Children's home run by Witherslack Group Limited

Inspection report children’s home: SC475703 1 SC475703 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 purpose of this home is to provide a therapeutically managed facility to meet the nurturing, management, social, emotional and moral needs of up to eight young people aged eight to 18, who are unable to live in a family context.

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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 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: Good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC475703 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2018 Full Good 16/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/12/2016 Full Outstanding 07/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC475703 3

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Recommendations

 Please see regulation 23. Records must be kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Regulation 23 requires the registered person to ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. These are fundamentally the same sorts of arrangements as a good parent would make but are subject to additional safeguards. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the above principles as set out in 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s progress is outstanding. They develop warm and trusting relationships with staff. Staff have an in-depth understanding of young people’s needs and provide responsive, person-centred care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff take time to understand young people’s complex needs and respond with creative and highly individualised care. For example, innovative methods have been used to make personal care a time of fun, for one young person who experiences some difficulties in this area. As a result, his anxieties have reduced significantly, and he is learning to adapt to regular personal care routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

All the young people are making excellent progress in education. They are attending school regularly and meeting, or in some cases exceeding, expected targets. A parent commented that, prior to his admission to the home, her son had not attended school for almost a year. She is extremely pleased with the progress that he is now making. Inspection report children’s home: SC475703 4 Young people have regular opportunities to engage in fun and fulfilling activities. Their interests are encouraged and their talents are celebrated. Several young people take part in local clubs and groups, such as the scouts and a local football team. This promotes their sense of identity and provides young people with opportunities to develop new friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff understand that it is important to help young people to maintain important relationships. Some young people have been supported to rebuild damaged relationships with family members and increase their level of contact. In some cases, staff transport young people considerable distances to visit their loved ones.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Young people’s emotional well-being is constantly monitored using research-based tools. All young people benefit from weekly contact with an in-house therapist. The therapist also works closely with the staff team, ensuring that the support they provide on a day- to-day basis complements ongoing therapeutic work.

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

Young people are demonstrably safer as a result of the care and support that they receive. Several young people have been admitted to the home with high levels of concerns relating to their being missing from home or engaging in criminality. In all cases, these concerns have significantly reduced.

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

Risks to young people’s safety and well-being are clearly identified and carefully managed. Staff understand the importance of positive risk taking in assisting young people to develop their independence and they adapt their care accordingly. Individualised risk management plans ensure that staff have clear guidance about how to maintain young people’s safety.

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

Staff receive safeguarding training and are clear about their roles and responsibilities in keeping young people safe from harm. As a result, any safeguarding concerns are promptly addressed.

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

Strong collaboration with external agencies promotes young people’s safety and well- being. Access to specialist services means that young people’s individual needs are met. For example, the registered manager recently arranged for a specialist rail safety education group to work with one young person, following an incident when she had walked on a train track.

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

Regular direct work in areas such as safe relationships and internet safety is carried out with young people. This helps young people to develop their understanding of personal safety and learn about keeping themselves safe.

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

Young people rarely go missing from this home. There are clear, individualised protocols in place, which provide staff with guidance if this does happen. Records demonstrate that staff take appropriate action and ensure that all relevant agencies are immediately Inspection report children’s home: SC475703 5 informed if a young person is missing.

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

The registered manager makes efforts to ensure that all young people benefit from an interview by an external person, following their return from a missing from home episode. However, despite her efforts, on a small number of occasions, there has been an undue delay in such interviews taking place. Return home interviews are an important process in enabling a young person to share their views about why they went missing, and for staff to identify ways of minimising the risk of future episodes.

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

Staff have a good understanding of young people’s emotional responses and are able to de-escalate most challenging situations. As a result, the number of incidents of physical intervention that take place in the home are low for most young people. All such incidents are carefully recorded and monitored. Appropriate de-briefing takes place with the young person and any staff involved in the incident. However, this process could be made more effective by ensuring that any issues raised during the debrief process are identified and addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is led by a suitably qualified and experienced registered manager who has been registered since January 2014. The registered manager demonstrates strong person-centred values and high ambition for the young people in her care. Young people’s families and external professionals spoke highly of the registered manager and expressed high levels of satisfaction with the care and support provided.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager has access to valuable resources, which enable her to meet young people’s needs effectively. For example, there is a team in place within the organisation, that can be called on to provide additional support for young people who are identified as being at risk of experiencing a placement breakdown. Two young people who currently live at the home have benefited from additional support from this team and are now making good progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff reported that they receive good levels of training and support. The home has experienced some staff turnover since the last inspection. However, the registered manager has been able to maintain consistency, by utilising staff from a core team that the provider has put in place to support homes when they are experiencing such issues. This means that young people continue to receive care from staff who know them well and understand their needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Young people’s care is enhanced by research-informed practice. For example, the use of well-being assessment tools, implemented in partnership with the home’s in-house therapist, helps to promote young people’s experiences and progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager uses quality assurance systems effectively to ensure that young people’s progress and care standards are consistently monitored. The registered manager is aware of the home’s strengths and is able to recognise areas for Inspection report children’s home: SC475703 6 improvement. This helps to ensure that the home is constantly improving.

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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: SC475703 7

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Marcia McLoughlin

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Inspector

Marie Cordingley, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC475703 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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