Children's Home run by The Rubix Care Group Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2769769 1 Registered provider: The Rubix Care Group Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It offers care to one child who experiences emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2769769 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/07/2025 Full Good 06/01/2025 Full Good 29/01/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2769769 3

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Summary of findings

The home environment looks tired and worn. Improvements are needed, including painting areas of the home and replacing the child’s mattress. The child’s risk assessments do not accurately reflect all known risks. They are not consistently updated following incidents and do not provide staff with clear strategies to manage and reduce risks. The manager knows the child well and the child trusts them. However, management oversight is not consistent, and actions identified by the manager are not always followed through.

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improvement to be good

The home is showing signs of wear and tear, including marked paintwork which detracts from its overall appearance. The child’s belongings can be seen throughout the home, which gives them a sense of belonging. The child has personalised their bedroom, however, they are not consistently encouraged to keep it tidy and hazard free. During the inspection, lighters were seen in the bedroom, presenting a potential safety risk.

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improvement to be good

The child has built trusting relationships with the manager and staff. This means that they are able to share their wishes and feelings openly. The child is supported to make decisions about the types of activities they want to take part in, including go-karting and boxing.

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improvement to be good

The child is preparing to move on from the home. They are confident in domestic tasks such as budgeting, shopping and cooking. However, there is little structure in the child’s daily life, and they are only accessing approximately one hour of education every weekday. There are no plans to support the child to access education, training or employment when they move on.

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improvement to be good

The child’s health needs are understood by staff. The child is supported to access mental health services in response to incidents of self-harm. They are encouraged by staff to book their own medical appointments, which is preparing them for independence.

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improvement to be good

The child is supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff support the child to travel to see family members, which promotes their sense of identity.

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improvement to be good

The child’s risk assessment does not identify all the current risks, including smoking, which means that the risks associated with the child having lighters are not considered. Risk assessments do not provide staff with clear strategies to manage and reduce risks. When incidents occur, risk assessments are not updated to ensure that staff are alerted Inspection report for children's home: 2769769 4 to any changes in risk. This means that staff do not know what action to take to safeguard the child effectively.

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improvement to be good

Staffing ratios are unclear, with documents giving conflicting information about the number of staff needed to support the child safely.

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improvement to be good

The child is supported to reflect on their behaviours, and direct work is carried out to help them understand and manage the risks they may face. The manager completes direct work in a creative and engaging way, and the child finds this learning valuable.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of the child being missing from home have reduced since they moved into the home. When the child goes missing, staff act in line with the missing-from-home procedures to secure their safe and prompt return. However, the child does not always have the chance to talk to an independent person following their return. This is a missed opportunity to identify the reasons why the child may have gone missing and to prevent further incidents from occurring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager knows the child well and makes himself available to support staff even when he is not on shift. However, staff need to be upskilled to manage incidents independently and the manager needs to maintain management oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has failed to identify inconsistencies in the child’s plans and risk assessments. There are inconsistencies in key documents, and not all known risks are accurately recorded. Risk assessments need to be updated promptly to ensure that staff have up-to-date and accurate information at all times. Consequently, staff may not be adequately informed to respond consistently to emerging risks, which could impact the child’s safety and wellbeing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff feel supported by the manager and say he is accessible at all times. External professionals working with the child report that they are kept updated by the manager on all aspects of the child’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive supervision but the frequency of this varies and staff do not always receive a record of the discussions that have taken place. Actions to address shortfalls in staff practice are identified in supervision, but the manager does not always check these have been completed. Team meetings are held monthly, and the manager uses these to share information on a range of topics and practice issues.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has a system in place to oversee staff training and development. However, training and development records are not updated to reflect the current skills of the staff team. Staff have not received all training specific to the child’s individual needs, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. Inspection report for children's home: 2769769 5

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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 effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s risk assessments and plans are reviewed and updated to reflect current risks and set out strategies for staff to use to manage and reduce risks. 31 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2769769 6 The registered person must ensure that required staffing levels are clear and reflected accurately in all documents.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that independent return home interviews are carried out when children return home after being missing.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have oversight of all practice and that any actions identified to improve practice in the home are reviewed and completed.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that regular reflective supervision takes place and written records of the discussions are shared with staff.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that staff complete training in line with children’s individual needs. 31 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2769769 7 The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(b)(iv)(vi)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the home environment is safe and free from hazards, including lighters. 31 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 14 (1) (a)(b)(2)(b)(vi)) 31 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2769769 8 In particular, the registered person must ensure that plans for the child’s independence are clear and reviewed regularly, to consider the child’s links to the community and ensure that will have access to education, employment or training when they move on from the home.

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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: 2769769 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: The Rubix Care Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Unit 1 Cottam Lane Business Centre, Cottam Lane, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston, Lancashire PR2 1JR

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Inspectors

Sam Baird, Social Care Inspector Sarah Jackson, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children's home: 2769769 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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