Children's Home run by Yourcare (Northwest) Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: 2863731 1 Registered provider: Yourcare (Northwest) Limited

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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 operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The child was not at home during the inspection. The inspector spoke to the child over the telephone.

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Information about this children's home

The home was registered with Ofsted in April 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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2863731 2

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Summary of findings

There has been a change in the management of the home since the home was registered.

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Summary of findings

The child has been well supported to move in and settle into the home. Staff know the child well and provide them with good support to ensure that their educational and health needs are met.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand the children's individual risks and how they can support them. Care plans are child centred, family time is supported and the child is encouraged to engage with health professionals. The child living in this home is making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child speaks positively about their experiences of living in the home. The child said that they felt safe and happy. However, they were choosing to stay with family at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child benefited from a carefully planned move into the home. A comprehensive assessment of need was undertaken, involving the child's family and relevant professionals, to ensure that the staff could meet the child's needs. The child was welcomed to visit the home before moving in, which helped them to become familiar with the environment and staff team. This supported the development of positive relationships and contributed to a successful transition into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff actively promote the child's independence and support them to make informed choices about their free time and relationships with people who are important to them. Where challenges have arisen in relation to peer relationships, staff have provided appropriate guidance and support to safeguard the child's welfare and promote positive outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child's educational needs well. Staff support the child to overcome the challenges of travelling distances to attend school. As a result, the child has attended school consistently and engages positively with their education. Education records are up to date and demonstrate appropriate oversight of the child's educational progress and needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child's health needs are well met. The child attends routine and specialist health appointments, including GP, dental and optician services. When the child is reluctant to engage with mental health professionals or accept medical intervention following incidents of self-injurious behaviour, staff respond sensitively and effectively. They provide consistent follow-up support to monitor the child's wellbeing, explore underlying concerns and promote engagement with appropriate services. Inspection report for children's home: 2863731 3 Care plans are child centred and clearly reflect the child's views, wishes and feelings. They provide detailed and relevant guidance for staff to support the child effectively. The placement plan is regularly reviewed and updated and is aligned with the child's risk assessments, health plans and education records.

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

The child benefits from effective safeguarding arrangements and consistent care from staff that promotes their safety and wellbeing. Despite recent changes in leadership, management oversight has remained effective, ensuring that risks are appropriately identified and managed. This continuity of care has provided the child with stability and support. As a result, restrictions placed on the child's liberty are no longer required to keep them safe.

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

Staff undertake room searches when necessary to ensure the child's safety and welfare. However, these are not always completed promptly. The child is consulted following searches, and their views are explored during support sessions. Management oversight of these incidents has not always been sufficiently evidenced, and the previous manager has not consistently recorded their evaluation of the necessity and outcome of searches.

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

Feedback from the child's family is positive. One family member spoke highly of the home and said they had no concerns over the wellbeing or safety of the child being in their care.

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

When the child has been missing from home, staff have followed procedures and contacted the child's family to locate the child. Staff ensure that children have an independent return home interview, and follow up work is completed. When the child is away from the home for prolonged periods of time, staff ensure they maintain physical contact with the child to ensure that they are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous registered manager left the home after a short period in post. The provider responded promptly and recruited a new manager without delay. During the transition, effective oversight and management of the home were maintained by an experienced operations manager and the responsible individual. The new manager was appointed from within the organisation and brings significant experience of residential childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Although the manager had been in post for less than 3 weeks at the time of the inspection, they demonstrated a clear understanding of the child's needs and the home's strengths and areas for development. Staff welcomed the new manager and spoke positively about their leadership. The child was continuing to build a relationship with the manager and expressed some frustration with newly introduced boundaries; however, they said that they were happy living in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2863731 4 Despite some staffing challenges, the core team remains in place, which provides stability for children. Staff based at the provider's other homes are also used to cover any staffing shortfalls, ensuring that the child continues to receive consistent care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong focus on staff development and training. However, not all staff have the skills to meet children's needs. Not all new staff have completed training specific to the needs of the child in the home, including training around attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism and deprivation of liberty.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates effective professional curiosity and challenge, holding other professionals to account when he believes that actions are not sufficiently focused on the child's needs. He and the staff team work collaboratively with professionals and carers to ensure that plans for the child are understood and implemented consistently. This approach has contributed to better coordinated care, with clearer outcomes that are aligned with the child's care plans and risk assessments and support the child to make measurable progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A notifiable incident was not reported to Ofsted in line with regulatory requirements. Although the previous manager recorded serious concerns regarding the incident, a notification under Regulation 40 was not submitted. Inspection report for children's home: 2863731 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers should ensure that staff undertake checks on a child's bedroom at the time when concerns for safety are identified. Managers should have oversight of all incidents that are recorded. 30 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation— 30 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2863731 6 must include details of—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(e) (5)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff have the opportunity to complete additional training that helps them to better understand the needs of children. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards' page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 2863731 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Yourcare (Northwest) Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 64 St Georges Park, Kirkham, Lancashire PR4 2DZ

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Inspector

Nicola Jeffery, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2863731 8 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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