Children's Home run by Lioncare Ltd Operating as The Lioncare Group in Brighton and Hove

Inspection report for children’s home: SC482548 1 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Lioncare Ltd (operating as The Lioncare Group)

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to 5 children who experience social or emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, 5 children were living in the home. All children participated in the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since December 2023.

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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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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC482548 2 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/08/2025 Full Good 23/04/2024 Full Good 07/11/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC482548 3 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Summary of findings

Children receive good-quality, individualised care from familiar staff, forming warm, nurturing relationships. As a result, children make sustained progress. Children feel listened to, valued and involved in decisions affecting their lives. Children benefit from positive experiences that prepare them for adulthood. Safeguarding practice is effective and promotes children’s welfare, with staff supporting children to understand and manage risks safely. Leaders and managers provide strong oversight, effective advocacy and a supportive culture. As a result, staff deliver consistent, therapeutic care and achieve positive outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality, individualised care. Staff are responsive to children’s needs, vulnerabilities and circumstances. Staff have strong knowledge of each child’s history, risks and aspirations. This enables staff to provide targeted support that promotes meaningful progress for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made notable improvements in emotional regulation, independence, self- care, relationship building and engagement with education. For example, one child has successfully re-engaged with education following a prolonged period of absence. As a result, children experience personal growth and are beginning to fulfil their potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have secure and meaningful relationships with adults in this home, who provide warm, trusting and consistent care. Staff know children well and advocate strongly on their behalf. Feedback from parents and professionals is positive and reflects effective communication, strong partnership working and a shared commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for children. This helps children to develop a strong sense of belonging, security and emotional wellbeing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are actively sought and appropriately considered in decisions affecting them. Staff understand the importance of listening to children and supporting them to express their wishes and feelings. As a result, children feel listened to, involved in important decisions and in control of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a caring and supportive home, where they are helped to make progress and enjoy positive childhood experiences. Staff provide a balance of routine and opportunity, helping children to develop practical skills and enjoy a stable home life. Children benefit from access to hobbies, community activities, therapeutic support and work experience, and are comfortable, safe and settled in their home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive effective preparation for future transitions and adulthood. Staff support children to develop practical life skills, such as budgeting, cooking, travelling independently and managing relationships. Transition planning is thoughtful and child Inspection report for children’s home: SC482548 4 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

focused, with moves happening at a pace that meets children’s individual needs. Children are supported to access further education, employment opportunities and semi- independent living arrangements when appropriate. This support enables children to become increasingly independent and better prepared for the opportunities and challenges of adult life.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s individual risks, vulnerabilities and past experiences. Managers ensure that risk assessments are detailed, are regularly reviewed, and inform practice. As a result, children are supported to become increasingly safer and are making progress in managing their emotional wellbeing, relationships, personal safety and community independence.

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

Staff are required to access multiple documents to gain a comprehensive understanding of children’s risks, which can reduce the accessibility of key information. While existing plans contain useful information, some triggers, indicators of escalation and response strategies are overly generic. Consequently, there is a risk that staff may not consistently recognise or respond to emerging concerns in a timely manner, reducing the effectiveness of interventions and support provided to children.

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

Children receive targeted support to increase their understanding of risk and personal safety. Staff undertake direct work with children around online safety, healthy relationships, exploitation, emotional wellbeing and self-harm. Where staff identify ongoing concerns, such as children’s use of social media or increasing independence, these are recognised and carefully managed through ongoing assessment and review. This enables children to enjoy increased independence, while remaining safe and supported by adults.

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

Safeguarding arrangements are strong and promote children’s welfare effectively. Staff receive effective safeguarding training and demonstrate a good understanding of their responsibilities. Safeguarding concerns are appropriately recorded, escalated and reviewed, with timely communication with relevant agencies. As a result, children are effectively safeguarded and receive timely support that promotes their safety, welfare and wellbeing.

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

Staff support children’s behaviour calmly, consistently and therapeutically. Relationships are central to practice, and staff focus on understanding the reasons behind behaviours rather than simply responding to presenting incidents. Clear boundaries, predictable routines and restorative approaches help children feel safe and secure, while promoting learning and personal responsibility.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are ambitious for children and are committed to helping them achieve meaningful and sustainable progress. Care is individualised, with detailed plans, risk assessments and transition planning that reflect children’s complex needs. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: SC482548 5 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

promote interdependence and help children to develop life-skills. Consequently, children achieve outcomes that are realistic, aspirational and tailored to their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a strong understanding of each child’s journey and experiences that have contributed to children’s progress. They closely monitor outcomes, review the effectiveness of care planning and adapt support where necessary. As a result, children benefit from responsive, well-planned care that enables them to make sustained progress and achieve positive outcomes from their individual starting points.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a supportive and reflective culture. Regular supervision focuses on wellbeing, safeguarding, reflective practice and professional development. Training is well matched to the specific needs of children, while the organisation’s therapeutic training further strengthens staff knowledge and skills. As a result, children benefit from consistent, therapeutic care from a knowledgeable staff team, whose members understand their needs and are equipped to support their continued progress and wellbeing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers maintain positive and effective relationships with professionals and partner agencies to support children’s development and welfare. Communication across the staff team is strong, and managers actively promote collaborative working. Children benefit from joined-up planning and information-sharing, including when children move to or from the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are confident in advocating for children and challenging professionals when necessary. In doing so, leaders and managers demonstrate a strong commitment to ensuring that children receive appropriate services and support that further improve their outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: SC482548 6 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Recommendations

 The registered manager should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, staff should be able to easily access a consolidated document detailing the most prevalent risks, child-specific triggers, signs of escalation, and tailored response strategies. These live documents should include clear context and rationale so that staff understand in practice the impact of their actions and exactly when to intervene. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: SC482548 7 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lioncare Ltd (operating as The Lioncare Group)

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lioncare House, 58a Livingstone Road, Hove, Sussex BN3 3WL

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Inspector

Steve de Souza, Regulatory Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC482548 8 SENSITIVE-OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspector

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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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