Children's home run by North Lakes Children’s Service Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report children’s home: SC457254 1 SC457254 Registered provider: North Lakes Children’s Services 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 home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four boys, aged between nine and 16, who have social and emotional 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 outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/05/2017 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC457254 2 14/03/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Outstanding 08/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC457254 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

A responsible individual must have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26(7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this refers to ensuring the registered manager is provided with regular professional supervision. 31/07/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children settle quickly into this home. It is exceptionally well maintained and has a real homely feel. Here they achieve stability in their lives and develop a strong sense of belonging. Consequently, they make excellent progress and enjoy the wide range of opportunities that the home can offer.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are familiar with children’s early childhood experiences and understand how these have shaped and influenced their behaviours. In response, staff create a highly nurturing environment that allows children to feel cared for, accepted and valued. Children are allowed to be children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children share good relationships with each other and have exceptionally positive relationships with staff. Friendly hugs, cuddles and praise are commonplace in this home. Children are trusting of staff, enjoy positive self-esteem and feel well cared for as a result.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children attend the company’s independent school. Their attendance is excellent, and all are reported to be making considerable progress. Staff are in daily contact with teaching staff. This supports children’s continuity of care and helps staff to continuously promote their learning in the home environment. Consequently, most children enjoy school and develop confidence in their abilities. Inspection report children’s home: SC457254 4 Children’s health needs are fully understood and prioritised. Staff ensure children’s health needs are met by working in close partnership with a range of health professionals. These include the company’s qualified nurse and their contracted therapist, as well as local community health professionals and specialist consultants.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children enjoy healthy lifestyles and understand the benefit of regular exercise and a healthy diet. They take part in a wide range of activities, including cycling, trampolining and football, which are fun as well as keeping them fit. Staff regularly involve children in shopping for fresh produce and preparing meals. This also helps them to learn some new skills that are proportionate to their ages and abilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are proactive in making sure that children are well supported to maintain and develop their relationships with family members and friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff regularly go above and beyond what is expected of them to make occasions memorable. For example, one child was very proud to visit his grandparents and surprise them with a special birthday cake he had made with the help of staff.

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

Children say that they feel safe and well protected by staff. Children show good insight into situations that may compromise their safety and can identify how staff support them to keep them safe. The use of physical restraint is minimal in this home, but one child was very positive while recalling an occasion when staff had physically intervened by holding him to stop him hurting himself. Safeguarding practice is highly effective. Staff are familiar with children’s past histories and behaviours that are likely to place them at risk of harm. Individual risk assessments clearly take children’s known risks into account and provide detailed guidance to ensure that staff know how to successfully minimise and avoid risks.

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

Staff understand children’s behaviours in the context of their early childhood experiences. They are trained and experienced in listening to children. They are skilled in talking with children about their feelings and teaching them strategies and alternative ways to deal with and express their feelings. Consequently, children manage their frustrations and anger more appropriately.

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

Staff actively support children to deal with their anxieties. Staff are creative in seeking opportunities that will help children to overcome or lessen the effect of those things that worry them. For example, for one child this involved successful visits to a number of emergency services, including fire and ambulance, to help him deal with his fears associated with hearing emergency sirens.

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

Staff routinely complete health and safety checks, which include checks on fire safety equipment and storage of food items. They make sure that medication is safely stored, handled and administered in accordance with children’s plans. The company’s health professional regularly audits medication arrangements to make sure that safe practice is Inspection report children’s home: SC457254 5 being maintained. Staff make sure that all visitors to the home are appropriately checked and supervised while in the home. Together, these measures make sure that children’s safety is prioritised and that children are not exposed to adults who may cause them harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home’s manager is highly experienced and suitably qualified and is an excellent role model for her staff team. She is dedicated and highly committed to providing a high standard of care and support for all children in her care. Together, the manager and her staff have a clear and consistent understanding of children’s needs. Staff are motivated by their manager’s enthusiasm and share her level of commitment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management style of the home’s manager is decisive and supportive, making sure that children remain at the centre of all that she and the staff do. The manager and her staff team are ambitious for all the children in their care. The manager has proved to be a good advocate for children, challenging other professionals when necessary to make sure that they get the support and services they require.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home has a well-established staff team, whose members work effectively together. In the absence of the homes manager, staff work well together, appropriately sharing delegated responsibilities. This is documented as part of the shift handover and demonstrates the responsibility and accountability of staff at any specific time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff receive consistent support and guidance in a formal way through regular supervision and team meetings. It was evident that the manager also provides informal support on a day-to-day basis as staff need further advice and guidance. However, it was noted during this inspection that the manager had not been provided with recent opportunities for professional supervision. Nevertheless, it does not appear that this shortfall has had any direct impact on the care and support that children have received.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring arrangements for the home are robust. The manager is meticulous in documenting her monitoring activity and can clearly identify the home’s strengths and areas for further development. Her careful scrutiny of children’s records makes sure that these are well organised and provide full and comprehensive accounts of their plans, progress and achievements. The manager responds positively to any recommendations made by the home’s independent person and seeks to continually develop and improve the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and her staff team work effectively in partnership with parents and professionals. They speak highly of the home and the quality of care that children receive. One social worker commented, ‘The manager is very helpful, communicative and encourages children to take part in lots of activities. Staff are brilliant, the team ethos is extremely positive.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC457254 6

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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: SC457254 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Lakes Children’s Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rayrigg Show Rooms, Rayrigg Road, Windermere LA23 3DN

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Inspector

Gillian Walters: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457254 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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