Children's home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Outstanding

The children's home provides highly effective services that consistently exceeds 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 provision is outstanding because:

 Young people living in the home are making exceptional progress in all areas of their lives. This is achieved by the management team and staff working collaboratively with psychologists, therapists, educational staff and other professionals in producing detailed individualised assessments and high-quality care.  There are excellent relationships between the staff and the young people in their care. The staff receive professional support from the leaders and managers. Consequently, they are motivated to deliver consistently high standards of care.  Staff are committed and very professional. They seek inventive means of supporting young people, such as researching models of practice that best support young people’s individual needs.  The educational attendance of the young people is consistently very good. Staff, and teachers from the on-site school work effectively together to encourage and celebrate young people’s achievements.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 Young people choose the activities they wish to do. They contribute to structured plans and the experiences of the young people are considerably enhanced by the variety of activities and opportunities made available to them.  Young people receive weekly therapeutic services to meet their individual needs. Staff work alongside professional therapists ensuring young people are fully supported around emotional issues, particularly changing negative behaviours and thoughts.  Consistent routines and appropriately structured plans of care provide young people with a sense of safety and security from which they can successfully access learning and development.  The home benefits from an exceptionally strong leadership team that ensures that staff receive very good levels of supervision, training opportunities and personal development. This results in young people receiving excellent care from a well-trained and dedicated staff team.

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The children's home provision is outstanding because:

 A new manager has been appointed following the resignation of the previous registered manager who is currently working his notice. There has been no impact on the young people as a result of this change.

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Information about this children's home

 The children’s home is privately owned and is registered to care for nine young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 03/02/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 25/09/2015 Full Outstanding

p.4

Outstanding

The home provides a supportive, nurturing environment where young people develop a sense of stability and belonging. They build trusting relationships with the staff, and this adds to their sense of security. As a result, young people are more able to engage in their therapeutic sessions and education, all of which is provided for them on-site. Social workers are very complementary about the services the home provides and one says. ‘There has been a massive change in his attitude from first being resistant to now being resilient, and engaging in therapy. This wrap around care has really benefitted him.’

p.5

Outstanding

Young people value the home and are proud of it. Collectively they are very positive about the care they receive and their experiences from their starting point in the home. One young person comments. ‘This home is fantastic, ask anyone, all the staff look after us really well.’ Another says, ‘I don’t know what I would do without my key worker, he has really helped me change my ways, and I am a better person now.’ Young people have very close and positive relationships with staff and each other. They value and respect each other and the staff celebrate the achievements and progress young people make in the home.

p.5

Outstanding

Staff have meaningful daily conversations with young people. Records of young people’s meetings demonstrate that staff actively seek their views on menus, activities, their education and day-to-day matters affecting their experience of living at the home. Action plans result from these meetings, making it clear to them that their views are important to staff. Individual key work sessions give young people opportunities to express their feelings and opinions and provide staff with opportunities to address young people’s individual needs relating to managing their emotions.

p.5

Outstanding

The young people know how to complain, they also have the opportunity to discuss complaints or any issues affecting them on a daily basis. Records of complaints made show the action taken in response and provide young people with an outcome.

p.5

Outstanding

Young people succeed, make progress and expand their understanding and experience of the world. Unwanted and unhelpful behaviours significantly decrease because the young people are positively re-directed by highly skilled staff. They become involved in regular, positive leisure activities and form friendships in the community through becoming members of sports teams, youth clubs and cadets. Young people acquire life skills, such as cooking, budgeting and self-care skills. They participate in charity work and experience holidays and culture evenings. Mealtimes are very social occasions with staff encouraging conversations about young people’s day and their evening activities. Fresh, home cooked food is enjoyed by the young people. All young people are looking forward to the annual Christmas lunch and wear a Christmas jumper day. Social workers, teacher’s therapists and staff get together to celebrate, play games and have fun.

p.5

Outstanding

Young people’s physical well-being is actively addressed. All regular health checks are undertaken. If any medication is required, there is a robust system in place to ensure safe administration. All staff are qualified to deliver first aid if required.

p.6

Outstanding

Excellent collaboration between care, education and therapy teams ensures that young people’s needs are fully understood by all the adults who care for them. Staff are confident and consistent in the way that they meet these needs, and, as a result, young people sustain attachments and make outstanding progress in their ability to process their feelings and relate to others. Staff follow models of practice that are agreed by the organisation’s therapists consistently and they support young people to achieve in education.

p.6

Outstanding

Young people receive well-structured support to attend education, where they all make continued progress. All young people attend the on-site registered school and they achieve excellent attendance. Teaching and care staff benefit from joint training and personal development. They set each young person agreed achievement targets and these are shared across the school and care setting. Young people’s successes with achieving their targets are praised and celebrated by both care and education staff. This helps develop young people’s confidence, self-esteem and prepares them well for the future.

p.6

Outstanding

The management team have a robust approach when considering new referrals to the home. They understand the need for careful and individualised planning. Working in partnership with placing social workers and families ensures young people are only placed in the home whose needs can be met. Three young people have successfully moved on from the home since the last inspection. These young people transitioned from the home in a considered and planned way, and are continuing to do well in their new placements.

