Children's Home run by Springboard Care Services Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 1 Registered provider: Springboard Care Services Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This home was registered with Ofsted in May 2025 and is owned by a private provider. It offers care for one child who may 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 at the home. The inspector spoke to the child about their experiences of living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2026.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious that mean children and young people are not protected and their welfare is not promoted.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/08/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 3

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Summary of findings

The significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership have negatively impacted on the child's overall experiences and progress. Risks relating to substance misuse, exploitation and missing-from-home episodes have increased. These risks have not been managed effectively by staff. Leaders and managers have not identified or addressed shortfalls in practice. There has been poor staff morale, which has contributed to instability within the team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The provider has not consistently kept the child safe, resulting in ongoing risks for their safety. Shortfalls in leadership and staff practice have placed the child at risk of harm. This has had a negative impact on the child and their experience of living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff understand the child's health needs and there are plans in place to promote a healthy lifestyle. They have conversations with the child about healthy lifestyle choices and routines. However, staff are not consistent or proactive in their approach, meaning that there is limited progress for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff are not creative or persistent in encouraging the child to engage in activities. This means that the child rarely engages in meaningful experiences with staff and spends long periods of time in their bedroom. This limits the child's opportunities to build positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff use incentives and rewards to promote routines and positive behaviours. However, consequences are not always reviewed by leaders and managers. This means that there is no consistent oversight of what measures are effective.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not always ensure that the child's bedroom is maintained to an acceptable and safe standard. During the inspection, the manager and staff failed to support the inspector's access to the child's bedroom.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The provider ensures that therapeutic support is available to both the child and staff. The child has weekly sessions to support their emotional wellbeing. The therapeutic practitioner also works with staff to help develop their understanding of the child and identify any areas for development.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff have supported the child to make progress in education. They are proud of the child's achievements and celebrated them recently passing their exams. Staff encourage the child to think about their future education, training or employment. Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 4 The manager and staff develop positive relationships with those who are important to the child. Family members and professionals speak positively about the manager and staff and their work with the child.

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

Staff do not take effective action to assure themselves that the child is safe and well. When staff know the child has taken substances, they seek medical advice. However, leaders and managers do not ensure that staff carry out regular welfare checks consistently, despite increasing concerns about substance misuse. There are occasions when the child spends long periods of the day in their bedroom without any physical interaction with staff. This means that the child has been able to use substances unchallenged by staff, which has placed them at significant risk of harm.

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

Staff respond inconsistently when the child is missing from the home. There have been delays in reporting the child missing and searching for them. Furthermore, there have been occasions when no searches have taken place. Changes to the child's time outside of the home are not always communicated clearly between the manager and staff. This led to an incident where the child went missing.

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

Risk assessments are not kept up to date with current strategies. For example, assessments state that device checks are taking place regularly despite this no longer being an agreed strategy. This leaves staff without clear guidance about how to safeguard the child.

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

Leaders and managers have not taken effective action to ensure that staff have the skills, knowledge and experience to safeguard the child. When concerns were raised about an agency worker's practice, they were allowed to return to work at the home without assurances that the concerns had been addressed.

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

When allegations are made by the child, leaders and managers take the time to speak to the child and explore their views. However, these are not always reported and recorded in a way that ensures information is shared appropriately with the relevant professionals. This has led to confusion as to whether concerns have been sufficiently addressed.

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

There has been a recent reduction in incidents for the child. Staff are regularly having conversations with the child about risks to help them understand how to keep themselves safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There continues to be instability in the leadership and management at the home. There have been several changes in manager since the last inspection. At the time of this inspection, the registered manager had submitted their notice of resignation, and a new manager had been identified to start in post. Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 5 Staff morale is low and there is little confidence in senior leadership. Leaders and managers have also raised concerns about the competency of the staff team, resulting in an environment that feels negative, unstable and disconnected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight of incidents is ineffective. Leaders and managers have not reviewed all incidents and, where oversight has occurred, it has been poor. As a result, shortfalls in staff practice have not been identified or addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

When issues are raised about staff, leaders and managers use independent bodies to investigate the concerns when appropriate. However, some staff do not feel confident to raise concerns about colleagues' practice because they are not always addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager and deputy manager's supervision varies in quality. The sessions are brief, lack reflection and include limited discussion about the child. This does not support managers to develop their practice and feel adequately supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff shift patterns are not organised in a way that supports safe and fair practice. At times, staff are remaining awake through both the day and night to care for the child. Leaders and managers had begun to address this shortfall at the time of the inspection. Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement 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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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child's welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies;

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Requirement 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;

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Requirement 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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home's child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)(e)) 26 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff are proactive in monitoring the child's wellbeing.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all staff follow plans to keep the child safe, including actively searching for the child when they are missing.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all staff, including the manager and responsible individual, understand their roles and responsibilities to protect the child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is consistent access to the child's bedroom so that it is maintained to a safe and acceptable standard.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the child's risk assessment is up to date with current strategies.

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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

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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is effective review of the child's day-to-day care and incidents, and any shortfalls in practice are promptly identified and addressed. 26 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 8 The registered provider must ensure that they take sufficient action to assure themselves that any member of staff working at the home is suitably qualified, experienced, and understands the home's policies and procedures. This includes agency staff.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that the child is cared for by a stable and consistent staff team.

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

develop the child's interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child's interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

make a positive contribution to the home and the wider community; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child's interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff are proactive in their approach to engaging the child in activities.

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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 Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 9 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

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must submit a quality of care review in line with regulation.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are consistently and proactively supporting the health and wellbeing of the child on a daily basis. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards page 34, paragraph 7.10) Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 10

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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: 2823693 11

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Springboard Care Services Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Chandler House, 7 Ferry Road Office Park, Riversway, Preston, Lancashire PR2 2YH

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Sarah Littlechild

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Inspector

Hayley Smith, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2823693 12 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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