Children's Home run by North Lakes Children’s Service Limited in Cumbria

Unique reference number SC356907 Inspector Charlie Bamber Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered manager Shirley Gwendolin Pipes Date of last inspection 12/10/2014 2 of 5 Inspection date 20/03/2015

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Previous inspection outstanding Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection Ofsted judge that it has improved effectiveness .

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This inspection

The judgement given following the previous inspection was outstanding in all areas. Since this time the home has continued to make progress and to identify and act upon areas for development. For example, placement plans have been amended to make them more personalised and tailored to the individual child's needs. Keyworker sessions have also been changed slightly, with a plan for sessions to be less formal. Discussions are held over a period of time in order to accomplish more in depth work in specific areas for young people, progressing at a pace that is commensurate with their needs. Training has been developed that both young people and staff can access simultaneously, which improves understanding and communication about areas such as internet safety.

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This inspection

Children and young people make very good progress from their starting points due to the nurture, care and consistent approach of staff. Young people speak very positively of staff. Examples from feedback forms are ' I feel comfortable around staff’ , 'I rate staff as ten out of ten', 'I feel staff listen to me' and 'I can talk to staff about my problems'.

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This inspection

Young people are encouraged and supported to achieve well. There are a wide variety of activities on offer from which young people are able to choose. Some activities are offered as rewards, for example for 'Golden time' earned in education, but care is taken that activities are not used to 'buy' good behaviour. Young people are also encouraged to consider the cost of activities and to make choices within an appropriate budget, which helps them to understand monetary value in preparation for independence. Young people engage in many active sporting and outdoor activities which improves their health and fitness.

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This inspection

Education is promoted at the home. Educational attendance currently stands at 99% which is a fantastic achievement. A homework club has been introduced where staff 3 of 5 work with the children and young people to support them in completing their homework. Very close liaison with the on- site school has resulted in creative approaches being developed to supporting education, and skills such as weights and measures and following instructions through activities such as baking, which is a more enjoyable method of learning for some young people. Young people are well prepared to learn; they have appropriate bedtimes and bedtime routines that help them to be ready to learn. They have all the right equipment and the daily close communication between home and school ensures that any relevant information is shared to enable the young people to get the best out of each day at school. The head teacher at the school describes the care staff as 'exemplary parents'.

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This inspection

Staff, and in particular the Registered manager, show an extremely high level of commitment to the young people. An example of this is the Registered Manager making a very determined effort to ensure that one young person’s voice was heard when he was told he had to move several hundred miles away to a foster placement. The young person has been very well supported to express his wishes and feelings in respect of remaining at this home. Young people are safe and feel safe. A safeguarding issue has arisen since the previous inspection and that has been dealt with proactively to minimize risk to young people.

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This inspection

The home is well organised and managed. There is a relaxed feel to the environment. Staff and young people enjoy spending time together. Young people expect to be consulted and listened to. They also expect to receive a high level of interaction with staff and support from them. This makes them feel valued and cared for and they thrive due to the high levels of care and consistency.

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This inspection

At the previous inspection two recommendations were made, both of which have been met. Feedback from young people is consistently good and they continue to make very good progress towards positive outcomes. The home has continued to improve and therefore a judgement of improved effectiveness has been made at this inspection with no new recommendations or requirements. 4 of 5

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider, who has three other children's homes in the locality. It provides a service to nine young males, between the ages of 10 and 15 years. The home cares for young people who experience emotional and behavioural difficulties. The organisation also operates a school, registered with the Department for Education, providing fully-integrated programmes of care and education.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/10/2014 Full outstanding 14/03/2014 Interim good progress 18/12/2013 Full outstanding 11/02/2013 Interim good progress Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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What inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspections we make a judgement on whether the home has improved in effectiveness, sustained effectiveness, or declined in effectiveness since the previous full inspection. This is in line with the Inspection of children’s homes: framework for inspection.

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Information 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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Information about this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the framework of inspection for children's homes.

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