Children's Home run by Therapeutic Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2762098 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

A private provider runs this home. The home provides care for up to 2 children who may experience emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. The children spoke to the inspectors during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2026. The provider has recently appointed a new proposed responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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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: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2762098 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/07/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2762098 3

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Summary of findings

Children make progress in this home. They are supported to access education and health services. Children can maintain links with their family and friends.

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Summary of findings

Children are kept safe by staff who provide effective support.

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Summary of findings

The manager works with professionals and those who are important to children to secure good outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has now lived in the home for over 12 months and is very settled. They have positive relationships with staff and have made great progress. Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. The move was well planned and managed sensitively. The manager ensured that consideration was given to the suitability of the home for the child and the ability of staff to meet their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain close links with their family and friends, in agreement with their respective local authority plans. Staff support one child to travel a considerable distance to see their family, and they ensure that this is managed in a safe way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met. They are supported to attend appointments and receive treatment. When a child needs to stay in hospital, staff ensure that they stay with them and provide support. Staff and the manager have ensured that the child has been supported to understand their condition. The provider employs an in-house therapeutic team, who give help and advice to staff on how to understand children’s emotional needs and promote their wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are not in education, the manager works with other professionals to identify suitable school provision. One child is now attending mainstream school on a full-time basis. However, when children are not in education, there are not always predictable daily routines and structure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s interests are promoted and encouraged. There are photos and certificates reflecting children’s achievements displayed around the home. Children are prepared for independence in an age-appropriate manner.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are consulted about aspects of their daily lives, including activities, meal choices and future plans. Children can express their views, wishes and feelings in a variety of ways. Children know how to make a complaint. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762098 4 The home is a warm, welcoming and safe environment. Safety checks are regularly completed and damage is quickly repaired.

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

Children are kept safe by staff who have a good awareness of their needs and vulnerabilities. Staff work hard to build supportive and trusting relationships with children. Staff manage incidents and concerns in accordance with their training. Staff respond to children in a sensitive and calm manner. Staff speak positively and warmly about children, and they have their best interests at heart. Staff have regular discussions with children on important issues such as staying safe, water safety and recognising danger.

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

Positive behaviour is promoted using appropriate boundaries, incentives and rewards. However, the manager does not always ensure that all opportunities to educate children about socially acceptable behaviour are exhausted before involving other agencies.

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

When children go missing from home, staff follow the processes in place. There are good communication systems in place with relevant professionals and family members. Children are reported missing appropriately, and staff search for children. Children’s time in the community is supported in accordance with their plans and is reviewed regularly.

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

Accidents and injuries are attended to quickly. Staff provide first aid and offer nurture and support to children. Incidents of self-harm are responded to in a sensitive manner. Staff are proactive in keeping the home environment safe, and regular safety checks are undertaken. Referrals are made for additional support from appropriate external agencies, such as the fire service and emotional health services.

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

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and know how to escalate concerns, including to external safeguarding partners. Recruitment of new staff has been completed safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed effectively by an experienced manager. The manager has good oversight of the home and uses a range of tools to monitor performance. She is supported by an experienced staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a stable and consistent staff team. Staff state that they feel supported by the manager and wider organisation. Staff receive regular supervision and yearly appraisals, which include feedback from children. Team meetings are held regularly and are well attended.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a large amount of training on offer. When new needs emerge for children, the manager ensures staff have the skills and abilities to meet these. Children can also Inspection report for children’s home: 2762098 5 access the provider’s training hub to increase their knowledge and understanding of a variety of safety and cultural awareness topics.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and the manager work effectively with professionals and other agencies. There is open, honest communication and staff share information promptly. Staff advocate for children and ensure children’s views are included in decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager gathers views from the children, professionals and the community to identify areas of strength and for development. The independent person visits the home monthly. However, visits are mostly announced and children are not routinely spoken to. This does not provide a robust level of external oversight. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762098 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they understand factors that affect children’s motivation to behave in a socially acceptable way. Staff should exhaust all opportunities to provide education on socially acceptable behaviour before involving the police. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.13)  The registered person should ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in formal education, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. The child should have a predictable daily routine which they are aware of. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of

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Recommendations

the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. This includes ensuring that visits are a mixture of announced and unannounced visits to the home. Children should be consulted regularly to gain their views. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2762098 7

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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

Eve Ostridge, Social Care Inspector Melanie Cotterill, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2762098 8 and inspects 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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