Children's Home run by Helm Care Services Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 1 Registered provider: Helm Care Services Ltd

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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 provider. It offers care for up to 3 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in May 2022. The registered manager left the home in September 2025. A new manager has been in post since March 2026 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 2 children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

An assurance inspection took place on 8 January 2026 in response to concerns about the leadership and management of the home. The inspection found no serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Good 14/06/2023 Full Good 12/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 3

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Summary of findings

Children are supported to make positive progress from their starting points. The staff team works hard to understand children’s views and to advocate for them with other professionals.

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Summary of findings

Risks for children have reduced during their time living at the home. Children’s safety is prioritised, both in how staff respond during times of need and in how they help children understand the impact of their behaviours.

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Summary of findings

There have been changes in the staff team and in the leadership of the home. Gaps in the manager’s oversight mean that documentation and records lack detail, and areas for improvement are not consistently identified or acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed trusting relationships with the staff who care for them. These strong relationships help children to share their views and feelings and to receive the support they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child’s social worker said that the child’s views are listened to and acted on and highlighted the joint working with the home as a strength. The child, who recently moved to the home, said that staff have ‘stuck with me’. A detailed transition plan was put in place, including daily discussions to help staff and professionals understand the child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to engage in education. One child’s attendance at school has increased significantly and they are enthusiastic about their future opportunities. Another child who has not attended school for some time is keen to return and is slowly being reintroduced to school life. There is an informal learning plan in place to support their continued educational development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well met. There is effective partnership work in place with agencies such as child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) for ongoing support to meet children’s specific needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual interests and activities are supported. This includes children having pets that they care for at the home and staff supporting a child to play football at a local club. Staff understand the benefits for children’s emotional and physical wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. One parent said they have been able to work with staff around any concerns they had, which has helped their child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 4

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

The risks for children have reduced significantly since moving to the home. Staff understand the risks well and know what is expected of them to keep children safe. Detailed discussions took place between the manager and external professionals to consider the potential risks between children before a second child moved to the home.

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

A child who recently moved to the home initially experienced lengthy physical interventions to prevent them from harming themselves. The manager has monitored these incidents. They have reduced in frequency, duration and complexity over a short period. This demonstrates how the child has begun to settle and build relationships with staff. The child said that the way staff have helped her makes her feel safe.

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

Physical interventions are not recorded consistently. Some records refer to the use of therapeutic touch when staff have physically intervened to prevent a child from harming themselves. A child debrief was completed by a staff member involved in the incident, and the record did not reflect the child’s voice. Staff often carry out debriefs collectively, which limits opportunities for individual accountability and reflection. Records lack detail, which prevents a robust review of practice.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff work hard to locate them. During one incident, a child subject to a court-directed deprivation of liberty order was able to leave the provider’s unlocked vehicle. The incident record does not show how staff had assessed this risk.

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

A child’s allegation against a member of staff was managed well and addressed in a timely way. Staff and the child have since worked together to rebuild trust and strengthen their relationships.

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

There are safer recruitment practices in place to ensure that only people who are safe to care for children are employed.

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

There has been no registered manager since September 2025. Another manager was in post. However, they did not submit their application to register with Ofsted.

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

There have been changes to the management team of the home and to staffing. This has resulted in a high number of inexperienced and unqualified staff working at the home, with additional agency staff working alongside them. This impacts on consistency of care for children.

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

Despite the challenges, staff spoke positively about the support they receive from managers including the current manager and the strong team spirit. Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 5 The manager’s oversight of the home is not robust. Some areas of analysis are repeated, and practice shortfalls and opportunities for learning are missed.

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

The managers’ assessment of a referral for a child moving to the home did not reflect the thorough nature of the meetings held with professionals. The actions identified to manage risk are generic, with little consideration of the specific measures the child requires. The manager did not evaluate the staff team’s capacity to meet the child’s needs.

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

Risk assessment documentation relies on generic actions that do not reflect the specific strategies staff use to support each child’s individual risks. Due to changes in staffing, these inconsistencies affect how children are managed.

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

Some serious incidents involving children have not been reported to Ofsted. This includes a child being taken to hospital and a child going missing overnight. This does not ensure that Ofsted has the oversight it needs to monitor children’s safety and the home’s safeguarding practice.

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

A complaint made to the provider by a neighbour was not reviewed or actioned in line with the complaints process. Instead, it was discussed with the complainant in person. The manager did not provide a formal written response to communicate the outcome of their investigation.

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

Training provided to staff is specific to children’s needs. Recent sessions have used scenarios as a practical way to support learning. There is a detailed induction plan for new starters, and staff progress with qualifications is kept under review.

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

Team meetings have a clear agenda and are well attended. Records show how staff contribute to planning for the home and how they are supported to reflect together as a team. Clear actions are identified for staff to follow up. Staff receive regular supervision, and discussions help them reflect on their role and consider their wellbeing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 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

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 31 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 7 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)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that any physical intervention is recorded in detail as above.

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Requirement Due date

Debriefs with children should be completed by someone independent of the incident and records should reflect the child’s views and feelings.

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Requirement Due date

Debriefs with staff should be completed individually by the manager reviewing the incident as good practice, to ensure that there is clear accountability for staff actions.

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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— 31 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 8 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that they have effective oversight of the home to identify improvements in staff practice and opportunities for learning.

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Requirement Due date

They must ensure that records of incidents are thorough, to explain the rationale for staff decision-making around risk.

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Requirement Due date

Assessments completed to consider the placement of a new child in the home must outline the measures which will be put in place to manage risk and should demonstrate how staff skills, knowledge and experience can meet children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

They must ensure that risk assessment documents contain measures specific to the child’s risks and reflect the actions being used by staff.

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Requirement Due date

They must ensure that complaints made to the home are responded to formally in writing.

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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, sexual exploitation;

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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 31 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 9 concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

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 complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (5))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they have a system in place which allows them to monitor these matters, specifically in relation to the opinions of the child, parents, placing authorities and staff. 31 May 2026

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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: 2677619 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Helm Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Suite 103, Group First House, 12A Meadway, Padiham BB12 7NG

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Inspectors

Andrea Foreman, Social Care Inspector Chervone Collins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2677619 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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