Children's Home run by Canary House Care Limited in LancashireOfsted inspection, 9 Sept 2026

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 1 Registered provider: Canary House Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a private provider. It offers care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties and/or have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, one child was living at the home. The child spoke with the inspector about their experiences.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in November 2025.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged ‘inadequate’ at the full inspection on 28 and 29 July 2026. Shortfalls were identified in safeguarding children and in the leadership and management of the home. Two compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These related to Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this visit was to review whether leaders and managers have taken effective action to meet the requirements of the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, staff have responded more effectively to incidents; however, their responses have not always been consistent. Risk management plans intended to support staff in meeting the child’s needs and ensuring their safety are lengthy, making key information difficult to identify. Furthermore, some information in the risk management plans is unclear and contradictory. This contributes to inconsistency in staff practice when incidents occur. Although management oversight has improved, gaps remain, as leaders and managers do not always identify shortfalls in staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 2 Staff do not always demonstrate a clear understanding of children’s individual risks or their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding them. For example, one member of staff did not know what a ligature was, despite this being a known risk for the child.

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This monitoring visit

Records do not always clearly specify when staff should complete welfare checks or seek medical advice after an incident of self-harm. As a result, welfare checks and follow up actions have not always taken place, and children have not consistently received the support they need.

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This monitoring visit

When there are concerns about unsafe items that a child may have in their bedroom, staff carry out room searches and remove any items of concern. However, some records indicate that these searches are undertaken by several staff members and, on one occasion, this led to an incident escalating unnecessarily. Despite staff carrying out room searches, the child was able to retain an item of concern for several days.

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This monitoring visit

There continue to be significant restrictions in place to help staff manage risks to the child. For example, 3 staff members always accompany the child both at the home and in the community. The child’s understanding of why these restrictions are in place is limited. Furthermore, staff’s understanding of the deprivation of liberty order currently in place is also limited. Staff were unable to demonstrate a clear understanding of the restrictions, and there is no evidence that these are reviewed. This raises concerns about whether the restrictions currently in place remain proportionate and necessary.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers are taking steps to ensure that there are more consistent staff in place. Regular agency staff and staff from other homes in the company are being used to improve consistency and sufficiency. However, the child says that there are too many staff members, some of whom are temporary.

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This monitoring visit

Some staff travel several hours from other homes in the company to work a set of shifts. Furthermore, some staff are not provided with suitable sleeping accommodation, as they are required to sleep in bunk beds in a shared room. This does not provide staff with an appropriate or private space to rest when they are required to work at the home overnight.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers say that additional training has been provided to staff since the full inspection. However, the training records are not up to date and do not contain information about all staff working at the home. This makes it difficult to understand what training has been completed. Some staff members informed inspectors that they had attended training, and others said that they had not. Furthermore, leaders and managers are unclear about what training agency staff and staff from the other homes in the company have completed.

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This monitoring visit

Since the full inspection, the registered manager has not been consistently visible at the home due to some periods of absence. This has created some confusion about the leadership and management arrangements at the home, particularly for agency Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 3 staff, who have referred to the deputy manager as the registered manager on some occasions.

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This monitoring visit

Positively, there has been an increase of senior leadership oversight at the home since the full inspection. However, senior leaders’ oversight of staff practice is inconsistent. For example, some records include inaccurate information, and there is limited evidence of any reflective discussions with staff. This limits opportunities for leaders and managers to identify shortfalls and learn from these to improve practice and the quality of care provided to the child.

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This monitoring visit

Following this visit, a case review was held on 16 and 21 September 2026. It was agreed that the provider had not taken sufficient action to meet all the steps outlined in the compliance notices. As a result, compliance notices were issued in relation to Regulations 12 and 13 for the steps that remained unmet.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements made at the last inspection were outside the scope of this visit. These will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/07/2026 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 5

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm;

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s risk management plans include clear and sufficient details of all known risks and clear actions for all staff to follow to manage and reduce those risks effectively. 1 November 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 6 Additionally, the registered person must ensure that managers and all staff understand and consistently follow safeguarding procedures to protect children. This includes taking prompt and appropriate action when children go missing, are at risk of self-harm, or have self-harmed.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, the registered person must ensure that all staff understand and use appropriate, trauma-informed behaviour support strategies and do not use punitive measures.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that leaders and managers monitor all staff practice to ensure that children’s behaviour is managed in a way that promotes their safety, wellbeing and development.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that all staff understand when, where and why a child’s liberty may be restricted and consistently follow safeguarding procedures and relevant guidance in practice.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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; 1 November 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 7 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; 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)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that effective monitoring and review systems are implemented to regularly assess all staff practice and take timely action to address concerns and improve the quality of care provided to the child.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, the registered person must ensure that all staff have the required skills, knowledge, training and support to manage incidents effectively, respond to children’s behaviour safely, and provide consistent therapeutic care that meets the children’s individual needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must also ensure that staff working sleep-in shifts have access to a suitable private sleeping area that protects their privacy and dignity and is not located in shared areas of the house.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 27 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 8 that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that that staff have the skills and experience to meet the needs of children who move into the home.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that children are afforded a positive ending when they move on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises. (Regulation 21 (b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff do not sleep in communal areas of the home. 27 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 27 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 9 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that, when children are restrained, records are clear and contain all the information required by regulation.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 27 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that incident records are accurate, comprehensive, and contain a full account of the circumstances surrounding the incident. 27 September

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must— 27 September Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 10 maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the home’s rota accurately reflects the hours worked by all staff, including the manager and deputy manager.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that the home provides a homely environment and is maintained to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Canary House Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 36 Glebe Road, London N3 2AX

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Inspectors

Danielle Allen, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2855034 12 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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