Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Lancashire

Good

The children's home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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The children's home provision is good because:

 Young people make good progress across all aspects of their development and achieve well at school. They are provided with a good range of activities and leisure pursuits which extends their learning, confidence and capabilities.  Effective safeguarding measures ensures that young people are protected from harm. Behaviour is managed well and incidents of concern, such as missing from home, offending behaviour and risk of exploitation are reducing.  Strong partnership working, effective monitoring and good support for staff contributes to young people getting the help they need. Young people feel that staff support them well and said they would recommend this home to others.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, 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 registered person must compile in relation to the children‟s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. Ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose (Regulation 16 (5)) 07/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

(1) The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring and surveillance of children if – (a) the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; (d)The monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child's need for privacy (Regulation 24 (1) (a-d) 07/01/2016

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Requirement Due date

(2) – When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person – (4) The independent person must produce a report about a visit ('the independent person's report' which sets out, in particular, the independent person's opinion as to whether – (a) children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

(b) the conduct of the home promotes children's well-being. (Regulation 44 (1) (2) (a) (4) (a) and (b)) 07/01/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):  It is crucial that the home works in close partnership with all those who play a role in protecting and caring for the child, but particularly the child's local authority and statutory social worker. The registered person and staff of the home cannot force a relevant person to engage or work productively with them and the regulation does not require this. The registered person should evidence what they have done to achieve engagement, including any actions taken to escalate concerns. (The Guide to the Quality Standards, page 11, paragraph 2.3)

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately run children's home. It is registered for eight young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

20/03/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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good

Young people experience good individualised care and they benefit from the nurturing and enriching experiences that the home offers. Consistent care is provided by staff who work closely with teachers and therapeutic counsellors to provide an effective 'team around the child.' This ensures consistency in practice and results in young people making good progress across all aspects of their development. A parent felt that her child had done 'really well' at the home.

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good

Young people feel that their lives have improved during their time here. One young person said, 'this is the best home I've lived in.' Another young person said that staff had helped with her behaviour; 'I used to be really naughty but I behave better now.'

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good

Young people felt that this was a home they could recommend to others. They said there are lots of interesting things to do and, 'staff are good fun.' All young people attend the organisation's school each day. They are all achieving the majority of their specified targets, and several are exceeding these.

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good

Outside of school they all lead very busy lives with an emphasis on outdoor physical activities such as swimming and football. Along with healthy diets, generally good sleeping patterns and attention to routine health needs, these activities contribute to their good physical health. Effective partnership working with looked after children nurses also ensures young people get the health advice and services they need.

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good

One of the most influential aspects of the care that young people receive is the therapeutic input and support. This is provided on a regular one-to-one basis by therapeutic counsellors, supplemented by staff who work to the Statement of Purpose to successfully promote, 'the development of meaningful relationships between staff and young people.'

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good

This specialist support enables young people to develop good attachments to adults who they learn can be trusted to be predictable, reliable and consistent. A placing social worker thought that young people, 'really benefit from the stability the staff team provide.' This impacts positively on young people's ability to manage their emotions, achieve some insight into their behaviours and learn more effective coping strategies.

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good

Several children at the home live some distance away from their families. Staff make considerable efforts to help young people keep in contact with their families. A parent explained that staff helped with transport arrangements to enable her visit her child at the home. Staff drove another young person a considerable distance to enable him to attend the funeral of a relative. This helps young people maintain contact with their birth families and communities.

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good

The voice of young people is heard and acted upon where it is in their interests to do so. The home agrees with local authorities the level of decisions they can make on behalf of young people. This avoids any delay in decision-making and ensure young people can get on with their lives.

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good

Young people are supported to express their opinions in care reviews and their views are taken into account in the day to day running of the home. Young people are aware of and know how to use the complaints procedure, and have done so. The home is also pro-active in helping young people to gain the support of advocates. This ensures their rights and entitlements to services and resources are fulfilled.

