Children's home run by Active Ark Limited in Cumberland

inspection

This home was judged good at the full inspection. At this interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness . At the time of this inspection, there were no young people living in the home. A young person had very recently moved on to semi-independent living in his home area. This was a planned move, which had taken place due to the outstanding progress he had made while living at the home. There were high levels of concern about the young person when he moved to the home. He had a history of engaging in high-risk behaviours. During his stay, he made exceptional progress to the point at which there were no concerns about his behaviour inside or outside the home. The young person had not been missing from the home at any point since the last inspection. There had been no concerning incidents, and staff had not been required to issue any sanctions. He shared very positive relationships with staff and

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engaged well with them. The young person’s move was well supported by staff. They accompanied him on several trips to his hometown, to help him to choose his preferred accommodation. Staff supported the young person to develop his independent living skills prior to his move. His care records detailed a comprehensive independent living programme designed to assist him in preparing for a more independent environment. During this placement, the young person engaged in education for the first time. His attendance was good and he made good progress. The registered manager put arrangements in place for the young person to continue his education in his hometown, thereby supporting him to continue his achievements and increase his life opportunities. The young person had very specific requests about how his move should be managed, for example which staff members should accompany him to his new home and how he would like them to say goodbye to him. The move was managed

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in the way in which the young person wanted it to be. He has since been in touch with staff to let them know that he is settling well. There have been some changes to the management of the home since the last inspection. A new manager has been appointed but has yet to submit an application for registration. As the timescale for the manager to submit the application has passed, this must be addressed as a matter of priority. A number of requirements and recommendation were made at the last inspection of the home. These were in relation to safe staffing levels, risk assessment and care planning. During this inspection, the manager was able to demonstrate that they had been addressed, thereby helping to ensure that young people receive safe and effective care. The manager has reviewed practice in relation to the support of young people’s behaviour in line with a recommendation made following the last inspection.

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Procedures now include more individualised guidance on young people’s support as well as clearer guidance for staff about issuing sanctions. These positive improvements will help to ensure that young people receive more individualised and consistent support in relation to their behaviours.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to accommodate up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is owned by a private organisation.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 23/11/2016 Full Good 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/01/2016 Full Good 12/11/2014 Full Adequate

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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 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

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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