Children's Home run by Frances House Ltd in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: SC403462 1 SC403462 Registered provider: Frances House Ltd

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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 owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2016.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

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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 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: SC403462 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/05/2025 Full Good 07/05/2024 Full Good 10/05/2023 Full Good 19/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC403462 3

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Summary of findings

The home has a caring and dedicated manager and deputy manager. Children benefit from positive relationships with staff who know them well, listen to them and support their needs. Staff say they feel supported by the manager and receive regular supervision. However, not all staff have gained the required qualifications within timescale.

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Summary of findings

Improvements are required in the home’s physical environment, as well as ensuring that fire procedures are always followed. Staff understand the children’s needs and risks. For one child there is insufficient clarity about their local authority care plan, and this uncertainty has hindered progress.

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improvement to be good

The home does not consistently provide children with a well-maintained and suitably cared for living environment. Some children’s bedrooms contain broken furniture, worn or dirty carpets and other signs that children’s personal spaces are not being cared for. Although some communal areas are warm and welcoming, staff do not effectively support children to keep their bedrooms clean and comfortable. This means some children do not consistently experience care that upholds their dignity and supports them to develop a positive sense of self-worth. This requirement is reinstated for the third time.

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improvement to be good

Relationships between staff and children are positive. Staff spend time with the children, listen to them and build trust. One child said that they feel comfortable talking to staff about any issues and feel supported.

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improvement to be good

Staff practice regarding children smoking and vaping at the home is inconsistent. Some staff remove e-cigarettes while others do not, and consequences are not always consistent or effective.

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improvement to be good

Staff support and encourage children to attend health appointments. The manager works closely with professionals to ensure that children can access specialist support from other agencies when needed.

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improvement to be good

Most children attend school or another form of education. Staff maintain regular communication with schools and professionals. When children attend school part time, or are moving schools, staff plan educational activities during the day and advocate for a return to full-time education as soon as possible. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403462 4 Moves into the home are well planned. The needs and feelings of children already living there are considered. One child preparing to move on has been fully involved in planning their transition to semi-independent living. Another child’s plan has not yet been clarified by the local authority, which impacts on their stability.

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improvement to be good

Staff support and encourage children to maintain positive friendships and spend time with people who are important to them. They transport children over long distances to see their families. Children are supported to maintain their relationships and sense of identity.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to develop skills to manage conflict and difficult feelings through positive relationships with staff.

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

When children go missing from home, staff understand the risks and respond quickly. They actively search for children and follow their agreed plans.

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

Children are supported to take age-appropriate risks as part of developing their independence. Staff talk with children after incidents to help them learn from their experiences.

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

Children have not been physically restrained. Staff focus on positive behaviour and talk to children to de-escalate situations and help them express their feelings.

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

Staff work proactively with the police to protect children. When there are concerns for children, the police are not used to help manage children’s behaviour at the home. The manager has reduced the risk for one child quickly, working closely with external agencies and making appropriate referrals for concerns around exploitation.

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

Staff do not always identify and address potential risks in children’s bedrooms. In one instance staff failed to identify a smoke detector had been covered. Staff did not know how long it had been covered, which is a fire risk.

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

Staff understand the risks children may face using the internet. The staff regularly spend time with children helping them to understand the risks and how to keep themselves safe online.

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

The manager shared safeguarding concerns with the relevant local authority.

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

The manager and deputy manager have worked at the home for a long time. They are dedicated to their roles and clearly care about the children. Some staff have also worked at the home for many years. They are committed to building positive relationships with the children and achieving the best outcomes for them. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403462 5 The manager and deputy cover additional shifts at the home when staffing is low, and no agency staff are used. This ensures that children receive consistent care from adults who know them well. Safer recruitment procedures are in place.

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

Staff receive regular and meaningful supervision that focuses on children’s needs, support and safeguarding. The manager uses supervision to focus on helping staff develop their practice.

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

Staff say that they feel supported by managers and find them approachable and understanding. They say that they feel listened to. One staff member described the manager as calm, professional and really good with the kids, and said that she gets involved. Children who have moved out of the home keep in touch and maintain positive relationships with staff.

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

The manager and staff have positive relationships with other agencies, and feedback from professionals is positive.

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

Staff complete all required training, and the manager also delivers specific training to support further development. However, staff who have passed probation have not yet been enrolled onto their National Vocation Qualifications, and most staff do not hold the required qualification. The requirement has been reinstated.

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

The manager’s monitoring tools, records and incident reports do not always include all relevant information. This makes it difficult to monitor children’s progress or identify any patterns in behaviour. The manager has identified that some records, including the quality of written assessments need improvement and plans to make changes to them. However, these are not fully embedded.

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

The manager has not ensured that previous requirements and recommendations have been addressed in a timely way. Two requirements from the last inspection are restated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC403462 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

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

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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

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 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff support children to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy. Furthermore, the home environment, including furniture and decoration, should be maintained to a consistently suitable standard. 31 July 2026

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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; 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC403462 7 ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the manager maintains effective oversight of children’s records to monitor their progress and that all documentation is up to date and reflects children’s current needs and circumstances.

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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

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; 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC403462 8 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. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(a)(b)(c)(d) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all staff working at the home are suitably qualified, skilled and experienced to meet the children’s needs. Where staff do not hold the required qualifications, they should be actively working towards achieving them within the required timescales.

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC403462 9 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: SC403462 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 73 Albert Road, Colne, Lancashire BB8 0BP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Pamela Forrester

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Inspectors

Joy Viles, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Nicola Rutherford, Social Regulatory Care inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC403462 11 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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