Children's home run by Helm Care Services Ltd

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2750251 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

This home is operated by a private company. It provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living in the home at the time of this visit. They were both seen and provided with an opportunity to speak with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has resigned from their position. An interim manager has been appointed, but they were not present for the visit. The visit was supported by the quality assurance manager.

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Inspection date: 6 May 2026

This home was judged ‘requires improvement to be good’ at the full inspection in April 2025. Due to concerns shared with Ofsted, further assurance inspections took place on 16 September 2025 and 9 December 2025. These assurance inspections did not identify serious concerns.

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Inspection date: 6 May 2026

On 31 March 2026, a monitoring visit took place. This highlighted serious concerns and failings in safeguarding practice and insufficient management oversight of the care and protection of children. A compliance notice was raised under Regulation 12. The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the progress that the provider has made against the regulatory shortfalls detailed in the compliance notice.

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Inspection date: 6 May 2026

The home has a welcoming atmosphere. Children are relaxed in the home and have positive relationships with staff. Since the last visit, one child has moved on from the home.

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Inspection date: 6 May 2026

Staff have received additional practice guidance, including children’s access to medical care and the safe storage of medication. Children are supported by staff to have their health needs met and receive timely medical attention and treatment. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2750251 2 Staff use available strategies to prevent children from misusing potentially hazardous items that could cause them harm. Staff use de-escalation strategies appropriately to support children, with physical restraints only used as a last resort. After incidents, staff and managers support children to share their feelings. Additionally, the managers ensure that oversight of incidents is timely and that children’s wellbeing is at the centre of staff practice.

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Inspection date: 6 May 2026

On occasions when staff have been unable to reduce risk associated with children misusing hazardous items, managers have reviewed children’s care arrangements, worked collaboratively with agencies and raised concerns with children’s placing local authority, health and specialist agencies.

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Inspection date: 6 May 2026

Children’s risk assessments are regularly reviewed and provide staff with information about children’s behaviours and risks. However, one child’s plan lacked guidance for staff about risks in the community. Furthermore, on one occasion, staff failed to support a child in line with their plan, resulting in the child requiring medical care. Managers have taken actions to address these concerns regarding staff practice.

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Inspection date: 6 May 2026

This was a focused monitoring visit. Therefore, all requirements from the last full inspection have not been reviewed. However, one requirement was found to be met, and one additional shortfall has been raised alongside the restated requirements. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2750251 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/06/2024 Full Good 27/02/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2750251 4

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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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Requirements Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and

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Requirements 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(b)(d))

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Requirements Due date

This requirement is restated from the last inspection. 12 July 2026

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirements Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; and

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Requirements Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e))

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Requirements Due date

This requirement is restated from the last inspection. 12 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2750251 5 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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Requirements Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirements 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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Requirements Due date

ensure that the home's workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirements 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; and

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Requirements 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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that there are clear records of investigations regarding staff practice and actions proposed. In addition, the registered person should ensure that there is effective and timely management oversight of incidents and that the actions that staff are required to carry out are in line with the children’s plans.

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Requirements Due date

This requirement is restated from the last inspection. 12 July 2026

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Requirements Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirements Due date

This requirement is restated from the last inspection. 12 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2750251 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home’s statement of purpose is kept under review and that all updated information regarding the children’s care is shared in a timely manner with the relevant parties. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.5)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2750251 7

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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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Inspector

Gina Lightfoot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2750251 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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