Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Sefton

Unique reference number SC475689 Inspector Chris Scully Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Children's home

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Registered person Witherslack Group Ltd Registered person address Witherslack Group, Lupton Tower Lupton CARNFORTH Lancashire LA6 2PR Responsible individual Howard Charles Tennant Registered manager Nicola Jayne Carroll Date of last inspection 29/07/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 25/03/2015

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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 home continues to be led by a highly committed Registered Manager. The staff team work well together and recently two new members of staff joined the team. The Registered Manager said it was 'wonderful' that some of the young people were actively involved in the recruitment process. They set a range of insightful questions to ask the candidates when they interviewed them. These included, 'if I wanted to do something and I got cold feet how would you help me' and 'how can you keep me safe?' This not only demonstrates what they want from the staff team, but provides insight into their understanding of their own vulnerabilities. Young people recorded their views on the candidates and this formed part of the decision making process on the new appointments. This demonstrates the commitment of the home to find out young people's views and the robustness of the recruitment and selection process.

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This inspection

The home has a proven track record for continued improvement. As a result there have been many improvements since the last inspection. The use of the word 'absconding' has been removed from all documentation; this is now referred to as missing from care. The use of cross referencing in records means the reader can clearly follow the audit trail of any incidents. Records are well maintained and provide clear insight into the time young people spend at the home. Young people's views are carefully woven into all aspects of record keeping. As a result they have a very strong ownership of the home.

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This inspection

One young person who is moving into adult services has raised his fears about how his new carers will understand his moods and body language. He has been effectively reassured by staff that he will have plenty of opportunities to meet them before the move and they will take lots of photographs for them. Staff are also considering the use of a video recording to truly capture the young person for his new carers. These discussions and plans have effectively reassured him and he feels 3 of 6 more confident about the move.

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This inspection

The home is generally very well maintained and young people new to the home said they are pleased with their new bedrooms. Some areas of the home appear tired and worn, for example some bedroom carpets are damaged or stained, the doors on one wardrobe need replacing and the paint on the exterior of the property is peeling. These issues detract from the homely environment staff are striving to create for young people. The home has enhanced the privacy and dignity of young people as they have fitted frosted glass to some bedroom windows.

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This inspection

New young people are settling in well. The Registered Manager has put into place effective arrangements to notify the appropriate persons of any concerns or incidents for a young person who is not a looked after child. This effectively promotes transparency in the reporting procedures. Some young people have experienced heighted levels in their anxieties as a result of the changes in the home. This prompted the Registered Manager and staff to conduct a more detailed analysis of the patterns of poor behaviour. This enabled them to isolate specific times and behaviours and provide additional support for the young person. This resulted in a decline in those behaviours. A young person said 'it takes me a long time to trust new people, but these just understand me.' They have helped him to manage his anxieties for example, by exhaling deeply and blowing his worries away.

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This inspection

Young people flourish in a warm caring environment. They enjoy extremely positive relationships with staff, which enable them to make excellent progress across all areas of their development. The social worker of a young person new to the home is extremely pleased with the progress they have made. They wrote, 'it was very apparent that you were well equipped, experienced and able to deal with young people with complex needs. The young person settled much quicker than we anticipated and indicated verbally that his experiences of the home were a happy one. When we left he was happy to say goodbye and for the first time I observed him playing like a child.' Parents said, this 'feels like a home from home we couldn’t wish for better care and are really made to feel involved.'

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This inspection

All young people are in education. One young person who is in college proudly showed staff the photographs they had taken of the wall they had built. Staff said this young person is making excellent progress and is looking forward to returning to the family home. He has already been looking into colleges nearer home to continue with his studies. Other young people are preparing for their GCSEs. They say everything is going well but they are apprehensive as they are taking 16 exams.

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This inspection

They confidently show visitors the photographs they have taken as part of their photography GCSE and said staff have been helping her with her revision. She knows which staff to approach for the different subjects and feels this is going well. Young people continue to choose and enjoy an extensive range of activities such as activity centres, youth clubs and theme parks. 4 of 6 Young people feel respected because staff actively seek their views and have acted upon them. For example one young person presented the staff with £5 and said ‘rollercoaster.’ This has resulted in a trip to a theme park so that he can ride the rollercoaster. This is a massive achievement for him to be able to vocalise clearly his wishes. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide care and support to six young people with learning disabilities. The home is one of several owned and managed by a limited company.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 enhance further the décor of the home with particular regards to some bedroom carpets, bedroom furniture and the exterior rear paint work. (NMS 10.3) Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Recommendations

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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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