Children's Home run by Active Ark Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report children’s home: SC439956 1 SC439956 Registered provider: Active Ark Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is one of a number of homes operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child or young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

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

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outstanding

Date of last inspection: 16 January 2017

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: None

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home is outstanding because: Inspection report children’s home: SC439956 2  Staff successfully prioritise young people’s safety and well-being. This makes young people feel that they are cared for, and provides them with a strong sense of safety in the home and the local community.  Young people make exceptional progress from their starting points, learning new skills that enable them to move forward into adulthood and independent living.  Young people receive excellent care and support from a dedicated staff team. Staff successfully encourage young people to have aspirations, and provide the support to help them achieve their goals.  Young people feel valued. They know that staff will always listen to them, and that their views and wishes are important.  Staff are skilled and experienced in engaging young people and building strong, productive relationships. This means that young people have confidence and

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Key findings from this inspection

trust in their carers.  Staff value the importance of education and are effective in supporting young people to achieve and maintain excellent attendance at school.  The registered manager and his staff team work in close partnership with other agencies and professionals to ensure that young people’s needs are understood and met.  Young people’s health needs are well understood and supported. Staff ensure that young people learn how to take care of their own general health, and understand the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise.  Young people are able to participate in a number of activities and events that provide them with fun opportunities to learn, and to socialise with other young people. This promotes growth in both confidence and self-esteem.

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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

 Staff do not always receive practice-related supervision with sufficient regularity or frequency. This is essential to support their professional development.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Good 17/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 22/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC439956 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet 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

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33(4)(b)) 11/12/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make exceptional progress from their starting points. They enjoy meaningful and productive relationships with staff that are built on mutual respect and understanding. Young people feel valued. They say staff always listen, and care about what they have to say. Consequently, young people achieve stability in this home. They respond positively to the high quality of care and support they receive to help them reach their goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

For the young person who was living at the home just prior to this inspection, this was a highly successful placement. Staff sensitively supported him to learn essential independence skills, such as budgeting, shopping and getting about using public transport. This helped to prepare him for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Highly personalised planning, frequent reassurance, advice and support meant that this young person was suitably confident to make his move towards independent living. His parent remarked, ‘They have done an amazing job. They have been brilliant. I have seen immense changes in his attitude and he has bonded with his key workers. He has learned a lot of basic skills. He has definitely matured and is more confident now.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are confident in expressing their views. During this inspection, the young person returned to visit staff and was able to share his views with the inspector. He confirmed that he always felt very safe and well cared for by the staff team. He spoke highly of staff, especially the ‘really good’ relationships he has with his key workers. He commented, ‘I have nice memories of living here, especially outings and activities. Inspection report children’s home: SC439956 4 Particularly badminton and archery.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s health needs are well understood and supported. Staff ensure that young people learn how to take care of their own general health, and understand the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise. The young person who lived at the home until recently was successfully encouraged to lose a significant amount of unhealthy weight. Staff paid particular attention to his eating habits, dissuading him from snacking between meals and encouraging him to make healthier choices while shopping and preparing food. Because of the dietary changes made and the weight loss achieved, the young person has greater confidence and improved self-esteem. The young person chooses to attend local health appointments independently, taking appropriate responsibility for his own health care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people attend school and make significant progress from their starting points. Staff value the importance of education and are effective in supporting young people with formal study, as well as providing less formal and vocational learning opportunities. The young person achieved 100% attendance at school and completed his GCSE examinations before successfully moving on to college. The young person felt great pride that staff were able to celebrate his success with him, attending a school awards ceremony where he received an award for his attitude and achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have good access to a wide range of recreational activities and interests that provide good opportunities for socialising with peers, learning new skills and having fun. For this young person, this included two separate residential trips during the summer where he was involved in many activities including swimming, hiking, caving and camping. Young people’s involvement in such activities helps them to mature and develop increased confidence in their abilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are well supported to keep in touch with their family and friends. For this young person, staff worked in close cooperation with the placing authority, supporting family members as well as the young person. This helped to forge relationships, making their time spent together more enjoyable.