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good

Young people are supported with opportunities to develop their independence skills. They are encouraged to take responsibility for domestic and budgeting tasks. Their journey to independence has a strong emphasis on developing trust, responsibility, confidence and social skills. There are good working relationships with leaving care and education services to support these transitions. This enables young people to leave the home and live independently in their communities.

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good

Staff have a good knowledge of how young people‟s previous experiences and their sometimes poor decision making, can make them more vulnerable. There is careful management and monitoring of risks such as child sexual exploitation, missing from home, peer abuse and offending behaviour. Safeguarding measures have been effective in reducing such risks and as a result young people are increasingly safe both within the home and the wider community.

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good

There is a swift response to any missing from home incidents. Partnership working with the police and safeguarding agencies is effective in ensuring young people are safe. Staff go looking for young people and, in line with protocols, share information with the police at an early stage. This has resulted in harbouring notices being issued to individuals. Focussed work is also undertaken with young people and includes practical measures such as the curtailment of 'free time'. The majority of young people respond well to the clear boundaries and routines of the home. This gives them a sense of structure and security. Young people say they feel safe here, and parents and social workers are of the same opinion. One young person listed a number of people who she felt were trusted adults she could turn to if she felt unsafe.

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good

Staff are vigilant with regard to the behaviours of young people, particularly where play-fighting and verbal bullying is concerned. Young people said that they feel the rules of the home are fair, and they understood why staff have to use physical intervention. One young person said, 'they only use it if we might hurt ourselves or other people.' The management is reviewing its use of physical restraint, adopting different strategies to manage behaviour. This has resulted in a downward trend of such interventions.

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good

Electronic monitoring devices are in use in the home as an additional safeguarding measure. Although social workers have agreed to this, it is not clear why this is needed in each case or how the measure is reviewed. This has no adverse impact on young people, but may compromise their right to privacy.

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good

The Manager has level 4 qualification, social work qualification and humanities degree. The Registered manager has managed this home since February 2013 which includes the recent period of re-registration. . She is working towards completion of her Level 5 management and leadership award. The manager provides effective leadership and management. This enables the home to fulfil the aims and objectives of its Statement of Purpose to provide young people with, 'a safe, nurturing, caring and stimulating environment'. This provides opportunities for young people to, 'learn, develop and achieve.' Amendments are needed to some of the information contained in the Statement of Purpose. For instance, the description of the number and range of needs the home can consider is not entirely accurate. It does not fully explain how the home measures the effectiveness of the therapy that is offered. In practice, this is always under close review and this shortfall has no adverse

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good

impact on young people. A clearer explanation of this process would help parents and professionals to hold the home to account, as well as ensuring compliance with the Children's Homes Regulations. Partnership working is strong but could be further improved by the more prompt escalation of concerns where paperwork for young people is occasionally delayed. Overall, parents and professionals feel that, „the home is good at working together.' One parent said that the home, 'always keep me informed…I know I'm part of the team.' A placing social worker said, 'I'm really pleased with communication between the home, school and myself. It means that my young person gets the picture that everyone is working together for her.' The manager closely monitors and clearly prioritises the development, health, safety and well-being of young people. She has a sound understanding of their starting points and can clearly chart the progress they make at the home. The

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good

manager knows what works well for young people and identifies areas of development, such as the review of physical restraints. This helps to drive up the quality of care enjoyed by young people. Monitoring is supplemented by the independent visitor's assessment on the running of the home but her report does not make explicit that young people are safeguarded and their welfare promoted. This is a procedural shortfall that has no impact on young people. The manager ensures that staff have the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to protect young people and deliver the care they need. Discussion of practice and creative thinking about, what to do next, is seen as important as formal training on attachment theory and child sexual exploitation. Both approaches contribute effectively to helping young people make good progress at the home and overcome their difficulties.

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of looked after children is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place, however, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after. This 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 Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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