Children's Home run by Toto Children’s Homes Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2823940 1 Registered provider: Toto Childrens Homes Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It provides care for up to 4 children with learning difficulties. There were 3 children living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

All 3 children were present at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2026.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2823940 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2823940 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making exceptional progress and thrive in a warm, stable and nurturing environment where they feel safe, valued and understood.

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Summary of findings

Staff have developed strong, trusting relationships with children and demonstrate an excellent understanding of their individual needs.

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from highly personalised care, meaningful family relationships and positive educational experiences. They have made significant improvements in their independence and communication skills.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding arrangements are strong, with effective oversight of children’s welfare, medication management and behaviour support. The home is led by a committed and experienced management team who provide staff with strong support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The same 3 children have continued to live at the home since the last inspection, providing them with stability and consistency. The children play with and seek interaction from the adults around them. The relationships between children and the staff are warm, trusting and nurturing. Children clearly benefit from living in an environment where they are valued, understood and supported. As a result of the outstanding care provided, all 3 children are making excellent progress and are thriving.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is a large, detached property. It is clear that children live in the home, there are lots of toys, books and games both for fun and to meet the children’s sensory needs. Children’s drawings, photos and certificates are proudly displayed throughout. Children’s bedrooms are beautifully personalised. The house benefits from a large, enclosed garden. Managers and staff organised a ‘schools out’ garden party for the children during the summer and the garden was also used for a bouncy castle that staff arranged for them for the weekend.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children have made continued and sustained progress. They have developed their communication skills, one child is now speaking in sentences, and another can meaningfully use objects of reference to communicate their needs. Staff have supported children to develop their independence skills, one child is now fully continent, and another child is independent in all personal care tasks. These newly learnt skills will support children throughout their lives and reduce their reliance on adult support in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are obtained and respected by the staff and their voices are captured exceptionally well through daily records, personalised choice books, weekly choice activities and direct observations of verbal and non-verbal communication. Inspection report for children’s home: 2823940 4 Staff demonstrate a strong understanding of how each child communicates. Children are routinely offered choices, given time to process information and supported through a range of communication methods including visuals, objects of reference, social stories, photographs and sensory strategies.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All children attend school. One child is preparing for high school in September. They were supported to fully embrace all events and activities in their final year of primary and enjoyed the visits to their new school. As a result of good preparation, they are excited for the move. Additionally, another child enjoyed a two-night residential holiday with their school. Their teacher said, “this would not have been an option for [name of child] if they weren’t living at the home.”

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff have a strong understanding of children’s individual needs. The staff work proactively with healthcare professionals and families to ensure that children receive the support and services required. High-quality one to one time with children helps them to understand and manage important health issues. For example, staff use creative and child-centred resources to support children to learn about puberty, tailored to their individual learning and communication needs. Similarly, staff completed excellent work with one child before a hospital procedure, using social stories, role play and visual aids to reduce anxiety and promote understanding. This reflects a dedicated staff team that consistently places children’s health and emotional wellbeing at the centre of their practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children spend regular time with their families, either at the home or in the community. Staff have worked hard to develop positive and trusting relationships with family members. As a result, visits are less supervised and structured, allowing the children greater freedom to engage naturally with their families. Children now actively seek play, interaction and affection from their families allowing more meaningful and positive relationships to develop.

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

The children are supported by staff who are committed to their wellbeing and safety. Children make progress because they are safe and happy. Children and staff have strong relationships built on trust and respect.

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

Safeguarding arrangements within the home are strong. Staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities and are confident in identifying and reporting concerns. Any allegations or concerns are managed robustly and in partnership with relevant external professionals. Leaders maintain high expectations of staff practice and take decisive action where individuals are unable to meet the needs of the children. This ensures that children are cared for by committed and capable staff who prioritise their safety and wellbeing.

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

Restraint is rarely used and when it is required it is proportionate and necessary. The manager regularly reviews all incidents to identify any learning opportunities and consider whether alternative approaches could better meet children’s needs. This highly Inspection report for children’s home: 2823940 5 reflective oversight leads to meaningful changes in practice and support planning, helping to reduce the likelihood of future incidents and improve outcomes for children.

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

Children receive prescribed medication that is well managed and subject to strong oversight. The manager has a clear understanding of the purpose, benefits and potential risks associated with medication and ensures that practice remains child-centred. Staff have worked closely with one child to develop their understanding of pain and pain relief through individual discussions and support. As a result, the child has gained a better understanding of why medication may be needed, which has supported a move away from covert administration and promoting greater involvement in decisions about their care.

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

When concerns arose regarding the clarity of a prescription, the manager proactively sought guidance from the prescribing clinician and implemented clear instructions for staff. This has ensured that medication is administered safely, consistently and appropriately. Staff also monitored the impact of a reduction trial, promptly escalating concerns when it became clear that further medical review was required. This demonstrates effective oversight and a commitment to ensuring that medication arrangements remain safe and are responsive to children’s needs.

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

The manager ensures that safer recruitment processes are followed this reduces the risk of unsuitable people working with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. They are supported by a present and committed responsible individual and deputy manager. Together they have a clear vision for improving children’s lives and achieving positive outcomes for children through highly individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff say that they feel supported and receive regular supervision sessions which are reflective, child focussed and allows them to improve their practice. Team meetings take place regularly and provide staff with the information needed to care for the children effectively. The manager ensures that staff receive training tailored to children’s individual needs and delegates research tasks to staff, which strengthens their knowledge and supports consistent learning with the wider team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders advocate strongly for children. During several safeguarding incidents occurring in schools, managers acted swiftly to raise concerns, safeguard children, liaise with professionals and ensure that external investigations were undertaken. The manager has good a good oversight of children’s experiences and outcomes. Evaluations of incidents highlight any issues with staff practice and consider any learning opportunities

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is keen to continually improve and seeks advice and guidance from other professionals. This has included commissioning a positive behaviour support review for all children and referring children to learning disability nurses. The manager could clearly explain how recommendations from behavioural specialists had been implemented into Inspection report for children’s home: 2823940 6 practice including adaptations to routines, sensory support, boundaries and visual resources this demonstrate a proactive approach to improving outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works closely with other professionals involved in the children’s lives and overall, these relationships are positive. However, there have been some missed opportunities to work more effectively with others, including challenging professionals when necessary and obtaining their views on decisions being made about the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers demonstrate a clear understanding of children’s needs and provide highly effective oversight of practice. Their aspirational approach and commitment to continuous improvement drive consistently strong outcomes for children. Children benefit from living in a home that is well led and promotes stability and positive life experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 2823940 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they challenge the local authority where delays occur in securing services, assessments or educational provision necessary to meet a child’s identified needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.8)  The registered person should seek the views of relevant stakeholders when making decisions about children’s care, to ensure that decisions are informed, collaborative and in the child’s best interests. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 12, paragraph 2.7)

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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: 2823940 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Toto Children’s Homes Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cavalry Group, Lancashire House, The Sidings, Whalley, Clitheroe BB7 9SE

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Inspector

Kerri Lynch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2823940 9 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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