Children's Home run by Radical Services Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 1 Registered provider: Radical Services Ltd 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 operated by a private company. It is currently registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four young people, irrespective of gender. The home cares for young people who have 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 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

Date of last inspection: 23 February 2018

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people have excellent relationships with the staff, who know them very well. They enjoy spending time with staff, and identify the care and understanding that they receive from staff as being the best feature of this home. One young person said, ‘Staff always put you first. They care about us.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people are treated with respect and sensitivity, and are encouraged to be fully involved in their care planning. With their views and wishes being consistently sought, young people are confident that their voice is heard and that they can influence their care and their future. One social worker commented, ‘What has shone for me is they have this great relationship. Staff respect her, and she respects them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people make considerable progress from their starting points. Their attendance in education has been excellent compared to the lack of engagement in learning by most young people prior to coming to the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff support young people’s learning effectively, helping them to develop skills that will support their independence when they eventually leave the home. Consequently, young people develop greater maturity, resilience and self-belief in what they can achieve. Their achievements are rewarded and celebrated.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s health and well-being are effectively prioritised. They are registered with local primary healthcare services to ensure that their routine health needs are met. Staff also work in close partnership with the children looked after nurse to support and monitor those young people who need access to more specialist health services, such as child and adolescent mental health services. This working partnership has proved successful in making sure that young people always receive a timely response from health professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Excellent feedback was received from a range of professionals, impressed with the home and young people’s progress and experience of living there. One professional commented, ‘I have never been so impressed with a home. They are so child-centred. He was rather anxious about the move. Staff were able to alleviate his anxiety; they were very welcoming. He was made to feel that staff wanted him to be there and they made him feel comfortable.’

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

Safeguarding practice is highly effective. Staff are familiar with young people’s histories and their risk-taking behaviours and activities that are of concern. Individual risk assessments provide staff with a comprehensively planned approach to successfully manage those situations, minimising or preventing harm to young people.

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

Staff possess considerable knowledge and understanding of a wide range of child Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 4 protection issues and good safeguarding practice. The manager and staff work collaboratively with police and other professionals to make sure that the support provided, in accordance with individual risk assessments, is helping young people effectively to become increasingly safe.

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

For those young people who come to the home with considerable histories of being missing from home, such incidents are significantly reduced during their time at this home. High staffing ratios ensure that young people are well supervised and supported when incidents are anticipated.

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

Young people are trusting of staff, and confirm that they feel safe and well cared for in this home. Young people are confident that they are listened to and know that any complaints or concerns raised are treated seriously and acted on without delay.

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

Physical intervention is not frequently used to manage challenging behaviour. When it is, it is only as a last resort. Incidents are thoroughly documented, and young people are fully involved in discussion around the prevention of further incidents.

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

Adherence to the recruitment and selection practices helps to maintain young people’s safety and well-being. All staff are appropriately checked and vetted before coming to work in the home, establishing that they are suitable and that they are unlikely to compromise the young people’s safety.

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

Professionals consulted during this inspection were confident of the staff team’s ability to keep young people safe from harm. One social worker commented, ‘I have no concerns about her safety. Staff have gone above and beyond their duty to keep her safe and make sure that her needs are met.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager was registered with Ofsted in March 2018, having previously been employed as the home’s deputy manager since June 2017. The manager and her staff team are highly committed and effective in providing young people with a high standard of care and support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has strong leadership qualities, which inspires the staff team’s confidence and enthusiasm to make sure that young people have every opportunity to realise their aspirations and to reach their full potential.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The high level of collaborative practice achieved with partner agencies and professionals makes sure that young people’s needs are fully explored, understood and met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager demonstrates care in managing admissions to the home to make sure that young people are well matched and that staff have the necessary skills to meet their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

However, despite conducting a rigorous assessment of young people’s compatibility, the Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 5 home did experience a short period of disruption following the admission of one young person to the home. Arrangements within the home were managed effectively to minimise disruption and keep young people safe until a more suitable placement for one young person could be identified. This has not had any lasting or adverse effect on young people’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff say that they feel valued and well supported. They have confidence in their manager’s ability and speak highly of the support that they receive, particularly the attention to their own professional development. Staff receive regular and effective supervision and participate in regular staff meetings. These arrangements provide good opportunities to reflect on their performance and develop their practice as a team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people’s records are of a very high quality. They provide a comprehensive account of their day-to-day experiences, their achievements and progress. In years to come, these records will prove invaluable in helping young people to recall and understand their care experience while at this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring arrangements provide excellent scrutiny of the home and the care provided. The manager responds swiftly to any recommendations made by the home’s independent person as part of her commitment to the continuous improvement and development of her service. Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 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 difference 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: 1249264 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Radical Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Rouse House, 2 Wyther Lane, Leeds LS5 3BT

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Inspector

Gillian Walters, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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