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

children and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . Young people continue to benefit from positive, caring, fun and safe relationships with staff. Managers and staff continue to safeguard young people and provide them with good-quality care. Furthermore, young people have maintained good progress, and in some cases have improved in specific aspects of their development. Young people new to the home at the time of the last inspection have continued to settle. They are now more accepting of house rules, more integrated in daily routines and confident with other young people and staff. Other examples of progress include listening more and not getting involved when other young people are showing challenging behaviour. Some young people have received very good support following the death of family members, enabling them to grieve and come to terms with their losses. Sound

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

emotional support from trusted adults enables young people to feel cared for. Most young people continue to achieve excellent levels of school attendance and engage well in lessons. Two young people’s attendance fluctuates. However, staff meet regularly with teachers to review young people’s progress and needs, and to look at strategies to help them to overcome any difficulties. One young person has successfully made the transition from a specialist secondary school to mainstream college. This demonstrates his growing maturity and the progress that he has made. In addition, he is travelling independently and enjoying the bursary that comes with regular college attendance. Specialist assessments already underway, or due to start, at the time of the last inspection, have now been completed. The registered manager is in the process of liaising with placing authorities to ensure that recommendations resulting from

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

these assessments are actioned. This means that health and behaviour plans will progress in a timely way, and interventions will be based on identified and assessed need. Most young people’s health needs are largely well met. However, one particular issue has not been quickly identified or fully understood. A requirement is raised to ensure that staff are proactive in promoting healthy eating, regular exercise and all aspects of young people’s physical well-being. Young people enjoy regular contact with people who are important to them. Staff organise contact arrangements. They liaise well with birth parents and work inclusively with them. This means that young people know what is going on and they benefit from having clear plans. Improved risk assessments contain sufficient factual information about known risks and the strategies in place to manage these. The new, simpler format makes it easier for the reader to understand them. Not all young people’s risk assessments

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

had benefited from being updated in this way, but action was taken to remedy this during the inspection process. Good risk assessments now underpin robust safeguarding practice. Staff now keep to good housekeeping routines, and the standard of cleanliness in young people’s bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms is much improved. This means that staff now support young people better to look after their own bedrooms. Improved internal monitoring means that required documentation, such as personal education plans, care plans and statutory review meeting minutes, is now on young people’s files. This means that information is readily available and can be utilised to review young people’s progress in line with their relevant plans. Although this inspection recognises that improvements have been made, progress in other areas has been slow. A change of provider in November has not yet brought about sufficient improvements to external monitoring reports. Although the new visitor raises

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

questions and makes recommendations to help to secure improvement, reports contain inaccuracies and continue to lack detail, context and evaluation. This means that the arrangements for external monitoring are not yet robust. Managers recognise this and have already arranged a meeting to try to address this shortfall. The requirement made at the last inspection has not been fully met, and is therefore repeated. Guidance has now been written for staff about the use of consequences, and young people are being consulted about this. However, this new guidance has yet to be disseminated. Scheduled training for staff in restorative approaches has still to be delivered. As a result, young people continue to receive a number of consequences for the same incident, which is not necessary or proportionate. A recommendation raised at the last inspection is repeated, so that improvements are fully implemented to benefit young people.

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children and young people since the most recent full inspection

On the occasions when physical intervention is used, the registered manager reviews written records to ensure that restraint practice is safe. However, she does not always do this effectively. A lack of critical evaluation does not help staff to reflect on incidents and identify trigger points earlier in the intervention, when they could perhaps have responded differently. As a result, staff do not learn lessons to improve de-escalation techniques, which may help young people to regulate their behaviour at challenging times. A recommendation raised at the last inspection is repeated.

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately run children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to eight children at any given time, who may be experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

01/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

19/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meet(s) 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

10: The health and well-being standard In order to meet the health and well-being standard, the registered person must ensure that— (2)(a) staff help each child to— (i) achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans. 31/03/2017

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Requirement Due date

44: Independent person: visits and reports Ensure that the independent person who visits the home produces a report, which sets out whether children are effectively safeguarded and that the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. In particular, ensure that reports contain sufficient detail, context and evaluation of events in the home. (Regulation 44(4)(a)(b)) 31/3/2017

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that staff have the skills to respond to each child’s individual behaviour. Where necessary, they should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. Ensure, specifically, that the registered manager critically evaluates restraint records to ensure that staff follow individual support plans, use strategies to de-escalate situations and learn lessons from incidents that occur, where necessary, to minimise the use of restraint. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)  Ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour are restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children and the staff caring for them and the wider community. Ensure,

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Recommendations

specifically that any consequences are proportionate, reasonable and relevant to the behaviour presenting a concern. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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

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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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