Children's Home run by Lifetime Opportunities Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 1 SC411046

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Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates this home. It provides care for up to 4 disabled children.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 2 children living at the home at the time of this inspection. The inspectors spent time with both children during the inspection.

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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

Date of last inspection: 15 January 2026

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/01/2026 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/09/2025 Full Inadequate 04/03/2025 Full Good 20/03/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 3

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Summary of findings

Children are happy, settled and have lived in the home for a sustained period. Feedback from parents, social workers and other professionals is positive, with stakeholders recognising the quality of care and support provided by staff. Children have developed trusting relationships with staff and benefit from a nurturing environment where their views, wishes and feelings are valued.

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Summary of findings

However, there are shortfalls in leadership and management. The home does not currently have a registered manager, and management oversight requires further strengthening to ensure that practice is consistently monitored and evaluated.

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Summary of findings

In addition, not all children have had suitable risk management plans in place, and the home has not maintained a sufficiently consistent and stable staffing team. These shortfalls have the potential to impact on the consistency of care and safeguarding arrangements for children

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improvement to be good

Both children have lived in the home for a sustained period and are settled and happy. They are making progress in line with their individual needs, including improvements in personal care and regular engagement in community-based activities and interests.

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improvement to be good

Children have positive and trusting relationships with staff. Inspectors observed a warm and nurturing atmosphere in the home, with caring and supportive interactions throughout. Staff understand the children’s communication styles and preferences well and respond sensitively to their needs, including non-verbal communication.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a range of activities that reflect their interests, including dance sessions, sensory activities, outings to local amenities and outdoor play. Staff support children to maintain meaningful relationships with their families and provide practical support to help family time be positive and enjoyable.

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improvement to be good

The home provides a comfortable and welcoming environment. However, parts of the home require redecoration and maintenance to ensure that it is consistently presented to a good standard.

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improvement to be good

Feedback from parents and professionals is positive. They describe children as happy in the home and speak positively about the care, support and opportunities provided by staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 4

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improvement to be good

Staff have a clear understanding of the child’s vulnerabilities and the risks that they may be exposed to. They know how to identify, report and respond to safeguarding concerns, helping to promote the child’s safety and wellbeing.

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improvement to be good

When shortfalls have been identified, managers have responded appropriately. They have carried out thorough investigations, reported concerns to the local authority designated officer where required and implemented actions to promote learning and improve practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff manage incidents effectively and introduce clear guidance when new behaviours emerge, helping to ensure consistent responses. However, not all children have suitable risk management plans in place that fully reflect their individual needs.

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improvement to be good

Medication procedures are well established. Staff address any discrepancies promptly and complete competency assessments to support safe practice. Managers have also arranged refresher training to address identified recording shortfalls.

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improvement to be good

The home follows safe recruitment procedures. Managers complete appropriate checks and vetting processes before staff begin working in the home, helping to ensure that suitable adults are employed to care for children.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes in leadership and staffing arrangements. The registered manager is no longer working in the home, and a new manager has recently been appointed. The manager has identified the improvements required and is beginning to implement changes. However, her capacity to drive and embed these improvements is reduced because she spends a significant amount of time working directly on shift.

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

Management monitoring systems are not fully effective. Inspectors found that some records could not be located during the inspection and that children’s plans contained inconsistencies. In addition, some records had not been appropriately dated or signed. Leaders and managers recognise these shortfalls and are taking steps to strengthen monitoring and reviewing systems. For example, they are developing the quality of care review to ensure that it includes children’s feedback and a clear action plan for improvement.

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

Staffing arrangements have been unsettled since the last inspection, with changes to the staff team and a high reliance on agency staff. As a result, children have at times been cared for by unfamiliar adults. Leaders and managers are aware of this issue and have ongoing recruitment activity to improve stability within the workforce. Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 5 Staff speak positively about their roles, report that they work well as a team and feel supported by managers. Regular team meetings and supervision sessions take place and provide opportunities to reflect on practice and address concerns. Where practice issues have been identified, managers have taken appropriate action and supported staff through development plans.

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

Training opportunities are available, including specialist training relevant to children’s needs. However, not all staff have completed essential or refresher training, and some required qualifications remain outstanding. For example, refresher training identified following a medication recording error had not been completed and was overdue. In addition, several staff members do not yet hold the required qualification for working with children. These shortfalls mean that staff do not always have the knowledge, skills and training necessary to consistently meet all of the children’s complex needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that the home is repainted throughout, including doors, walls and skirting boards. Repair to a child’s wall where there are small areas of damaged plaster. In addition, one wet room floor requires attention to ensure that it is maintained in good condition. 21 August 2026

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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

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that there are risk management plans in place for all known risks for children. 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 7 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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that there is a consistent workforce in place. That there is clear management oversight across all records and that they have all the relevant training in line with children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 21 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 8 employ an individual to work at the children’s home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 9 works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part-time basis.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 32 (1) (2) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)(6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that all staff have completed their qualification in line with regulation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all children’s records are dated and signed by the author. 21 August 2026

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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

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Requirement Due date

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

The registered person must— 21 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 10 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

(Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the manager’s review of care report includes feedback from children and contains a clear action plan.

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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: SC411046 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lifetime Opportunities Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Windsor House, Bayshill Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 3AT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Shona Wands Alderson

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Inspectors

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Julia Edwards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC411046 12 regulates 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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