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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . Since the last inspection, the home has changed the age range of the children for whom it caters to a younger age group, to bring it in line with the company’s other homes. This has meant that the cohort of older young people previously accommodated has been transitioned into different placements, and a new cohort of younger children has been admitted. The home has worked closely with the placing authorities to identify appropriate placements for the previously placed young people, and has moved them on in a planned and positive way. Some issues have arisen in respect of the timing of moving one group of children on and admitting another group of residents, resulting in a delay in admitting one young person. Although this could have been managed more proactively, there is no

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

detrimental impact on young people. New admissions to the home are carefully planned, and managers meet as a group to discuss the suitability of any new referrals, which ensures that matching is considered in detail. The new group of children appears to have been well matched, and staff are confident that their differing needs can all be met. Some of the young people enjoy similar activities and outings, and play well together in the home, which addresses a requirement made at the previous inspection regarding previous residents’ fractious relationships. Children at the home enjoy a wide variety of activities inside and out of the home. The home makes use of community resources, and the children enjoy going to local play parks. There is a good range of activities offered to the children, and they benefit from experiencing physical, social and educational pursuits. Children are educated at the school that is attached to another of the company’s

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

homes. All children are attending well and state that they enjoy attending the school and are making friends there, whom they have been able to bring home for tea. This is good progress for some children who have previously not been in education. Staff feel confident that progress is already being made in other areas with the children placed. Their emotional presentation is calming, and they need fewer physical interventions. Staff have developed some positive de-escalation techniques. Physical intervention for one child was very frequent at the point of placement and has been seen to reduce in the past month. Managers are alert to this and are looking for patterns and trends in order to identify techniques to reduce the incidents further. More detailed written analysis of the information collated would assist in evidencing the good work that the home is doing in this area. Another child has physical interventions that can be protracted. Again, staff

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

and managers are working hard to address this and to reduce the time taken for de-escalation and release. An error in recording a physical intervention was identified and acted upon in a timely manner, which indicates good managerial oversight in the home. Staff at the home feel that there has been a good level of support for them to take on a caring role with younger children. They feel a strong sense of being a team and report that good supervision and training assist them in their roles. Some staff had the opportunity to shadow at other homes, to develop their skills with younger children further, before any were admitted to this home. This evidences the company’s supportive ethos. One very experienced member of staff has been brought from another home, which further strengthens the team. Due to the age range of the children, issues such as missing from home, criminality and drug and alcohol misuse are not risk factors at present. The home has

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

comprehensive risk assessments in place, which clearly identify the risks for each young person. One specific incident was identified for inclusion in a child’s risk assessment, and this was rectified on the day of the inspection. However, this did not have a significant impact, as the risk of self-harm was already identified as high. External and internal monitoring activity takes place regularly. The home plans to make some changes to the format of the external monitoring reports to prevent them from being repetitive. This should make them more analytical and specific to each home within the company, which will improve their quality. Children placed at this home have varied cultural heritage. Although the home promotes young people’s cultural identity, more could be done to develop and evidence this, and a recommendation is made in this respect.

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Information about this children's home

The children’s home is one of three owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to four young people, with emotional, social, behavioural and associated/specific learning difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

28/01/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

18/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Provide care which meets each child’s needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account the child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans (The Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations page 14 s3.2 ).

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What the inspection judgements mean

At the interim inspection, 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

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 that 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 whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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 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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