Children's Home run by West Cumbria Care and Support in Cumberland

Inspection report children’s home: 1247670 1 Registered provider: West Cumbria Care and Support Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered by a charitable organisation to provide care and accommodation under short-break arrangements for up to five children. The home is registered for children who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged outstanding at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager continues to lead and manage this home effectively. He has extensive experience in working with children, young people and adults who have learning disabilities and complex health needs. He is passionate about providing a high- quality service to children and young people, and working in partnership with parents.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the home’s last inspection in August 2017, it has continued to exceed expectations, having made further improvements to enhance the experience of children and young people who enjoy visits and short breaks in this home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Children and young people are empowered to have their voices heard. They are encouraged to make choices about their care and activities while staying at this short- break home. The home has introduced a ‘you said, we did’ system to capture children and young people’s requests for the home and the activities they want to do. This has Inspection report children’s home: 1247670 2 proved popular and has resulted in a double bed being purchased at one young person’s request for greater comfort. Additionally, DVD players have been purchased for those young people who like to watch films in their bedrooms.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the children and young people’s request, four gerbils have been purchased and live at the home. Children and young people have enjoyed taking care of them: feeding them, regularly cleaning their cage and shopping for their food. The experience of caring for a pet is new to some children and young people, and is something that they have found very enjoyable.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The staff have continued to make the property more homely, with new pictures displayed around the home and comfortable soft furnishings. The registered manager and his staff team have strived as far as possible to remove any sense of institutionalisation from the home. This is difficult in areas such as the bathroom and bedrooms, where hoist tracks and other specialist equipment are required. However, the home’s television is no longer boxed in a special cabinet that was intended to protect it from damage. Staff considered this to be a rather institutional concept, when it is not the norm in children and young people’s own homes.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager and his staff team continue to push the boundaries so that children and young people can enjoy new experiences. Some young people have requested to spend some time go-karting, which is a more complex activity and unlikely to be suitable for them all. However, the registered manager is currently scoping the possibility of this in order to identify if risks can be suitably reduced to enable some if not all to do this activity.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Internal and external monitoring of the home continues to be effective. Both the registered manager and the home’s independent person make time to obtain the views of parents and other stakeholders in order to identify new opportunities for the home to develop and improve. The home has already strengthened relationships with the local police. Officers’ regular visits to the home have offered opportunities for children and young people to gain a positive understanding of the role, and have helped them to feel safe in their community.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Parents and social workers voice considerable satisfaction with the home and speak positively about the developments that have been identified since the home’s last inspection. One parent commented, ‘Staff are so good with my little girl. It is a vocation to the staff. They love their jobs, they love the kids and they love her. She is well cared for and looked after. I don’t have to worry.’ Another parent said, ‘She is going more often now, and loves it. She goes out a lot more and becoming more independent. She can put more of her own clothes on and toilet herself.’

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/08/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: 1247670 3

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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

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

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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: West Cumbria Care And Support

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: West Cumbria Care and Support, 26 Stanley Street, Workington CA14 2JD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Catherine Parker

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Inspector

Gillian Walters, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1247670 4 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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