Children's home run by North Lakes Children’s Service Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the home contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

 Young people benefit from an experienced staff team which knows them exceptionally well and with whom they have built positive and trusting relationships.  Young people respond extremely well to boundaries because they are invested in their placements and understand that in order to achieve greater freedoms they need to show that they can behave responsibly.  The home has very few significant behavioural incidents due to the positive relationships between staff and young people. De-escalation of behaviours is evident at a very advanced level.  For young people who are identified as not making good progress in some areas, the home goes to extensive lengths to provide additional support.  Young people know how to keep themselves safe. This means that they can enjoy high levels of autonomy to pursue their own interests and socialise with their peers, as is age-appropriate.  There have been no missing from care incidents for a significant length of

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The children’s home’s provision is outstanding because:

time because young people have worked towards increasing their free time and have invested a great deal into achieving this. They therefore do not want to risk losing it.  Managers have very high aspirations for young people. Young people are encouraged to believe that they can achieve and this builds their self-esteem and ambition.  The staff team and managers frequently go ‘above and beyond’ expectation in their support of young people.  Most young people are excelling in education from their starting points.  A very high level of planning goes into preparing young people to move on. Staff work with great enthusiasm to plan moves for young people and ensure that everything is in place before they make transitions.  Most staff rigorously adhere to safeguarding policies and procedures, although on one isolated occasion these have not been followed.

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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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard, the registered person must ensure that staff understand the roles and responsibilities that are assigned to them by the registered person, and that the home’s day-to-day care is delivered so as to keep each child safe and protect each child from harm. (Regulation 12 (2)(a)(v)(b)) Specifically that all staff follow the visitors policy and do not leave children unaccompanied with unchecked visitors to the home. 04/12/2016

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide accommodation and care for up to five young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or learning difficulties. It is one of four homes owned by the private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/07/2015 Full Outstanding 23/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/01/2015 Full Outstanding

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Outstanding

This home looks and feels like a family home. Extensive efforts have been made to personalise the space and the result is a home where young people feel at ease and consider this to be ‘their’ home. There is evidence of the young people in all rooms: within photographs, their chosen art work and their choice of paint colours and furnishings. This gives them a sense of ownership and the result is that the young people respect the home environment.

p.6

Outstanding

Although there have been some changes to the staffing team recently, the young people have exceptionally good relationships with staff, which has a very positive impact on their behaviour and progress in all areas. Staff and managers have worked incredibly hard so that young people benefit from consistency in staffing, which ensures that young people are always supported by people who know them very well. Young people make sustained progress across a number of areas because of the high level of support provided by staff and the depth of understanding and commitment shown to each individual young person.

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Outstanding

Young people in this home are extremely well matched and so enjoy positive relationships with each other and have good tolerance and understanding of their individual differences. Matching and transition are very well considered and planned with the result that moves into and out of the home are as positive for the young person as is possible. The home begins planning for moves at a very early stage, so that by the time a young person moves on everything is in place and the young person is ready and well prepared for their move. Managers undertake research and provide additional staff support and training for young people who are admitted with specific additional needs to ensure that the staff team is well prepared to offer appropriate individualised care.

p.6

Outstanding

Young people often make exceptional progress in this home in areas such as reducing risks, developing independence, self-regulation, contact and social and emotional development. One young person has made really positive progress in relation to his self-confidence when out in the community (for example in speaking to staff in shops). Monthly progression reports clearly record the young person’s progress and these feed into six-monthly reports for placement reviews. When young people need additional support, this is put in place to ensure that they have the best opportunities for progression. The company employs a nurse, a pathways/transitions mentor and a lead therapist to support young people to achieve their best. Specialist advice is sought for young people with complex diagnosed conditions to ensure that staff have the appropriate skills and training to meet their needs fully. Managers at the home recognise when young people are not making good

p.6

Outstanding

progress across all areas and tailor specific intensive packages of support to promote continuous development. When young people continue not to make progress, the home works in partnership with placing authorities to consider positive and timely transition plans to ensure that the young person‘s placement can come to a positive, natural end. Some young people have had exceptionally positive placement endings and have gone on to continue their development and success. One young person who has returned to his home area a very considerable distance away has been visited over the summer by the registered manager, which evidences a continuing interest in young people’s progress and well-being.

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Outstanding

Young people have very high attendance levels in school. For some young people, progression in education is beyond expected levels. The home is in continuous contact with the school, and they work closely together to support young people in education. Various incentives are put in place in respect of effort in education and some of these are showing great success.

