Children's Home run by Outbound Care in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2523036 1 Registered provider: Outbound Care

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private provider. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties and learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted in July 2019. The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. The child was spoken with during the inspection.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Two compliance notices were issued on 12 June 2026 under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000 in respect of Leicester House in relation to Regulation 12, ‘The protection of children standard’, and 13, ‘The leadership and management standard’. A Inspection report for children’s home: 2523036 2 monitoring visit was carried out on 28 July 2026 to assess the progress made in addressing the shortfalls identified at the previous inspection. The inspector found that the provider had taken sufficient action to address the steps outlined in the compliance notices. As a result, the notices were considered to have been met. Inspection report for children’s home: 2523036 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/06/2026 Full Inadequate 11/11/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/02/2025 Full Good 12/09/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2523036 4

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Summary of findings

The child enjoys living at the home. The manager and staff have built positive, supportive relationships with the child and enjoy caring for them.

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Summary of findings

Following the last inspection, monitoring and review systems have been strengthened to ensure that they are robust and capture shortfalls. As a result, there have been significant improvements in staff response to missing-from-home episodes and incidents of substance misuse. The manager and staff work effectively with the child’s network to implement safety plans.

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Summary of findings

Allegations and complaints are investigated and leaders and managers review policies to strengthen safeguarding practice in response to identified shortfalls. However, leaders and managers do not always seek the views of the child, and there are delays in sharing the outcomes of complaints with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child receives a good standard of care from a stable and consistent team of staff who know them well. Staff are committed to providing good-quality care, supporting the child through challenges and helping them achieve their aspirations. The child is happy and settled in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm, welcoming and well decorated. The child’s bedroom has recently been renovated with new flooring and furniture. However, staff do not support the child to keep their bedroom clean and tidy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff promote the child’s education. The child has been supported to achieve their functional skills qualifications in maths and English and to enrol in their chosen course at college to support their career aspirations. The child has completed their college induction and is engaging in their timetable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to develop life skills appropriate to their age and ability. There are clear plans in place to support them in preparation for independence. The child is encouraged to develop skills such as budgeting, meal preparation and household chores. Staff have also supported the child in their pursuit of a part-time job, helping them to complete a curriculum vitae and apply for jobs in the local area.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is encouraged to participate in activities and days out with staff, such as escape rooms, the cinema, indoor climbing centres and paddleboarding. Staff document the child’s time in the home in a thoughtful memory book. Inspection report for children’s home: 2523036 5

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

The child is supported to develop positive, caring and trusting relationships with staff, particularly their identified key workers. This provides them with a sense of safety and security.

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

There have been minimal changes to the staff team. However, the manager has appropriately sought additional support from agency staff to help implement and maintain overnight safety plans. When agency staff are used, leaders and managers undertake the necessary checks to ensure that safer recruitment procedures have been completed and that staff have the relevant qualifications, skills and experience required for their role. This helps to ensure that staff are suitably vetted before providing care to the child. The manager completes an induction with agency staff and provides them with a detailed handover document containing key information about the child and the home’s routines. As a result, agency staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities, the child’s needs and the action required in the event of a crisis.

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

Allegations relating to staff conduct and practice are taken seriously and are fully investigated. However, leaders and managers do not consistently seek the views of the child as part of these investigations, despite the child being able to provide a valuable first-hand account of events. However, leaders and managers respond appropriately to any shortfalls identified during the investigations, and they review policies to improve safeguarding practice. As a result, improvements have been made to the homes’ out-of- hours support service.

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

The child has made one complaint, which was taken seriously and fully investigated by the manager. However, there was a delay in sharing the outcome of the investigation with the child. This does not demonstrate that the child’s views have been listened to and acted on in a timely way. It also reduces opportunities to provide feedback, address ongoing concerns and repair relationships before staff are required to care for and support the child again.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures and are clear about their responsibilities to protect children from harm. Leaders and managers reinforce these expectations through regular presentations and discussions during team meetings. This helps staff to remain up to date with current procedures, promotes professional curiosity and encourages a positive safeguarding culture.

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

There has been a high number of missing-from-home episodes since the last inspection. There are detailed missing-from-home plans in place and staff follow them consistently. Staff make every effort to locate the child, maintain contact and work with relevant agencies to support their safe return. Staff complete direct work with the child following missing-from-home episodes to help them understand the risks. The manager and staff work closely with the child’s network to implement safety plans that reduce risks and promote their safety. Inspection report for children’s home: 2523036 6 Incidents of substance misuse are managed well, staff monitor the child, seek medical attention and room searches are completed to ensure that any prohibited items are removed. The child is encouraged to attend sessions with drug and alcohol services but does not engage. Follow-up work is completed with the child following incidents to

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

ensure that they are aware of the risks and encouraged to keep themselves safe. As a result, there has been a significant reduction in substance misuse incidents since the last inspection.

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

Staff complete discussions with the child to highlight the dangers of risk-taking behaviours, such as substance misuse and inappropriate relationships. However, discussions are limited and do not explore the full impact of the physical and emotional health and vulnerabilities of being under the influence of substances. This limits the child’s ability to reflect on their experiences, understand consequences and develop strategies to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the child’s health needs and take appropriate action to ensure that they receive the necessary medical treatment and support. They actively encourage attendance at routine and follow-up appointments. When the child is reluctant to attend appointments, staff are persistent and provide sensitive encouragement, helping them to understand the importance of maintaining their health. This ensures that the child receives the support they need to access appropriate healthcare services and achieve positive health outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has worked hard with senior leaders, the deputy manager and the staff to address the concerns raised at the previous inspection. As a result, significant improvements have been made to the quality of care provided at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and review systems have been reviewed and strengthened to improve staff practice and the leadership and management of the home. They now include weekly task lists, monthly and quarterly audits carried out by the manager and deputy manager and weekly meetings between the responsible individual and manager. This ensures that the home operates in line with regulations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff training is kept up-to-date and that they receive training specific to the child’s individual needs, such as recognising signs of substance misuse and overdosing, self-harm, exploitation and neurodiversity. As a result, staff have a good understanding of the child’s risks and how to best respond when they are in crisis.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and supportive supervision from the manager and deputy manager. Supervision sessions focus on outcomes for the child. They are reflective and detailed, with clear actions set. Single subject supervisions are completed to ensure that staff are provided with clear expectations of their roles and responsibilities. This helps staff to develop and improve their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2523036 7 The manager promotes staff development, which is supported through the implementation of clear awareness programmes to help develop skills and abilities during probationary periods and progression into senior roles. Staff feel fully supported by the management team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. They provide valuable opportunities for staff development, including sessions to promote professional curiosity, safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures and responsibilities. The manager reviews recommendations from independent visits, reflects on challenges, and discusses support strategies and additional safety measures. This ensures staff fully understand the current support plans for the child, while implementing strategies that promote their independence and education. Inspection report for children’s home: 2523036 8

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that children's first-hand accounts are fully considered during investigations into allegations of care, that children are informed of complaint outcomes, and that meaningful opportunities to repair relationships between children and staff occur before staff return to the home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, leaders and managers must ensure that staff use research to inform key discussions with children to help them understand the full impact, risks and consequences associated 21 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2523036 9 with substance misuse and healthy relationships, especially when children refuse to engage with specialist services.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff support children in establishing routines to allow for bedrooms to be cleaned regularly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.29)

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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: 2523036 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Outbound Care Ltd, Unit 2, Metropolitan Business Park, Preston New Road, Blackpool FY3 9LT

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Inspector

Renée Sims, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2523036 11 regulates 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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