Children's Home run by Optimum Childcare Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 1 Registered provider: Optimum Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It offers care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home. The child spent time with the inspector.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2026.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

p.1

outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

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.

p.1

outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

p.1

outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/10/2025 Full Outstanding 15/10/2024 Full Good 18/04/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children are making exceptional progress from their individual starting points. Staff have a strong understanding of children’s needs, enabling them to provide individualised support that helps them to develop and build their confidence.

p.3

Summary of findings

Children benefit from personalised care and support and meaningful family relationships, and educational experiences are tailored to their abilities.

p.3

Summary of findings

Safeguarding arrangements are strong, with effective oversight of children’s welfare. When children’s needs increase beyond the level of support the home can safely provide, the manager seeks additional support or alternative arrangements.

p.3

Summary of findings

The home is led by a committed and experienced management team that provides staff with strong support.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Since the last inspection, one child moved out of the home in line with their plan after living there for over 18 months. The child made significant progress in all areas of their life. Staff have maintained positive relationships following the move, offering support when needed, providing reassurance and continuity. One child moved into the home in the summer. Although the child’s time at the home was short, their admission was well planned. The manager quickly identified that the child required a greater level of support to meet their needs. This was recognised and acted on, and the child moved out.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff invest significant time and effort in getting to know each child, developing a deep understanding of their personalities, strengths and needs. The warmth, commitment and dedication of the staff team are evident in every aspect of care and practice. Staff consistently go the extra mile to ensure that children feel understood, listened to and valued. As a result, children are flourishing and progressing in all aspects of their lives. One child stated, ‘They (staff) always found a way to understand me and give me guidance. I wouldn’t be half the person I am without them.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager and staff have high ambitions for children to do well, and they champion their right to learn and achieve. They have a deep understanding of each child’s individual needs, interests and abilities and use this to advocate for personalised learning opportunities. Additional funding has been sought to enable one child to enrol on a music programme. This demonstrates the manager’s commitment to ensuring that children have access to opportunities that enrich their learning and enable them to develop their individual talents.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Leaders have established an exceptionally strong multidisciplinary team around children, with additional healthcare professionals providing coordinated and specialist input. Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 4 Communication between professionals is highly effective, with information and recommendations shared promptly and incorporated into children’s plans. In addition, relevant health professionals are working closely with the manager to plan and deliver specialist training to staff. This ensures that staff continue to have the skills and knowledge to anticipate and respond promptly to children’s needs.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff recognise the importance of children maintaining meaningful relationships with their families. Staff work sensitively and creatively with children and their families to ensure that important relationships are sustained in ways that reflect children’s wishes and circumstances. Staff have worked hard to develop positive and trusting relationships with family members, resulting in greater and more flexible arrangements. This allows children greater freedom to engage naturally with their loved ones and enables more meaningful and positive relationships to grow.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children are actively involved in decisions about their day-to-day care and the support they receive. Their care plans are personalised and designed with the child in mind, using accessible language that reflects their communication style. This ensures that children’s voices are central to their care and that they have a clear understanding of the different professionals involved in their care and the roles they play.

p.4

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

Staff ensure that children’s safety is their top priority. They demonstrate a strong knowledge of safeguarding practice and are aware of the individual risks and vulnerabilities for the children they support. Staff take appropriate and effective action when concerns arise. Children say they feel safe and secure and know who they can turn to when they need help or someone to talk to. Children can identify trusted adults and are confident they will be listened to.

p.4

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

Staff practice is guided by individualised risk management and behaviour support plans, which are informed by a strong understanding of children’s needs. Children’s plans are reviewed in line with their circumstances and needs, meaning they receive tailored care and support.

p.4

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

Staff take managed risks to support children’s independence and learning, such as allowing children to have mobile phones. Robust risk assessments and safeguards are in place to monitor this while equipping children with the knowledge they need to stay safe online. Staff use mistakes as learning opportunities, helping children reflect and develop their ability to make positive choices. This approach balances safety with children developing autonomy.

p.4

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

When incidents of children leaving the home without staff agreement increase, staff respond promptly and proactively. The manager and staff consider emerging patterns and triggers and work collaboratively to identify creative ways to disrupt these patterns. This approach demonstrates staff’s commitment to keeping children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 5 Staff respond promptly and proactively when there are concerns about children harming themselves. Staff seek appropriate support without delay and sensitively manage children who are reluctant to engage with healthcare professionals. Staff take additional steps to protect children, including increased supervision and frequent welfare checks. This ensures that children are safe and that staff understand their risks.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager joined the home in January 2026 and brings a wealth of experience and skills. Alongside the responsible individual, they have ensured that the transition in leadership has been carefully planned and managed. This has provided continuity for children and staff and enabled the manager to develop a strong understanding of the home. Together, they have a clear vision for improving children’s lives and achieving positive outcomes for children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a stable staff team with a broad range of skills and experience. Staff are appropriately qualified or enrolled on relevant qualifications. The stability of the team provides children with consistency and continuity of care. This supports children’s sense of belonging and emotional wellbeing.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from a wide range of training opportunities. The manager and responsible individual are proactive in identifying training and development opportunities that are targeted to equip staff with the knowledge and understanding needed to support the needs of the children.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff say that they feel supported and receive regular supervision sessions that are child focused and allow them to improve their practice. Team meetings take place regularly and are child focused. They provide staff with the information needed to care for children effectively.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of incidents and uses these to review staff practice and identify any opportunities for learning. However, on some occasions, staff have not fully considered whether additional advice or guidance from a healthcare professional would be beneficial. Consequently, opportunities have been missed to ensure that practice is appropriate in response to children’s presentation, wellbeing and ongoing support needs.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager advocates for children, ensuring that their voices are heard, and they receive all the support and services they are entitled to. They work effectively with a range of agencies to ensure that children receive coordinated support and achieve the best possible outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 6

p.5

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.

p.6

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—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e))

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have the appropriate skills, knowledge and understanding when responding to concerns relating to children’s emotional wellbeing. This includes ensuring that staff understand when concerns require additional professional healthcare advice and how to access this outside of working hours. 16 November 2026

p.6

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: 2696856 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Optimum Childcare Limited

p.7

Inspector

Shauna Morley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2696856 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8