Children's Home run by Therapeutic Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2739580 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 or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2026.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. Both children were seen and spoken to during the inspection.

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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: 2 September 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2739580 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/09/2025 Full Good 05/06/2024 Full Good 19/03/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2739580 3

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Summary of findings

Managers and staff provide good care for children. Staff know the children well and practice in a way that is child focused, using a range of strategies.

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Summary of findings

The new manager leads by example and ensures that staff practice continuously develops.

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Summary of findings

Staff know how to keep children safe; however, guidance for staff when children go missing from home needs to be strengthened to prevent any delay in locating children who are missing.

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Summary of findings

Managers must ensure that any significant incidents are reported to the regulator.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a warm, nurturing environment where they say they are happy. One child has recently moved into the home. This was well planned with informal meetings and a gentle introduction to the home. One child has moved out in a planned way to take their first steps towards independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is valued in the home. Managers and staff acknowledge the barriers to education and work with local authorities to ensure that children have access to provision that meets their needs. When children are not in education, staff plan constructive activities outside the home and involve them in tasks that are educational in nature.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand children’s health needs. When children need specialist support, they are referred to external agencies in line with their individual needs. Staff and children have access to therapeutic support from the provider’s therapy team. Staff encourage children to share any worries with them and support them to engage with services to support their emotional health and wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is promoted and encouraged by staff and the manager. Children can spend time with those who are important to them. Staff provide fun activities for the children. Children attend activities together and also enjoy one-to-one time with staff. This encourages children to feel a connection and helps them to feel valued as individuals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a safe and welcoming environment for children. Children can personalise their bedrooms, and thought has been given into how different rooms will be used. Inspection report for children’s home: 2739580 4

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s needs and vulnerabilities. They form strong and positive relationships with children. A headteacher said, ‘[Name of home] provides a nurturing and supportive environment where the young person feels safe, valued and well cared for.’

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

The manager provides staff with clear guidance about how to approach difficult situations and issues. Staff manage incidents in accordance with their training. As a result, physical interventions and negative consequences have decreased. Positive behaviour is encouraged with the use of incentives and praise.

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

Staff have regular discussions with children on important issues, such as staying safe, healthy relationships and substance misuse. When children misuse substances, staff respond appropriately and search their rooms for items that may be harmful to health. Staff make referrals to relevant services to support children. The current manager has also ensured that there are measures in place to prevent access to illegal substances.

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

The manager responds quickly when any new risks for children emerge. There is strong multi-agency working to help identify and manage risks to children. Staff understand what to do when children go missing from home. They work with other professionals and family members to ensure that children return home safely. However, there has been one missing-from-home episode when staff have not attended known addresses in a timely manner.

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

Staff are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. They know how to escalate concerns, including to external agencies. New members of staff have been recruited safely to ensure that only suitable individuals work with the children. When allegations or complaints are made, the organisation responds robustly and follows accepted procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. She has responsibility for another home in the organisation. There have been many changes to the staff team in this inspection period that have been beyond the control of the provider. The manager has ensured that these changes have not affected children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is ambitious for the home and has implemented changes to policies, procedures and the recording systems. They have effective systems for maintaining good oversight of the home. The manager ensures that there is effective communication with other agencies and the regulator, which ensures transparency. However, there has been one occasion when the previous manager did not notify the regulator of a serious incident in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff value the openness of the manager and the way changes to policy and practice have been implemented. They say they feel supported by the management team, and Inspection report for children’s home: 2739580 5 they feel confident in speaking with the management team about any concerns. Team meetings are used as a forum for discussion and to embed further learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision that is reflective. The recording of supervision is clear, focusing on actions for the development of the staff in their roles and for the children. The current leadership team is aware that the changes in staffing have been an unsettling time for everyone. They have taken steps to address recruitment shortfalls and have taken action to ensure that there is a stable staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for children. They demonstrate professional challenge to other agencies to ensure the best outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2739580 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

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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that missing- from-home protocols are followed and that staff search for children in a timely manner. 30 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the matter; 30 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2739580 7 the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must have clear systems in place to ensure that significant incidents are notified to all safeguarding partners, including the regulator, within appropriate timescales for full transparency.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated.

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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: 2739580 8

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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 Jayne Lord, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2739580 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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