Children's Home, Residential special school run by Cambian Whinfell School Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Unique reference number SC066821 Inspection date 18/03/2014 Inspector Anne Bannister Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Date of last inspection 09/01/2014 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Brief description of the service

This privately owned children's home provides accommodation, care and education for a maximum of 14 young people with learning disabilities, including complex needs and autistic spectrum disorders.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Good progress The children’s home has demonstrated continued improvement in quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the large majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Satisfactory progress The children’s home has maintained quality of care and outcomes for children and young people and where appropriate has addressed all requirements and the majority of recommendations that were raised at the previous inspection. Inadequate progress The children’s home has failed to address one or more requirements and/or has not met the majority of recommendations and/or the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people have declined since the last full inspection.

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Progress

Since their previous inspection the service is judged to be making good progress .

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Progress

At the last inspection in early January 2014 the home was judged as being outstanding. No requirements or recommendations were raised following the inspection. Since this time, good progress continues to have been made in promoting positive outcomes for young people.

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Progress

Staff work enthusiastically to achieve the best possible outcomes for each young person. The outcomes achieved by young people are excellent. Staff work proactively to provide young people with a safe and nurturing environment where they gain enjoyment and a sense of achievement from the activities they undertake that boosts both their self esteem and self confidence. Young people confirm that the home is a very safe place to live in and that bullying is not an issue for them. One young person commented' I have never seen it happen here. It happened a lot in other places I have been. There is no way it would be tolerated here'.

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Progress

Sometimes young people present behaviour management challenges but these reduce over time as they develop strong relationships with the staff team. Young people are not engaging in risk taking or offending activities. This is the result of the positive input from staff who engage with the young people in a meaningful way and encourages them to behave in socially acceptable ways.

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Progress

Individuality is celebrated and staff have high aspirations for each young person. The ethos of the home and the provider is that each young person should have equal access to life opportunities to grow and develop. Young people experience very high quality personalised care. This provides a consistent and structured environment for them to settle in and develop in all aspects of their lives.

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Progress

Parents are included in the care of their children and their views are important when helping young people make decisions that will effect their future wellbeing. Young people are supported to make the transition into adulthood a normal, natural part of their lives. They are helped to prepare for moving on from the children's home in a way that is appropriate to their needs and abilities. For example, young people are enthusiastic about the opportunity to spend time in the home's semi independence unit. One young person waiting to move there commented 'It will help me gain confidence that I will be able to manage when I go to university. It’s a good facility and I have had to prove myself to show I am mature enough to take advantage of living there'.

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Progress

Young people are cared for by staff who have the knowledge, skills and experience to meet their needs. High staffing levels ensure young people can develop their individual interests and hobbies.

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Progress

The home continues to benefit from the leadership skills of an experienced and confident management team who ensure staff are well supported to meet the needs of young people in their care. Rigorous self evaluation of care practise to enables the home to continue to develop in ways that benefit young people in their care.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the progress made by the provider since the last full inspection, identifies any further strengths, any areas for improvement and makes judgements as outlined in the Inspection of children’s homes – framework for inspection.

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