Children's Home run by Active Ark Limited in Cumberland

Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: 1233899 1 \

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Active Ark Limited

Monitoring visit 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 two children or young people, irrespective of gender, who have social and/or emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit took place on 5 September 2018, to review the home‘s compliance with notices issued following an inadequate judgement at the home‘s full inspection on 16 and 17 July 2018. Several requirements and recommendations were also made; these are to be reviewed at the home‘s next full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted received a copy of the home‘s most recent statement of purpose as required. However, managers plan to again update this to improve the quality of the document and make it more reader-friendly.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, the home‘s manager has made application to register with Ofsted and is now awaiting her fit person interview to become the home‘s registered manager. However, during this visit she was unable to fully demonstrate how she is performing in her role.

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This monitoring visit

Despite staff confirming that they felt supported and guided by the manager, there was an absence of documentation to support this. For example, the manager was unable to provide agendas and minutes of staff meetings that could have reflected discussion about expected standards of professional practice. The inspector could see that information was readily available to staff but there was no audit trail to identify if staff had read and understood this information.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are currently caring for one young person who was recently admitted to the home. He has settled well and confirmed to the inspector that he feels happy and Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: 1233899 2 safe in the home. The placing authority has communicated with the local authority and Ofsted concerning this young person‘s placement, and are closely monitoring his progress.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector was able to establish that Ofsted had been successfully notified of all recent events concerning young people in the home. Information provided to the regulator was sufficiently detailed and demonstrated staff‘s adherence to procedure and good practice. This has improved transparency between the home and Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The home‘s monitoring arrangements are not yet sufficiently established and robust to provide rigorous scrutiny of the home and inform improvement and development plans. The manager was also unable to demonstrate how she responds to recommendations arising from external scrutiny. However, she did recognise that the independent person‘s visiting schedule hindered her participation and the collection of other stakeholders‘ views.

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This monitoring visit

A recent quality of care review report submitted to Ofsted was poorly written. It provided information rather than an evaluation of the home‘s recent activity and performance. Additionally, it failed to reflect the manager‘s understanding of the home‘s strengths and weaknesses and did not add any value to future planning.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the shortfalls still identified on this occasion, the inspector was not satisfied that the home was yet compliant with the leadership and management standard. For this reason, a further compliance notice is issued. In addition, two further requirements are being repeated and a recommendation is made to improve the overall effectiveness of the home‘s leadership and management.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 16/07/2018 Full Inadequate 14/03/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 06/09/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: 1233899 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‘s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‘s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(h)* 19/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home‘s records (except for a child‘s case records, unless the child and the child‘s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person‘s report to HMCI. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)(b))(3)(7)(a)) 19/10/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality 19/10/2018 Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: 1233899 4 of care provided for children (―a quality of care review‖) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children‘s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (―the quality of care review report‖).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(3)(4)(a)(b) and (5))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Decide what each six-monthly review should focus on based on the specific circumstances of the home and any areas of high risk to children. The review does not need to address every part of the quality standards but should clearly identify any actions required for the next six months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. (‗The Guide to the Quality Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: 1233899 5 Standards‘, page 65 paragraph 15.4)

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children‘s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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

Gillian Walters, social care inspector Inspection report for children‘s home – monitoring visit: 1233899 6 to 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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