Children's Home run by Therapeutic Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2762096 1 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Registered provider: Therapeutic Care 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

A private provider runs this home. The home provides care for up to 2 children who may experience emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were living in the home. The manager registered with Ofsted in 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: 2762096 2 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/08/2025 Full Good 17/07/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2762096 3 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Summary of findings

The manager is experienced in childcare and is child centred. Staff have developed positive relationships with children and respond in a consistent and therapeutic way. Multi-agency working is effective and supports positive outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has lived in the home for over 2 years, which has provided them with stability. Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home, and one child has moved on to semi-independent living. Staff support children to prepare for independence and move on to their next steps.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand and meet the children’s health needs. They work effectively with relevant professionals to ensure that support is available when needed. Staff and children benefit from access to the in-house therapist, which gives staff a greater understanding of the children’s emotional health needs and helps them respond more effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work effectively with education professionals to promote children’s engagement and support positive outcomes. They advocate for children to ensure that they are able to achieve their potential. One child has received an award for being the most improved student and for their good attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to spend time with family members and others who are important to them in line with the child’s placing authority plans. Staff support these relationships by travelling long distances, recognising the importance of children maintaining relationships with the people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean, comfortable and well maintained. Children’s bedrooms are personalised with their belongings and reflect their interests. Children have access to a range of activities and experiences. One child has been on holiday to Gran Canaria, their chosen destination, with a preferred staff member.

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

Children have developed positive relationships. They take part in regular key-worker sessions, which cover a range of relevant topics and provide opportunities for children to discuss their experiences, understand their emotions and develop strategies to help keep themselves safe. Children say that they feel listened to and supported by staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762096 4 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

When children are unsettled, staff respond calmly and consistently. They use effective de-escalation strategies and therapeutic approaches that help children to understand and manage their emotions.

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

The manager has established effective working relationships with partner agencies. Professionals speak positively about the quality of care that children receive and the progress they make. One child’s social worker said, ‘My experience of working alongside the home was great. The staff really took their time to get to know [name of child]; they built up relationships and rapport.’ Staff manage children’s free time appropriately, including completing regular welfare checks. This helps to ensure that children are kept safe when spending time in the community. Missing-from-home episodes are rare. When they do occur, staff follow protocols and work with external agencies to locate children. Staff actively search for children until they are found or return home. The manager and staff generally understand their safeguarding responsibilities. However, one child has their own mobile data and unrestricted access to their phone and

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

social media, which has contributed to periods of unsettled behaviour. This limits staff’s oversight of the child’s online activity and their ability to identify and manage potential risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child centred and experienced in residential childcare. He is working towards the relevant qualification in leadership and management. He is supported by a committed and stable staff team. There have been no new members of staff since the last inspection. This provides children with consistency of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions take place regularly and support staff to reflect on their safeguarding responsibilities, their practice and the children’s needs. Team meetings provide opportunities for reflection, professional discussion and shared learning. Staff say they feel well supported by the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Moves into the home are generally well managed. However, before one child moved into the home, the manager did not ensure that the staff had the necessary skills to meet the child’s needs. This meant that staff did not always respond consistently when the child was unsettled, and room checks and welfare checks were not always completed following incidents. Staff have since attended training, and the manager has worked with the in-house therapist to develop clear guidance for staff on how to respond when a child is unsettled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the day-to-day running of the home and takes action to address any shortfalls identified. The independent person visits the home on a monthly basis. However, they do not routinely seek the views of children’s carers. This limits their ability to fully assess the quality of care the children receive. Inspection report for children’s home: 2762096 5 OFSTED USE ONLY

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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

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure there is effective oversight and monitoring of children’s phone and internet use to reduce identified risks and promote their safety. 24 September 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; 24 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2762096 6 OFSTED USE ONLY

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the required skills and training to safeguard children before they move into the home.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any individual appointed to carry out visits to the home as an independent person makes a rigorous and impartial assessment of the home’s arrangements for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the children in the home’s care. In particular, the independent visitor should gather feedback from children and their carers on a regular basis in line with their plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: 2762096 7 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Therapeutic Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Errigal House, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool FY4 2DP

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Inspector

Sonja Vega, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2762096 8 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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