Children's Home run by Appletree Treatment Centre Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Unique reference number SC033268 Inspector Gillian Walters Type of inspection Interim Provision subtype Residential special school (>295 days/year)

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Registered manager Russell William Clement Date of last inspection 09/10/2014 2 of 6 Inspection date 26/02/2015

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Previous inspection good Enforcement action since last inspection none

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This inspection

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

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This inspection

Children are currently very settled at this home and speak highly of staff and the support they receive. They say that they feel happy and safe in this home and appreciate the support that they receive from the staff team. Children are provided with certainty in their lives and respond well to the nurturing environment that staff create. Young people thrive on the genuine affection they are shown and are learning to develop trusting relationships with staff and each other. As such, children live in relative harmony with each other and have developed a strong sense of belonging that has promoted their self-esteem and confidence. One child noted, ‘Staff help me with my behaviour and that’s good. I am really happy here; I want to stay her for the rest of my life.’

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This inspection

Children’s risk-taking behaviour has significantly declined and as such they are rarely placing themselves in situations that compromise their safety and make them more vulnerable. For example, there have not been any incidents of children going missing from the home for a period in excess of a year and there has been a marked decline in the use of restraint. Staff are showing greater skill in de-escalating situations and supporting young people during periods of crisis. One child said, ‘Staff are good at helping me with my behaviour and situations. They do different things for different children, they are really supportive.’ Another commented, ‘When you are in really big strops you get time out, I don’t get restrained.’

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This inspection

Some children have left the home since the last inspection and successfully moved on to live with foster carers and in other residential homes. Their moves were well supported and planned at a pace to minimise the likelihood of disruption or anxiety. The service has been proactive in following up on the progress of these placements, offering further advice and guidance to carers and placing authorities to promote continuity and provide additional support for those children in the early stages of their new placement.

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This inspection

Children are well supported to maintain contact with a variety of family members 3 of 6 and friends. This includes for some, regular home visits and days out with siblings to share fun activities. The home maintains regular communication with children’s families and is welcoming to those that are able to visit. As such, children value the importance of their heritage and are enabled to maintain and often re-build those relationships that are most important to them.

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This inspection

The home has strengthened its arrangements to ensure that there are greater opportunities for children to have their say and make their views known. Regular community meetings have been established and are provided in addition to the existing young people’s meeting. This provides children with a further opportunity to discuss any issues regarding home and school with a wider group of staff and management. The home is proactive in supporting children’s rights, appropriately challenging placing authorities and engaging independent advocates where appropriate to support and ensure the child’s voices is heard. As such, children know that their views are important and valued by all the adults that care for them.

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This inspection

Children enjoy excellent opportunities to participate in a wide range of fun activities that enable them to develop their hobbies and interests. These include rugby football, skateboarding, ballet and other performing activities Children also enjoy trip out exploring their locality, this help them to learn more about nature and the beauty of their countryside.

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This inspection

The home was judged good overall at its last inspection on 09 October 2014 and since that time the home has continued to make steady progress. Three requirements made at the last inspection have been appropriately addressed resulting in improvement in children’s placement planning that promotes better understanding of their personal identity and how this can be best supported.

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This inspection

Ofsted has received timely reports of monitoring reviews carried out by the Registered Manager. This has promoted transparency with the regulator and has enabled the home to demonstrate strength in identifying where progress has been achieved and areas for future development. The Registered Manager has further strengthened monitoring activity, delegating some tasks to team leaders and more efficiently evaluating data collected. As such, staff have a greater and shared awareness of the home's activity and performance and clearer ability to contribute to improvement.

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This inspection

Those staff identified as not possessing a relevant Level 3 qualification at the last inspection have been enrolled and are now working towards the required qualification that is essential to their role. The home has prioritised staff development in the home’s overall plan for improvement, recognising that this will further improve the quality of the service that is offered to children. For example, staff have benefited from further training opportunities, including such as child sexual exploitation and internet safety that has increased knowledge and their vigilance to keep children safe. Staff are supported on an ongoing weekly basis to improve their computer and recording skills, ensuring that the children’s records are 4 of 6 accurate and meaningful and provide a good account for them of their life at the home.

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This inspection

All members of the senior staff team have now completed the company’s in-house extended training programme and plans exist to provide this eventually to all staff as part of a rolling programme. This in-house programme is designed to enhance the existing skill and experience of staff successfully providing them with a deeper understanding of the care needs of children who have experienced significant trauma in their lives. 5 of 6

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children's home registered to provide care and accommodation for up to 12 children of either gender who are experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This company also runs a school, registered with the department for education, within the same grounds of the children's home, where currently all the children attend.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/10/2014 Full good 27/02/2014 Interim satisfactory progress 11/09/2013 Full adequate 12/07/2013 Full inadequate 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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