Children's Home run by Brinscall Care (NW) Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2879202 1 Registered provider: Brinscall Care (NW) Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted in May 2026 and is run by a private provider. It offers care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. Both children spoke with the inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager is currently vacant.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and Ofsted is currently checking whether this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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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: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2879202 2

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Summary of findings

The leadership arrangements are not stable. Leaders do not consistently ensure that care planning and staffing arrangements meet children’s individual needs and manage identified risks.

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Summary of findings

Children’s risk assessments do not always provide clear guidance for staff.

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Summary of findings

Some staff members do not consistently maintain professional boundaries with children.

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Summary of findings

There are shortfalls in management oversight of staff practice and records.

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Summary of findings

Despite the shortfalls, children have positive relationships with staff and appear comfortable in their care. Staff meet children’s day-to-day needs and provide opportunities for positive experiences. The acting manager and staff are committed to supporting children and can confidently discuss their progress.

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improvement to be good

Inconsistent care planning affects the quality of children’s experiences. Leaders do not consistently consider children’s individual needs, staffing arrangements and the stability of the staff team when making decisions about children moving into the home. As a result, children do not always experience carefully planned moves that promote stable care.

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improvement to be good

Staff generally speak positively about children and invest time in building relationships with them. Staff show an interest in what children say and enjoy spending time with them. Children respond positively to staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide children with opportunities to enjoy positive experiences and recognise their achievements. They use ‘thought books’ to record positive messages about children, helping them to recognise their strengths and accomplishments. Staff meet children’s health needs and encourage them to make healthy choices. For example, staff use a healthy eating chart for one child, which helps them to monitor the child’s health.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to raise complaints and speak openly about their concerns. Staff and managers take complaints seriously and help children understand the outcomes. The manager identifies areas for staff development following complaints. However, he does not consistently follow through on agreed actions. As a result, opportunities to improve staff practice are missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2879202 3 Staff help children to manage difficult feelings, particularly those associated with living away from their families and uncertainty about their future. Staff support children to spend time with their families in ways that meet their individual needs.

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improvement to be good

The home environment generally meets children’s needs and is suitably furnished. However, staff restrict children’s access to a first-floor bathroom, which is only to be used by staff.

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improvement to be good

The acting manager does not consistently ensure that safeguarding arrangements reflect children’s individual needs and risks. Staffing arrangements do not always provide sufficient support to manage children’s vulnerabilities.

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improvement to be good

Children’s risk assessments do not consistently provide staff with clear guidance about the actions they should take to keep children safe. Despite this, staff demonstrate an understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out direct work with children to help them understand how to stay safe, and they share information with relevant agencies. Staff challenge discriminatory behaviour and help children understand how to treat others with respect. One child says that they feel safe. Both children appear comfortable with staff, and interactions between children and staff are positive. The physical environment is safe and secure.

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improvement to be good

Staff seek to understand children’s experiences and the triggers for their behaviour. When staff use physical intervention, they do so proportionately. However, they do not consistently record physical interventions and consequences promptly or accurately. This limits effective management oversight.

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improvement to be good

Some staff do not maintain appropriate professional boundaries with children. For example, staff engage in play fighting and games involving physical contact games with children. This increases the vulnerability of staff and children and has resulted in a chid raising concerns about staff behaviour. Although the manager has identified learning following a complaint, staff do not consistently demonstrate a sufficient understanding of appropriate professional boundaries.

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

The current leadership and management arrangements are not effective. There is no registered manager in post. While a responsible individual is in post, their suitability has not yet been assessed by Ofsted.

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

The acting manager is child centred and is developing positive relationships with children. He has warm and attentive interactions with children, and they respond positively to his approach. The inspector observed warm and positive relationships between the children and the acting manager. Inspection report for children’s home: 2879202 4 Leaders do not ensure that staffing arrangements are based on children’s individual needs and risks. Decisions about children moving into the home do not consider the potential impact of the current management arrangements or the needs and stability of the children already living there. As a result, management decisions do not always demonstrate that staff can provide each child with consistent and effective care.

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

The acting manager and staff know the children. They talk about the progress that children make. However, children’s records and plans do not consistently demonstrate how staff are helping the children to make progress.

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

The acting manager recognises the shortfalls. Together with the responsible individual, he is taking steps to improve the leadership and management arrangements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2879202 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 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

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must have effective monitoring and review systems in place to ensure that there is oversight of children’s care and experiences. 1 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that arrangements are in place to— 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2879202 6 ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the provider must ensure that staffing arrangements are individually risk assessed and determined in accordance with each child’s identified risks. Staffing arrangements must be kept under review and adjusted in line with children’s changing needs and risks.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that decisions to admit children are informed by effective care planning and an assessment of the provider’s ability to meet each child’s needs. This must consider the needs and stability of children already living in the home, as well as current staffing and management arrangements, to ensure that each child receives consistent and effective care.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(v)(viii)) 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2879202 7 In particular, the provider must ensure that staff maintain clear and appropriate professional boundaries with children. Staff must consistently model respectful and appropriate behaviour, particularly in relation to physical play, to support children’s understanding of socially appropriate behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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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 signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure that children’s case records are completed promptly following incidents. Records of physical interventions and consequences must be accurate, completed in accordance with regulations, and signed to confirm their accuracy. 1 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and 1 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2879202 8 any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 21 (1)(b)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure that children have access to all communal areas of the home.

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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: 2879202 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Brinscall Care (NW) Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Peel House, 30 The Downs, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 2PX

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Inspector

Bethany Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2879202 10 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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