Children's Home run by Therapeutic Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2744087 1 Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited Full inspection 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 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. One child spoke with the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in September 2023.

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: good Inspection report for children’s home: 2744087 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/03/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/10/2024 Full Good 26/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2744087 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making progress from their individual starting points. Their learning and development are encouraged, and they are supported to spend time with the important people in their lives.

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Summary of findings

Recording practices are inconsistent, which limits the manager’s ability to fully evaluate and identify learning from practice to improve the quality of care provided to children.

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have good oversight. They ensure that staff receive regular supervision and training opportunities to support their development in their roles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children living in the home are the same as those at the previous inspection. Both children have settled well, are developing relationships with staff and are making progress from their individual starting points. A social worker said, ‘The staff team have supported [name of child] by providing a child-centred approach to their care. The home is well presented, providing [name of child] with a healthy living environment.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood by staff. When children have concerns about health appointments, staff provide emotional support and help them to understand the importance and benefits of engaging with health services. As a result, one child has started taking prescribed medication in line with medical advice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to engage in education in line with their individual needs. One child is attending education and making good progress. Another child is currently being supported through a home learning package while a suitable education provision is identified through discussions with the placing authority and education professionals. Staff encourage engagement and seek to understand any barriers to learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff facilitate regular family time, ensuring that children sustain close relationships with their families and loved ones, even at a distance. This helps children maintain important connections and strengthens their sense of identity and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given regular opportunities to express their wishes and feelings through day-to-day interactions and more structured discussions. This ensures that children play a meaningful role in decision-making at the home and their views are considered.

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

Children are kept safe by staff who are attuned to their needs and know and understand their strengths and vulnerabilities well. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744087 4 When children go missing from home, staff are proactive in trying to locate them and reporting them missing to the relevant agencies, including the police. This supports a quick and safe return home.

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

Physical intervention is used as a last resort to keep children safe and is overseen by the manager to ensure that practice remains safe and proportionate. Debriefs take place with children and some staff members following incidents; however, they are not consistently offered to all staff involved. As a result, opportunities to reflect on practice and identify lessons learned are missed.

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

There has been one incident where staff did not manage children’s behaviour effectively in the home, resulting in police intervention. The manager acted swiftly to review the incident and implement learning, supporting children to stay safe and experience consistent care.

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

Staff understand the risks that children face in relation to child criminal exploitation and substance misuse, and the manager takes proactive steps to manage and reduce these risks through effective multi-agency working. Furthermore, staff engage children in supportive conversations to address risks and promote safer decision-making. Additional safety measures, such as room searches, are implemented when necessary to reduce risk.

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

Safer recruitment practices are in place. However, there was a Disclosure and Barring Service certificate missing from one staff file, and specific dates of applicants’ employment histories are not consistently recorded. This limits the manager’s ability to explore gaps in employment and fully assess applicants’ suitability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and child focused, and they understand the children’s needs, strengths and vulnerabilities. Staff expressed confidence in the manager and leadership team, describing them as ‘supportive’ and ‘available’ for advice when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff have access to a range of training to support them in caring effectively for the children. Additional training is provided and tailored to the children’s specific needs. This ensures that staff are equipped to respond effectively and consistently.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is now a stable staff team in place with a diverse range of skills and experience. This enables children to develop trusting relationships with the staff who care for them, promoting a greater sense of security and stability in their daily lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recording is variable in quality and does not always include sufficient detail. This reduces the clarity of some records and limits the effectiveness of management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions to support and promote effective practice and learning. Additionally, team meetings provide regular opportunities for staff to discuss Inspection report for children’s home: 2744087 5 children’s needs and share information. They also serve as a forum for the manager to reinforce expectations and promote consistency across the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes effective multi-agency working through strong communication and collaboration. This ensures that children’s needs are consistently advocated for and that decisions made are in their best interests, supporting positive outcomes across all areas of their lives. Inspection report for children’s home: 2744087 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

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

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—

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff have the skills, training and consistent guidance to respond to 16 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2744087 7 behaviour in a way that is safe, proportionate and supportive of children’s emotional needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all records maintained in the home are accurate and contain sufficient detail.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff working in the home have an up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service check.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that applicants provide a full employment history with clear, specific dates so that any gaps can be appropriately explored. 16 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2744087 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that when a child is not participating in full-time education, they are supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and to engage in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)  The registered person should ensure that records of physical intervention demonstrate that all staff who were present and involved in the intervention take part in post- incident debriefs to support reflection and learning. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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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: 2744087 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Errigal House, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool FY4 2DP

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Inspectors

Shauna Morley, Social Care Inspector Claire Foster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2744087 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 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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