p.6

Outstanding

Contact with parents and family is managed well. The role of parents is recognised as an ongoing long-term support for young people. Parents respond well and in turn support the placement. One parent comments, ‘staff are very good and I am grateful he is in a place where he will be cared for well and kept safe.’ The home has access to three fleet cars so transportation for young people is not an issue. If needed, staff can arrange points of contact to reduce the burden of travel for some families who live a long way from the home. Judgement grade

p.6

Outstanding

Young people are kept safe in the home and say they feel safe. Robust and rigorous policies inform staff, and enable them to safeguard young people well. There has been one safeguarding incident since the previous inspection. This has been dealt with effectively, with young people, placing authorities and Ofsted being informed of the outcome. A comprehensive training package is routinely reviewed and updated to reflect any lessons learned and incorporates current practice and research updates. All staff spoken with during the inspection were pleased with the level and the quality of the safeguarding training.

p.7

Outstanding

Staff demonstrate an understanding of child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and online safety. This knowledge enables them to be more vigilant to the signs and symptoms of abuse so that they are able to guide young people away from these situations. Young people who previously engaged in risk-taking behaviour, such as going missing, have reduced significantly, and in some cases stopped this behaviour.

p.7

Outstanding

Care staff and education staff actively support young people to keep safe when using the internet. The risks to young people when using social media and the internet are recognised by the management team and staff. As a result, exceptional and extensive work is completed with all young people on e-safety. This approach protects younger children while allowing older young people to have the same access to social media sites as their friends.

p.7

Outstanding

The relevant areas of risk for each young person, both inside and outside the home, are assessed, understood and recorded in detail. This includes risks that young people may pose to each other, including bullying behaviour. Ways in which these risks can be reduced are outlined in clear strategies which are understood by staff. This guides staff in keeping young people safe and allows staff to support them in taking age-appropriate risks as they move towards increasing independence. For example, some young people are learning to safely manage their use of free time in a safe and responsible manner.

p.7

Outstanding

All young people’s bedrooms have an en-suite facility and as an added precaution surveillance cameras operate automatically in the landing area when a young person’s bedroom door opens at night. Young people are fully aware of this system and their placing social workers have signed consent forms to agree the use of this system. Young people’s privacy is not affected and this protects young people and staff.

p.7

Outstanding

Through knowing each young person very well, staff are skilled in de-escalating potentially difficult situations. Staff identify the risks associated with each young person and successfully implement strategies to protect them. Young people who, prior to living at the home, displayed challenging behaviour, are calmer and able to talk to staff about their anxieties. Consequently, physical intervention is not frequently used and is applied only to protect young people and staff. Such incidents are properly recorded, including discussion with the young person and staff involved, alongside close monitoring to ensure safe practice. Plans focus on promoting appropriate behaviour. Helpful routines, boundaries and structure assist young people to manage their emotions.

p.7

Outstanding

All health and safety checks are carried out, recorded and audited to a high standard. Fire safety and evacuation measures are routinely carried out and understood by young people, staff and visitors. The home is spacious, decorated and furnished to a very high standard and has a large enclosed rear garden area, including a football pitch and play facilities.

p.8

Outstanding

A thorough recruitment process safeguards young people from unsuitable adults working with them. All checks on prospective employees are undertaken before they commence work in the home.

p.8

Good

The registered manager left in November 2016. A carefully considered and extremely well organised succession plan has worked well. A new manager has been appointed and is currently working a three month notice and is to join the home on 1 March 2017. Ofsted has been kept fully informed of these developments and the deputy manager, regional manager and responsible individual are managing the home up until this time. There has been no impact on young people or any impact on how the home is run.

p.8

Good

Staff morale is very positive and stable. The whole staff team is qualified, skilled and permanent with no use of agency staff. The staff team offers a diverse mix of skills, age and ethnicities. Young people benefit by receiving consistent messages and having continuity of care. Staff confirm the management team are supportive and available for advice and guidance at all times. The management team and the staff team know young people very well. They are committed to meeting young people’s specific needs and supporting them to make progress and maximise their abilities. Communication between shifts is effective. The day-to-day life in the home is organised and efficient.

p.8

Good

Staff supervision is regular and planned resulting in staff feeling emotionally supported by this process. They say that it helps them to keep focused on the needs of the young people as well as their own professional development. Mandatory and specialised training is scheduled and monitored, and staff report that keeping their knowledge current and learning new things helps them to keep focused and motivated in their practice. Collectively, staff say their training in this home is far better than any other home they have worked in.

p.8

Good

A significant strength in the home is the multi-agency working that ensures that the welfare and protection needs of young people are met. The management team and staff work cohesively with other professionals, such as social workers and health and education professionals, to achieve excellent outcomes for young people. Key meetings, such as children looked after reviews, personal education planning meetings and health reviews, are prioritised, as are the actions from these meetings.

p.9

Good

Young people’s case files evidence a very effective management audit and regular review of care plans and risk assessments. Staff have extremely clear guidance on the most effective behavioural management techniques. The management team use established monitoring systems to challenge rigorously any delay in care planning for young people. As a result, there is an extremely clear idea of the needs and issues affecting young people in the home.

p.9

Good

Internal and external monitoring of the home is thorough. An independent person provides detailed and informative monthly reports, and in turn the management team uses this information to update the development plan. Records scrutinised during the course of the inspection identify a clear link between the quality of care, the safety of the young people and improved outcomes. Evidence of young people being consulted is threaded throughout all monitoring and recording systems. As the home progresses and develops, young people are assured that their views and opinions matter. They know that they are valued and listened to.

p.9

Good

The home’s statement of purpose document is up to date, clear and informative. Staff are meeting the expressed aim of providing high quality services within a safe and nurturing environment while providing an integrated and cohesive range of opportunities in line with young people’s individual needs.

p.9

Good

There are no requirements or recommendations following the inspection.

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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. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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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