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Outstanding

Young people are well integrated into the local community and enjoy increasing amounts of free time as their risks reduce. Young people have friends and girlfriends close to where they live and enjoy a ‘normal’ teenage life. They participate in a wide variety of activities, such as fishing, football, swimming and table-top miniature wargames, and enjoy spending time with staff as well as their peers. All the young people participated in a holiday to Blackpool and photographs show them having a brilliant time.

p.7

Outstanding

Most young people in the home enjoy regular family contact and the home promotes, supports and develops this. Young people have achieved overnight contact in their home areas as well as independent travel to their home towns, which are both momentous achievements.

p.7

Outstanding

Young people’s views are sought through day-to-day interactions with staff, young people’s meetings and twice-monthly key worker sessions. They feel confident to express their wishes and feelings and have sufficiently trusting relationships with staff to speak openly. Any requests they make are considered by the staff team and an outcome is clearly fed back to them so that they have a good understanding of any decisions made. Judgement grade

p.7

Good

This home has a strong focus on preparing young people to live independently. As such, they are given progressive freedom and responsibility to manage themselves and regulate their behaviour while out in the community. The home is extremely successful in achieving this aim and very few incidents of antisocial behaviour occur while young people are out. The home undertakes a great deal of work with young people around appropriate behaviour and keeping themselves safe. This has a positive impact on their safety.

p.8

Good

The home has had no missing from home incidents for a considerable time. This is a great achievement, considering the location of the home and the ages of the young people placed, and shows the strength of young people’s relationships with staff and respect for the boundaries in place. Clear missing from home protocols are in place should a young person go missing.

p.8

Good

There are clear, consistent and well considered boundaries in place for the young people, which are communicated effectively to them.

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Good

Physical intervention is an extremely rare occurrence in this home. Young people’s expectation is that they will not be physically held and they therefore learn other ways of managing their behaviour. Staff prefer to spend time talking to young people and using their wide variety of de-escalation skills to avoid the need for physical intervention, and this works well for the young people placed.

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Good

Sanctions are rarely used in the home. There is a focus on reflective work and helping young people to understand their behaviour and to identify alternative ways of responding to situations. When sanctions are imposed, their effectiveness is reviewed and actions are taken if they are believed to be inappropriate/ineffective or not in line with the young person’s understanding.

p.8

Good

Individual risks for young people are clearly identified and risk assessments have strategies in place for managing and reducing risks. The home works in close partnership with placing authorities and other external agencies to ensure that young people’s risks reduce.

p.8

Good

One isolated safeguarding incident has arisen when the home’s visitor policy has not been followed and a young person was put at risk of harm through a visitor not being accompanied in the home. This issue was dealt with swiftly and robustly by the home, through the instigation of disciplinary procedures for some staff and further training for others. This incident has, however, had an impact on the safeguarding judgement and led to a requirement being made. When placement breakdowns have occurred due to incidents of unsafe and possibly criminal behaviour the home acts in a timely way to ensure that young people are moved on as sensitively as possible and without the opportunity to present a risk to others. The home makes every effort to work in partnership with the police when there is any possibility of criminal behaviour.

p.8

Good

The physical environment of the home is safe, and regular checks are undertaken to ensure its ongoing safety. There is an up-to-date location risk assessment and safe recruitment processes are used to ensure that all staff working with young people are safe to do so.

p.9

Outstanding

The home is led by a qualified and experienced manager. She leads the team by setting a positive example and through being aspirational for the young people. High standards are evident through all aspects of the management of the home. Extremely thorough internal monitoring takes place to maintain high standards in all the work and documentation completed by staff. Rigorous external monitoring also contributes to keeping standards at a very high level. Case records are maintained to an extremely high standard. They accurately reflect young people’s everyday lives and achievements and are closely linked to their care plans.

p.9

Outstanding

The manager has a thorough understanding of the young people in the home and understands the progression they are making, as well as any areas where they are not making progress. There are clear plans in place to address any areas where progress is not being made. When a lack of progress is sustained despite extensive efforts from the staff, managers understand this and make plans for young people to move on positively from the home.

p.9

Outstanding

Staff report high levels of satisfaction in the level of support they receive in the home from managers. Supervision and appraisal are delivered regularly and meaningfully. There is a high level of training on offer and specialist support from the lead therapist for advice on caring for individual young people. New staff report positively about the induction process and feel well supported in their role. Most members of the staff team are highly experienced and competent in delivering outstanding levels of care to the young people.

p.9

Outstanding

Although there have been a small number of significant losses to the staff team since the last inspection, managers have stepped in to fill gaps in the rota, and rotas have been amended so that young people benefit from a continuous staff team. The young people have continued to benefit from good staffing levels while recruitment has taken place.

p.9

Outstanding

The manager in the home is fully aware of any weaknesses and puts steps in place to address issues in a timely manner. The response to areas identified for improvement is robust and ensures that young people’s needs are always prioritised.

p.10

Outstanding

There are a variety of external agencies involved in the young people’s lives and the home works proactively with all agencies to ensure that young people’s needs are met in all areas.

p.10

Outstanding

The manager and staff champion the young people’s needs and work tirelessly to make sure that they get the best opportunities to achieve their potential in all areas.

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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 children looked after 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, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for children looked after 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Information about this inspection

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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