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

Inspection report children’s home: SC475723 1 SC475723 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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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 who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 31 October to 1 November 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 20 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are making good progress from their starting points in all areas of their lives. Inspection report children’s home: SC475723 2  The home has had a difficult and challenging period, but remains calm and stable. Young people are benefiting from living in a structured environment with clearly defined boundaries which is helping them to grow in confidence, enjoy improved health, reduce risky or challenging behaviours, and remain safe.  A new manager and leadership team are having a positive impact on the home. With the support of the staff group, improvements are being made and standards are being raised. The developments being made are still work in progress.  Staff are prepared to work flexibly to ensure that young people maintain contact with family members.  Young people re-engage into education after gaps in their schooling. The importance of education is strongly promoted, and young people make progress

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Key findings from this inspection

in their education.  Young people receive individualised care. Well-written placement plans capture young people’s strengths, needs, personalities and interests. Staff know young people well.  The manager has a clear sense of direction regarding changes and improvements he is looking to make. Working practices are critically analysed, with decisive decisions taken that are designed to improve overall practice in the home and outcomes for young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Records of staff supervision sessions should include the reasons for missed sessions.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/12/2016 Full Outstanding 03/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/09/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC475723 3

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Recommendations

 A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. The record should provide evidence that supervision is being delivered in line with regulation 33(4)(b). (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3) With particular reference to ensuring that any sessions that have been missed have a written explanation as to why the session did not take place.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has experienced a number of changes and challenges over the past 11 months. A new manager took up post in March 2017. This brought about changes to both the senior and care staff teams in the home. The summer months proved to be a difficult time for a number of young people, due, in the main, to external influences which created some challenging and unsettled behaviour in the group. However, with the positive influence of the new manager, coupled with the collective support being provided by the staff group, the home has remained stable and the individual needs of young people have continued to be addressed. Although still challenging at times, the team-centred approach adopted by the home ensures that young people receive a consistency of care which allows them to work through their anxieties in a safe and secure environment. The changes made to the staffing complement have resulted in the ethos, culture and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

working practices of the home being refreshed. As a result, young people live in a home that is more inclusive and less confrontational. The strong relationships created between young people and staff are used to manage behaviour and defuse confrontation. As a result, young people are living in a home that looks to support them as they work through the issues affecting them. Young people who have lived in the home long enough to experience the changes being made acknowledge the current positivity in the home. For example, a young person wrote to the manager saying, ‘I think you are a fair guy and you might be key for the home to sort out its problems. Since you have been here you have improved the home.’ A visiting team manager writes, ‘Staff are amazing and dedicated to our young person. They have creative ways that support him.’ The progress being made and the identified needs of young people are clearly evidenced

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

in the range of planning documents, risk assessments and strategies used to manage behaviour. These documents are regularly reviewed and updated and inform practice. Clear monthly monitoring tracks and evaluates progress for young people. The resulting reports are sent to social workers, who appreciate the levels the staff go to in keeping Inspection report children’s home: SC475723 4 them informed. For example, one social worker told the inspector, ‘I have really good communication with the staff, who keep me fully informed about all events.’ All young people in the home attend the on-site school known as the learning centre. This is a school for the exclusive use of the young people living in the home. Care and education staff work cooperatively together to get disaffected young people, who have previously rejected schooling, re-engaged with their education. Attendance levels are high, helped by the home’s expectations and morning routines that are designed to get

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

young people into school in a positive frame of mind. The high attendance levels support young people’s positive educational progress. Good arrangements are in place to promote young people’s health. All young people currently enjoy good health, with their everyday needs being addressed effectively through community-based facilities. In addition to this, the home has its own mental health practitioners who work alongside staff in the home, giving young people almost daily access to regular counselling and support. Other specialist services are accessed and brought in where necessary. Detailed health plans form an integral part of each young person’s placement plan. The promotion of health is an area in which the home is working hard to improve. For example, healthy eating, diet and nutrition are areas currently being promoted by staff with young people. Physical fitness is also promoted, which is reflected in the activity

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

programmes young people produce weekly in conjunction with staff. Overall, young people’s physical, emotional and mental health needs are being well met. Young people are encouraged to participate in a wide range of community-based activities. Good staffing levels and transport allow for both collective and individual needs to be met. For example, a young person told the inspector about his involvement with a local football team and the regular trips made to the youth zone in a nearby town. Another had the recent experience of joining the Cubs. Popular activities currently include bush craft, fishing, trampolining and cycling. The strong relationships created between young people and staff promote high levels of communication and consultation. Young people have a voice in the home and make choices and suggestions that are acted on. For example, some young people chose the decor lighting and furnishings in the home’s recently refurbished therapy room. Weekly

