Children's Home run by Exceptional Care Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 1 Registered provider: Exceptional Care Limited 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 managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: 18 February 2026

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2026 Full Good 05/03/2025 Full Good 20/12/2023 Full Good 27/09/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 3

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Summary of findings

Children are not yet receiving consistent care from familiar adults. Changes to the staff team have affected children’s sense of security and stability. As a result, the number of incidents has increased.

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved out of the home and one child has moved in. Staff generally understand and manage children’s vulnerabilities well. They respond appropriately when children go missing from home.

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Summary of findings

A new manager is in post. She and the responsible individual have plans to create a settled home environment. However, this had not been achieved at the time of the inspection.

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Summary of findings

The manager provides direct support to children. As a result, there are weaknesses in management oversight, the consistency of staff supervision, and the timeliness and content of the quality of care review.

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improvement to be good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are variable. For one child, their move into the home was agreed by a manager in the organisation, who is not involved in the day- to-day running of the home. The assessment of the move did not sufficiently consider the risks relevant to all children living in the home and how these would be appropriately managed. For a child who moved out, their ending was supported appropriately, and their time in the home was celebrated.

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improvement to be good

Children told inspectors that they enjoy living in the home and have positive relationships with the staff who care for them. Children take part in a wide range of activities, such as mixed martial arts, trips to theme parks and visits to dog sanctuaries.

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improvement to be good

Staff work with other professionals to support children’s education and remove any barriers to learning. The manager works closely with social workers to identify appropriate educational provision that meets children’s individual needs. The manager has sourced face-to-face tuition for one child while they await enrolment in an appropriate educational setting.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with their families and to recognise the importance of these connections. Children are encouraged to spend time with family members and other significant people in line with their care plans. One family member spoke positively about the efforts made by staff to prioritise family time. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 4 The home was undergoing some maintenance work and improvement at the time of the inspection. While the home is generally welcoming, clean and well maintained, there are outstanding repairs that need to be addressed, including a broken window.

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improvement to be good

There has been a high number of incidents since the last inspection. Overall, staff respond appropriately when there are concerns regarding children’s safety. This includes following children when they leave the home, searching for them when they go missing and de-escalating behaviours between children. However, on one occasion, a staff member did not adequately monitor a child when there were concerns about substance misuse and self-harm. As a result, the child was able to harm themselves again. Inconsistencies in the staff team have contributed to safeguarding incidents. For all children, the introduction of new staff and inconsistent approaches to care have contributed to an escalation in behaviours and an increase in incidents.

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improvement to be good

The children say that they feel safe in the home and can identify trusted adults whom they can approach for support. One child was able to discuss a reduction in the risks they face, including substance misuse and online harm.

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improvement to be good

Staff spend time with children to help them learn about risks. However, some staff use language and approaches that are punitive. This does support children in a trauma- informed way or help them to understand that they are victims of abuse.

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improvement to be good

Complaints and allegations are managed promptly and effectively. Leaders and managers liaise with relevant agencies to ensure that children are listened to about their experiences.

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improvement to be good

The recruitment of staff is safe. Leaders and managers implement risk assessments for staff when concerns about practice arise, helping to support them in their roles. However, staff supervision sessions are not carried out in a timely manner, which limits the effectiveness of these risk assessments.

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

There is a newly appointed manager working in post who is supported by the responsible individual. Together, they are committed to improving the dynamics of the home for children and staff. However, at the time of the inspection, there had been insufficient time for the impact of these plans to be fully realised.

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

Monitoring systems require strengthening. Current systems are not effective, and some important information about children is missing from records. This limits insight into children’s progress.

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

The manager’s quality of care review submitted to Ofsted did not include feedback from others, nor was it provided within the required timescales. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 5 Staff feedback is varied. Staff said that they have experienced a period of change and that there has been a lack of consistency for children and staff. There have been some staff changes and periods of low staff morale.

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

Staff training is inconsistent, and some staff have not achieved the necessary qualifications within the required timescales. The manager holds regular team meetings, which provide opportunities for informal learning and reflection on practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 6

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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

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 has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that there is a sufficient number of suitably trained staff working in the home. In addition, they must ensure that there is effective management oversight that considers the quality of the care that children receive. 13 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 13 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 7 receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that there is effective care planning for children when they move into the home, including a full assessment of their needs and the needs of other children already living in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; and

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that all staff are provided with practice-related supervision and that records of supervision are shared with staff. 13 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

The relevant date is— 13 October 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 8 in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b) (4)(a)) 30 October 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non- stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing, supportive and comfortable environment that meets children’s needs. This includes ensuring that the home is well maintained and that any damages are repaired without delay. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 9

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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: 2644925 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Exceptional Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Malthouse Business Centre, 48 Southport Road, Ormskirk L39 1QR

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Inspectors

Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Jon Dutton, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2644925 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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