Children's Home run by Northridge Care Group Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2800616 1 Registered provider: Northridge Care Group Limited Full inspection 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 for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection. The child was spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2026.

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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: good

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

An assurance inspection was carried out on 23 July 2025, during which serious and widespread concerns were identified. As a result, a decision was made to restrict the accommodation at the children's home under section 22B of the Care Standards Act 2000. Compliance notices under Regulation 12 and Regulation 13 of The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 were also issued. Inspection report for children's home: 2800616 2 A monitoring visit took place on 10 September 2025 to review progress against the required actions. A case review was held on 15 September 2025, where it was agreed that the compliance notices had been met and the restriction of accommodation could be lifted. Inspection report for children's home: 2800616 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/06/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2800616 4

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved out of the home, and one child has moved in. At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. The child enjoys positive relationships with staff, who know them well. While the child is not currently in formal education, they are being supported to access other educational opportunities. The home benefits from a stable manager who has a good oversight of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the emotional impact of any moves for children and have sensitively welcomed the child into the home even when there has been limited time for planning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have built up a positive relationship with the child. As a result, the child has been able to trust staff and share their worries and concerns. One professional commented that, '[Name of child] has made progress during [their] time at [Name of home], and I believe that this is in no small part due to the encouragement, consistency, and support provided by the staff team'.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is not currently attending formal education. However, staff work hard to engage the child in educational opportunities both in and outside of the home. This has included developing an education menu that includes a variety of activities for the child to select, including videos and quizzes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the child's current health needs and consider how to support the child to ensure that these are met. A comprehensive analysis of the child's health concerns has been completed to identify themes and patterns. Trackers are used to evaluate the impact of staff support and make any changes as necessary to the child's care or staff responses.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff build positive relationships with family members. Staff recognise the importance of family relationships and have advocated for a move closer to home for the child to facilitate this.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that the child's individual risk assessments are clear and that there are detailed safety plans for staff to follow. This has meant that the risks for the child currently living in the home have reduced.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child's individual needs and how best to support them. The manager completes in-depth reviews of children's care, identifying themes, Inspection report for children's home: 2800616 5 patterns and trends to inform future practice. Staff also benefit from input from the in- house behaviour analyst to ensure that strategies implemented remain effective and in line with children's individual needs.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff take immediate action to ensure their safe return. Staff talk to the child about their experiences of being missing to help them to understand the risks.

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

Staff use rewards, incentives and de-escalation techniques to support the child's behaviour. This supports the child to maintain positive relationships with staff members.

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

Where physical intervention is used, this is as a last resort to protect the child or others. Following the use of restraint, children are generally provided with the opportunity to speak about the experience. However, on one occasion, this discussion did not take place. This did not provide the child with the opportunity to express their feelings about the incident and raise concerns about the hold if they wanted to.

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

The response by leaders and managers when a child has made a complaint is variable. Recordings generally demonstrate the actions taken to investigate the complaint and evidence a clear rationale for decisions made. However, one complaint made by the child had not been effectively identified and addressed by leaders and managers. Although there was no physical harm to the child, this is a missed opportunity to ensure that their voice is consistently heard and acted upon.

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

Safer recruitment practices are followed. This ensures that those working in the home are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, a new manager has been appointed. The manager is confident, passionate about providing a high level of care to the child in the home and leads by example. They have a good understanding of both the strengths and areas for development within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision, which allows them to reflect on practice and is also an opportunity to explore shortfalls in staff practice when they are identified. In addition, staff have annual appraisals that consider their performance and areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff development is a priority and is a key strength of the home. Staff benefit from comprehensive training, including training specific to the individual needs of the child living in the home. The registered manager is creative about how they support staff to develop.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are held on a regular basis and are well attended by the staff team. These provide staff with the opportunity to explore the care being provided to the child. Inspection report for children's home: 2800616 6 As a result, staff have a good understanding of the home's model of care and how to implement this into daily practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers advocate for the child and have demonstrated appropriate challenge to the placing authority when they have felt that the child's views have not been listened to or acted upon.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the home is set up in line with the statement of purpose. One of the rooms previously used as a bedroom for a child has been converted into an office. However, there are plans in place to return the room to its original use. Inspection report for children's home: 2800616 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that records of restraint include confirmation that the child has been spoken to about the measure. 28 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the procedure must provide that no person who is the subject of a complaint takes any part in its consideration or investigation, except at the informal resolution stage if the registered person considers it appropriate.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that no child is subject to any reprisal for making a complaint or representation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI, at HMCI's request, a statement containing a summary of any complaints made 28 August 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2800616 8 during the preceding twelve months and the action that was taken in response to each complaint. (Regulation 39 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that all complaints made by children are appropriately recorded, including details of the action taken as a result and the outcome of any investigation.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5)) 28 August 2026

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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: 2800616 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Northridge Care Group Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Richard House, 9 Winckley Square, Preston, Lancashire PR1 3HP

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Inspectors

Ruth Mortimer-Jones, Social Care Inspector Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2800616 10 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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Inspectors

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