Children's Home run by Lytham Care Limited in Knowsley

Inspection report for children’s home: 2585541 1 Registered provider: Lytham 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

The home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 2 children, who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2026.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home. The inspector spoke with one child.

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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: 2585541 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/05/2025 Full Good 21/05/2024 Full Good 09/05/2023 Full Good 09/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2585541 3

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Summary of findings

Two children live at this home. They are settled and have positive relationships with the adults who care for them.

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from a range of activities and experiences that enrich their lives and support their social development.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding arrangements are effective. Managers and staff understand their roles and responsibilities to safeguard children.

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Summary of findings

The manager understands the children’s needs and is ambitious for children to fulfil their potential.

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Summary of findings

Areas for improvement include access to advocacy and additional support to prepare children to live more independently in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive well-planned and personalised care. They are settled and they are making good progress in many aspects of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive and trusting relationships with staff. Children’s achievements are recognised and praised. This reinforces children’s sense of self-worth. It helps children to feel loved and valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are cared for by staff, who understand them and know them well. Children enjoy spending time with staff. Staff plan a wide range of interesting and fun activities, for example trips to football matches, theme parks and the cinema. This enhances children’s experiences of living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s educational progress is mixed. One child is currently not in education. The manager is actively challenging the placing authority regarding delays in securing a suitable school placement. In the meantime, staff organise structured activities that support informal learning. This helps the child to remain in a good daily routine that will support a return to education. The other child has made significant progress with their education and has started a course at a further education college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to form new friendship groups. One child enjoys playing out with friends, who live locally. Staff are helping the child to sustain these friendships by teaching the child strategies to manage minor disputes and disagreements in an appropriate way. Inspection report for children’s home: 2585541 4 Children live in a comfortable home. They are supported to personalise their bedrooms to reflect their individual tastes and interests. However, some areas of the home are starting to look tired and need redecoration. For example, paintwork in the hall, stairs and landing is marked and detracts from the homely environment that staff are trying to create.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has the skills to travel independently, prepare meals and keep their bedroom tidy. However, there is not a focused plan to support the child to gain all the skills they will need to live independently in the future. In addition, the child is uncertain about the ongoing support they are entitled to receive from their local authority as a care- experienced child. This risks the child missing out on important support and services that they may be entitled to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children do not have access to independent advocacy. This is a missed opportunity to help children participate in decisions about their life. A recommendation is made that the role of an advocate is explained to children so that they can consider whether they would like to take up this entitlement.

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

Children receive a high level of supervision and support, which helps to keep them safe and protected from harm. However, one child has expressed some concerns about the local area and its lack of diversity. The manager took swift and appropriate action, when this child experienced discrimination in the community. However, leaders and managers have not reviewed the suitability of the home’s location, when considering whether the child’s needs can be safely met there.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the children in their care and their individual vulnerabilities. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to safeguard them.

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

Risks to children are well understood. The manager ensures that clear risk management plans are in place to guide staff in managing these risks effectively. These plans are reviewed regularly and updated promptly following any incidents.

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

Children have individualised behaviour support plans in place. This provides staff with guidance about agreed strategies to de-escalate challenging situations. The manager has identified the need for staff to respond to children with greater consistency. He is taking steps to address this and he models good practice to the staff team.

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

Staff are helping children to learn to manage their emotions and responses to situations in a more positive way. Children are given lots of praise and incentives to reinforce positive behaviours.

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

Physical intervention is used as a last resort to manage challenging situations. The manager reviews all incident records to identify areas for improvement and to shape future practice. Children are always offered the opportunity to talk to the manager about Inspection report for children’s home: 2585541 5 how being held made them feel. This ensures that the voice of the child is considered and informs the development of effective practice.

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

Allegations are managed well. Managers take appropriate and timely action to investigate the concerns. This means that prompt action is taken to ensure children are kept safe from harm. The management team are transparent throughout the process and keep Ofsted and other relevant professionals updated with the outcome of the allegation management process.

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

Children know how to complain. Managers take children’s complaints seriously and ensure that children understand the outcome of any complaints that they make. This demonstrates to children that their views matter and their concerns are acted upon.

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

Recruitment and selection procedures are robust and in accordance with safe recruitment practice. This helps to ensure that suitable people are appointed to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A new manager has been appointed since the last full inspection of the home. He has the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience to lead the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous manager left suddenly and there was no opportunity for a handover. However, the new manager has quickly developed a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. He has a clear vision for the home and has started to make improvements. For example, he has reviewed the children’s care and risk management plans to ensure they contain all the information staff need to care for children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager brings enthusiasm, positivity and fresh ideas to the home. He is keen to embed therapeutic approaches in staff practice and he is working closely with a commissioned psychology service to achieve this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager enjoys spending time with the children and he has a good understanding of their needs. He is a strong advocate for the children. He is confident to challenge other professionals, when he considers their response is not adequate. This helps to ensure that children have access to the support and services that they require.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are motivated and committed to ensuring children receive consistent, nurturing care. They receive appropriate training and guidance to support them to understand children’s needs and how they should respond.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of events in the home. He reviews all the records of significant incidents to identify learning points and to assure himself that staff have taken appropriate action. He is proactive and takes prompt action when he identifies areas for practice improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2585541 6 Team meetings are regular and purposeful. They are used as important forums for staff to share information about children and reflect on their practice. This supports staff to develop shared approaches and promotes consistent care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a high staff turnover. Some staff have moved within the organisation to strengthen the skill set of the team and address a gender imbalance. Managers are taking steps to minimise the impact on children and help children to prepare for these changes. The staff team is now more stable; however, these changes have been unsettling for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision. This is supplemented by coaching and mentoring sessions to address specific practice issues and to increase staff confidence with less familiar tasks. All staff have an annual appraisal of their performance. The manager ensures that appraisals consider the views of children in the home’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and they speak highly of the manager. One member of staff said, ‘Since [managers name] has taken over, there have been massive improvements within the home which has benefitted both the staff and young people. He goes above and beyond for our young people.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2585541 7

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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, 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 registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46(1)) 1 November 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should make sure that the home environment is always maintained to a good homely, domestic standard. In particular, redecoration to paintwork throughout the home should take place in timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children understand the role of an independent advocate and their entitlement to access independent advocacy support. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 23, paragraph 4.16)  The registered person should ensure that children receive effective and timely help to prepare them for their futures. They should ensure that children are aware of the placing authority’s offer to care experienced young people. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27).

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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: 2585541 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lytham Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 400 Longmoor Lane, Fazakerley, Liverpool, Merseyside L9 9DB

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Inspector

Sophie Thomson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2585541 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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