Children's Home run by Partners in Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 1 SC010090 Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in December 2001 and is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 2 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since November 2025. A new manager has been appointed.

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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

Date of last inspection: 18 November 2025

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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: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/11/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/10/2024 Full Good 23/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 10/10/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 3

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Summary of findings

Children continue to make steady, positive progress in line with their care plans. Staff know the children well and offer meaningful, attuned support, helping them navigate the challenges in their lives safely and confidently.

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Summary of findings

The team works effectively with other professionals, including a therapist and education staff, to ensure that children receive consistent, joined-up support. This shared approach strengthens the focus on achieving the best possible outcomes for each child.

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Summary of findings

The new management arrangements are having a constructive and encouraging impact. Clear plans for the home provide direction, engage the team, and create opportunities for reflection and professional growth. This supports ongoing development and helps maintain a high standard of care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making positive progress across several areas, despite the recent challenges they have faced. One child has moved successfully to semi-independent living following a well-planned transition supported by the team. Staff and an advocate helped the child to raise concerns with the placing authority, ensuring that their voice was heard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is now one child living in the home. They have trusting relationships with staff who know them well and understand how to support them. This provides the child with emotional support and consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage well in education. Attendance for one child has improved, and college staff describe them as ‘thriving’. Communication between staff and the college is effective, ensuring that the child receives consistent support to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. The child benefits from support from a therapist who knows them well and works closely with the team to strengthen their practice. When the child experiences dips in their emotional wellbeing, staff seek timely and appropriate professional help.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are developing their independence skills, with notable progress in areas such as travel. However, there is currently no formal documentation to evidence children’s abilities or identify areas where further support is required.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Sensitive work is undertaken with children to support their relationships with people who are important to them. The manager and therapist work with family members to ensure that this is carried out in a safe and measured way, at a pace that is right for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 4

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

The risks children face are well understood and managed. Staff understand children’s vulnerabilities and provide support in a non-judgemental and considered way to help them to reflect on their actions.

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

Meaningful work is carried out by staff and the therapist to help children feel safe. This has increased children’s confidence to seek support from their carers during times of crisis. Managers work effectively with agencies such as the police and health professionals to ensure that there are positive outcomes for children.

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

Plans are regularly updated and include effective strategies to reduce risk. While incidents and allegations have increased, they are reflective of the challenges being experienced by the child. Staff manage incidents effectively to ensure that the child is safe, and there is effective follow-up work to encourage reflection.

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

Allegations are taken seriously. Managers respond in a timely manner to ensure that all appropriate individuals are informed and an outcome is reached. There is no clear guidance for staff on how to deal with retractions made by children around allegations. When allegations are retracted, there is no clear documentation to demonstrate the actions taken by managers to investigate the initial concerns to support a clear rationale for their conclusions.

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

Children have not gone missing from the home, and it has not been necessary for staff to use physical intervention.

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

There are safer recruitment practices in place, which include thorough checks of applicants who have worked overseas.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new manager has been appointed, and they work well with the deputy manager. They have shared goals for the home and are working collaboratively with the team on the goals moving forward.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is reflective and has identified areas for the home’s development. The managers’ work with the team is a particular strength. Team meetings and supervision sessions document how they engage staff in the running of the home and encourage them to reflect on their achievements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have high aspirations for what children can achieve. They maintain effective partnerships with other professionals and parents, ensuring that children benefit from a consistent approach. Staff are well trained to meet children’s individual needs. Managers also ensure that staff receive guidance in areas of practice that are used less frequently, such as physical restraint, so that they remain confident and competent in their roles. Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 5 The manager has strong oversight of the home. He carries out detailed, reflective analyses of incidents to understand the impact of the care provided. This enables him to identify staff learning, celebrate effective practice, and highlight areas requiring further development. There are additional opportunities for the manager to strengthen this oversight by monitoring themes and trends in children’s behaviours alongside the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

interventions and support put in place. Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this relates to leaders and managers ensuring that they consider all children’s needs before new children move into the home.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 31 August 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that work carried out with children to develop their independence skills is formally recorded to demonstrate their capabilities and needs and to contribute to their pathway planning. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 18, paragraph 3.28)  The registered person should ensure that any allegations of harm or abuse are addressed thoroughly. There should be clear guidance for staff on how to manage retractions when allegations are made. Managers should clearly record the actions taken as part of their investigations into any allegations, as well as the reasons for any retractions, to ensure that no harm has come to a child, regardless of the retraction. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)  The registered person should ensure that they make the best use of information from

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Recommendations

internal monitoring to drive continuous improvement. This includes monitoring themes and trends from incidents and allegations, alongside internal and external interventions, to understand their impact on children’s progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 7

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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: SC010090 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Partners in Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 The Calls, Leeds LS2 7JU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Kealey Rushworth

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Inspector

Andrea Foreman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC010090 9 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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