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

meetings between staff and young people take place, but informal consultation is a daily occurrence. From being admitted to the home, young people are encouraged to develop independence skills. For example, there is a clear expectation that young people will keep their own bedroom clean and tidy. Staff work well with young people to develop their skills and give them experiences that will serve them well in the future. For example, young people are given experience in handling money, plan contact with family members and travel independently. The home is a large, detached building set in its own grounds and blends well into the local community. It is spacious and, overall, has a good standard of fixtures, fittings, decor and equipment. All bedrooms are single occupancy, with their own bathrooms. They are decorated and personalised to reflect the taste of the occupant. Young people Inspection report children’s home: SC475723 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

feel comfortable and at ease in their environment. They mix well with staff and there is a calm, happy and relaxed atmosphere.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There are good systems in place which keep young people safe. For example, detailed risk assessments that are updated regularly identify risks in and around the home, as well as the local community. Service contracts are in place which help to ensure that safety equipment is well maintained. Visitors’ credentials are checked on arrival at the home, adding to the home’s sense of security. The home has developed and maintains strong, professional relationships with the external agencies charged with keeping young people safe. The safeguarding procedures which keep young people safe include a multi-agency response when a safeguarding issue arises. Staff are familiar with and understand the safeguarding procedures and recognise their own role and responsibilities in this area. All staff have received training in this field, which is refreshed regularly. The challenges posed by some young people have tested the skills and resources of

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

staff. It is to staff’s credit and a reflection of their resilience and professionalism that this period has been successfully negotiated. A confident, skilled staff team has the skills to manage the challenges posed by some young people in a supportive way, without resorting to, or embarking on, a punitive regime. This reflects the changing ethos and culture being developed in the home. Behavioural incidents, including those requiring physical intervention, are managed effectively. Incidents are monitored and evaluated by senior staff, allowing them to review incidents and look for indictors, trends or patterns. This helps to improve practice and aid consistency. For example, if there is an increase in the frequency of incidents, the reasons for that increase are identified and steps are taken to address those issues. This practice has resulted in a recent downward trend of serious behavioural incidents. A

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

social worker told the inspector, ‘The staff are well informed and have a good understanding of his needs.’ Another stated, ‘Staff are really in tune with his needs.’ Detailed plans and assessments of risk, to cover incidents where young people go missing, are in place. Local protocols, along with the home’s own procedures, are followed by staff, who put in a lot of effort to retrieve young people to ensure that they are kept safe. There are strong working partnerships with local police and other agencies. This is reflected in positive comments from these parties, received during the inspection, such as, ‘It’s a good home and it works well with us.’ Bullying in the home is not an area that raised any concerns from young people during the inspection. However, staff have a full awareness of who the potential victims and perpetrators of bullying could be. Staff numbers and their deployment around the home

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

help to restrict opportunities for any bullying incidents. The manager has purposely made changes to the staff group, including the recruitment of new staff. The recruitment and clearance procedures for new staff are thorough and meet with regulatory requirement and current guidance. Longer-serving staff are being rechecked regularly, which is deemed to be good practice. This ensures that young Inspection report children’s home: SC475723 6 people are only being looked after by staff who have been suitably cleared and recruited.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The lengthy period taken by the home to complete the registration of the manager is due to some unforeseen issues. While acknowledging that some of the issues that held the process up are due to factors beyond their control, both the manager and senior managers acknowledged to the inspector that they could have been more pro-active in the application process. The lack of timeliness has contributed to the judgement in this area. However, the registration procedure is now complete with final ratification due to be confirmed. The manager, who is well experienced, having managed children’s homes previously, has made a positive and significant impact on the home since taking up his post. His vision for the future, to improve and develop the home, is well supported by a staff team that has been revived and refreshed due to the changes made. This has required some difficult and decisive decisions to be taken. Collectively, the staff team is developing the

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

ethos, culture and working practices of the home. Staff report that they feel well supported by senior staff and the manager. The formal programme of supervision is being implemented with consistency. However, on the few occasions that a session is missed, the reasons why are not always being recorded. The performance of staff is formally appraised annually. Staff are encouraged and supported with their training needs. There are clear expectations placed on them to complete the core staff training programme. This develops and refreshes the skills required to address the ever-changing needs of young people. More specialist training can be accessed when necessary. For example, two staff members described the recent Prevent and radicalisation training they had just completed, which is to be shared with colleagues. The internal monitoring of the home is good. The manager and his senior team monitor and evaluate practice, allowing them to critically analyse data which highlights areas of

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

strength and weakness. This transfers into the home’s own development and workforce plan, identifying areas for future development. External senior managers are active in monitoring the home regularly and provide strong support to the manager and his staff team. The monthly external monitoring of the home is an area that has been reviewed and has resulted in some improvement regarding the quality of visits and the report produced. Following the previous inspection, there were no requirements or recommendations to address. The home has a good practice history and record of compliance. In the last six months, the manager has made a number of positive changes and developments in the home, which include the creation of a new guide to the home for young people, and the introduction of a therapy file that captures and evidences some of the direct work being undertaken with young people. In addition to this, the manager has reshaped the staff

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

team, along with the ethos, culture and working practices of the home. The registration issues regarding the manager are resolved. The home has experienced Inspection report children’s home: SC475723 7 a number of recent changes and has had to work through a challenging time posed by some young people. The areas to be developed are recognised and time is required for this to be accomplished. It is work in progress. The manager has made a positive start and is being backed up by a group of staff that are supportive of the way the home is developing. Young people are receiving a good standard of care and live in an environment that is keeping them safe. Young people are in placements that are stable and, based on their starting points in the home, are making good progress in all areas of their life.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, 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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC475723 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Witherslack Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Witherslack Group, Lupton Tower, Lupton, Carnforth LA6 2PR

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Inspector

Graham Robinson, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC475723 9 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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