well-informed plans and risk assessments. Any changes within the home are shared with children and their families, and their views are actively requested and listened to. This contributes to a sense of feeling safe and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children's education is promoted. When challenges arise, staff engage children in one- to-one discussions to encourage their participation in education and to support planning for their future. One child is currently applying to college and is engaging in structured Inspection report for children's home: 2766141 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

independence work, achieving bronze and silver awards. Managers invite education professionals into the home and promote a multi-agency approach to support. This is reflected in feedback from one parent, who shared that staff consistently do all they can to support their child's attendance at school and provide alternative education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to meet their health needs. When children are reluctant to attend appointments, one-to-one conversations play a key role in promoting understanding and encouraging access to appropriate medical support. As a result, children have developed trusting relationships with staff, enabling them to feel confident in approaching staff when they are unwell or have concerns.

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

Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. Risk assessments are regularly updated. They are clear and accessible to all staff, which ensures appropriate steps and strategies are in place to support the children.

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

Episodes of children going missing from home are rare. When children do go missing from home, staff do what they can to keep in contact with them and locate them. Children engage in purposeful work when they return home. When there was an increase in missing-from-home episodes for one child, staff had open and honest conversations with them. This had a significant positive impact on the child's safety, and there have been no further incidents since.

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

Physical intervention is only used when necessary to keep children or others safe. Staff are skilled in de-escalation and use these strategies effectively. The manager evaluates each incident and uses reflective cycles to help staff to review incidents, assess practice and inform future actions.

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

Allegations made by children are taken seriously. The manager acts quickly to ensure children's safety, notifies relevant agencies and carries out thorough investigations promptly.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted. Children receive support through individualised behaviour plans and risk assessments that are sensitive to their needs and experiences. Consequences are rarely used, with progress encouraged through rewards. Leaders and managers have systems in place to ensure that staff are kept up to date with emerging risks and any behaviour changes, enabling them to provide appropriate care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about leaders and managers. They report that managers foster a positive and supportive atmosphere, which is particularly valued during challenging times. This approach increases staff morale and retention and in turn promotes a consistent approach for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2766141 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes regular reviews of the home and the care provided to children. Monitoring reviews are child focused and demonstrate understanding of the needs of the child. However, reflection on the home's strengths, areas for development and lessons learned is limited. This is a missed opportunity for learning and improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager communicates effectively and builds strong relationships with external professionals and families. One family member said, 'I am always welcomed into the home and kept up to date. They are very good with family time.' One social worker said, 'My experience of the home is really good, and I would recommend to other colleagues, which I have done already.' This collaborative approach ensures that children receive well-coordinated support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers ensure that staff benefit from regular supervision and team meetings. These team sessions focus on keeping staff informed and up to date. However, records indicate that opportunities for reflection are limited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is high, and children benefit from a stable and consistent team. Managers and staff were planning and looking forward to celebrating one child's upcoming birthday together. Inspection report for children's home: 2766141 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendations

 The registered person should 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. They should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. ('Guide to the Children's Home Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 65 paragraph 12.24).  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, particularly in ensuring that team meetings are reflective. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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 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: 2766141 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Residential Child Care Community (North West) Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 843 Finchley Road, London NW11 8NA

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Inspector

Julia Edwards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2766141 8 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

regulates and inspects to 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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