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

Staff prioritise the safety and protection of young people living at this home. The young person confirmed that he always felt ‘safe and happy’ while he was living at the home. Staff offer reassurance to young people when needed, to lessen their anxieties and increase their feeling of well-being. The young person commented, ‘Staff are really great. They would always tell me in advance if a member of staff was ill. I always knew who was looking after me.’

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

Staff are trained in and familiar with good child protection practice. They are informed and guided by local multi-agency protocols and the home’s established policies, procedures and guidance. There have not been any concerns or significant incidents since the last inspection that would compromise young people’s safety. Inspection report children’s home: SC439956 5 Risk assessments and behaviour management planning are effective in identifying both known and potential risks. Planning documents provide sufficient detail to ensure that staff fully understand the strategies required to keep the individual young person safe. For this young person, risk assessments have been appropriately aligned with independence planning to ensure that good account is taken of his safety while in the community.

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

There have been no significant incidents, no need for physical restraint, or any incidents of the young person being missing from home during this placement. This reflects the positive and trusting relationships the young person has enjoyed while living at this home.

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

Staff are sensitive to young people’s needs, and are successful in helping them build structure and routine into their lives. Staff use an incentive programme to encourage positive behaviour. Recently, this has allowed the young person to earn an extra amount of pocket money as a reward for various achievements throughout the day. Its success correlates with a clear reduction in the number of sanctions issued.

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

Staff recruitment and selection arrangements are good. The registered manager fully understands the importance of safer recruitment practice. This means that only when staff have been appropriately checked and vetted, and deemed suitable, are they permitted to work in the home. This ensures that young people are not exposed to unsuitable adults who might compromise their safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well led by a qualified and experienced registered manager. His application was made following the home’s last inspection. At interview earlier this year, he was deemed suitable to become the home’s registered manager. He has a level 4 award in childcare and also a registered manager’s award. He is ambitious for young people, and committed to providing a high standard of care. He has a good knowledge and understanding of young people’s needs, and an ability to creatively plan to meet those needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has suitably dealt with the requirements and recommendations made at the home’s interim inspection in January 2017. For example, the home’s statement of purpose has since been updated and now reflects practice in the home. The registered manager has taken positive action to reduce the number of staff working with the young person. He has established a small core staff team that can now offer greater consistency of care and support. This promotes stability for the young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Improvements have also been identified with the home’s internal and external monitoring arrangements. The registered manager has successfully produced a six- monthly review report of his service, which has been provided to Ofsted. This evaluates the young person’s progress, as well as general progress in the home. It successfully sets out actions to be included in the home’s development plan to promote continuous improvement of the service. Inspection report children’s home: SC439956 6 In addition, Ofsted now receives reports from the home’s independent visitor at regular intervals following his monthly visits. He assesses standards in the home, ensuring that young people receive a good quality of care and are appropriately safeguarded. In receiving both these reports, the regulator has improved oversight of the home’s operation and progress between inspections.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel well supported in carrying out their roles. They identify training events, their manager and regular daily communication with each other as key to their support. Although staff say they feel appropriately supervised, it was noted that not all staff receive formal supervision yet within the organisation’s required within timescales. Regular professional supervision is important to ensure individual competency and shared good practice, and to promote ongoing staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and his staff team work well with partner agencies and professionals. For example, in planning the move for this young person into supported living accommodation, the registered manager planned and identified the cooperation of other professionals, which would be required to achieve a smooth transition for him. Although the plan at one stage stalled through no fault of the home, the registered manager was able to successfully advocate and negotiate some additional time to ensure that the young person was sufficiently prepared for the move. This commitment and determination optimised the young person’s chances of success.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people’s records are well maintained and safely stored on the organisation’s electronic system. They provide a good account of young people’s daily progress, plans and achievements. This ensures that young people will have a comprehensive account of their time spent in this home, should they wish to view their records at a future date.

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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: SC439956 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Armstrong Watson, Birbeck House, Duke Street, Penrith CA11 7NA

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Inspector(s)

Gillian Walters, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC439956 8 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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