Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Wakefield

Inspection report children’s home: 2509298 1 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

This home is privately owned and registered to provide care and accommodation for up to seven children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural problems.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post who was registered with Ofsted in March 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: This is the first full inspection of the children’s home since registration.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none. Inspection report children’s home: 2509298 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people are made welcome into the home by warm and friendly staff. Despite the children’s and young people’s complex and challenging behaviours they are settling, and their outcomes are improving. This is due to the good-quality, individualised care and support that they receive from the staff, which are enhancing their quality of life and inspiring them with new, fun and educational experiences. Comments from professionals include, ‘(Name of child) says consistently that he wants to stay here. He likes the staff, he has good banter and feels comfortable.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people benefit from good routines and boundaries. Trusting and positive relationships are developing between the staff and children and young people. Staff educate the children and young people about a range of age-appropriate social issues, so they can understand the impact of any negative behaviours and make positive choices.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s and young people’s improved school attendance is helping some to focus on their goals and aspirations. The daily contact between the home and school supports any challenging behaviours and emotional well-being matters that could threaten to undermine the child’s or young person’s educational progress if not addressed promptly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s and young people’s involvement in a range of social and leisure activities enhances their confidence and experiences. This included an avid football fan and player travelling to London to watch the Soccer Aid football match. Children and young people also enjoy trips away, cinema, meals out, going for pampering sessions and making future plans. Some young people have engaged in cultivating herbs and vegetables in the extensive garden. A sense of responsibility is gained by children and young people looking after pets, such as a goldfish and a hamster.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s and young people’s health needs are supported by their engagement with external health services. The in-house clinical staff are regular visitors to the home. Their support to the staff team and individual children and young people with behavioural and emotional well-being issues makes them an invaluable resource at the home. Direct work with the young people is helping them to address the risks of smoking cigarettes and substances and drinking alcohol. A young person’s regular engagement in their smoking reduction plan and reading a self-help book on the subject is reducing their smoking activity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of the children’s and young people’s contact with the significant people in their lives. The staff team works hard to build relationships with family and friends to ensure that children and young people maintain positive relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people know how to complain. Some children and young people have an advocate, which provides an independent voice on their behalf. This provides an Inspection report children’s home: 2509298 3 additional safeguard that ensures that children’s and young people’s views are heard and acted on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people live in a high-quality environment that offers them ample communal and private space. Children’s and young people’s personalised bedrooms reflect their individual style and interests. Additional wallpaper and accessories have been purchased with the children’s and young people’s input to further enhance the communal areas of the home.

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

Children and young people are safely cared for. One young person said, ‘This organisation is all about safety.’ A professional said, ‘He is very safe. I have no doubts.’ The shared understanding about risk between the staff, in-house clinical support and professionals helps the staff to help and protect children and young people. Staff are guided by the updated and detailed risk management plans that support the children’s and young people’s identified risks. The area risk assessment is also updated when new information comes to light.

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

Children and young people who have, on occasion, returned home under the influence of alcohol and substances or have expressed self-harming risks are monitored at regular intervals by the staff. This includes the night-time hours. Although this specific detail is not included in the risk assessments, the actual staff practice mitigates any potential impact on the children’s and young people’s safety and welfare.

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

Flexible staffing supports the children’s and young people’s presenting and emerging needs and risks. This includes children new to the home who make allegations against staff, all of which have been referred to the designated officer, with no further action taken. Age-appropriate reading material supports children and young people to understand the concept and implications of making allegations.

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

Despite the number of incidents that have challenged the resilience of the staff team, they have been responsive. Staff use their relationships with the children and young people, individual behaviour support plans and training to de-escalate incidents and intervene. They talk to the children and young people about their behaviours, which allows them to reflect and show remorse.

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

Restraint is used as a last resort. Young people and staff are debriefed following physical intervention. When children and young people go missing, staff follow the appropriate procedures to ensure their safe return. Individual missing from care records do not include the actual risk that going missing could exacerbate. This is a recording issue that does not have an impact on children’s and young people’s safety.

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

Bullying behaviour and conflict between peers are tackled and monitored to ensure that they can live together safely. No children and young people are identified as being Inspection report children’s home: 2509298 4 subject to child sexual or criminal exploitation. The staff talk to the children and young people about matters such as safe relationships, aggressive behaviours, going missing from home, racism, sexual health and social media. Older young people struggling with their emotions are supported by various strategies, such as homing in on their nurturing side and taking on a mentoring role with younger children. These measures offer the children and young people opportunities to grow up with socially acceptable behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She provides strong and decisive leadership to the relatively new, but motivated, staff team. The registered manager understands the children’s and young people’s needs, risks and progress. She recognises the strengths of the diverse staff team and has provided opportunities for some staff to perform additional responsibilities and in acting-up roles. This includes the deputy manager who has been promoted to the position of acting manager with the intention of her submitting a manager’s application with Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager is known to the children and young people, which maintains stability and consistency in the home. She is valued by the staff team which, along with the registered manager, works effectively to provide an aspirational environment that supports the children’s and young people’s progress. Regular meetings between the home, school and clinical team capture any issues or concerns to promote placement stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Independent monitoring visits and internal scrutiny support the home to build on its strengths and managers act on the recommendations following the independent visits. Lessons learned from practice ensure continuous improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals speak positively about the quality of care and support that the children and young people receive. Professionals also confirm good levels of communication from the home. The registered manager has escalated her concerns with the local authority when key information about children has not been forthcoming. Positive relationships between the home and the local police helps them to build mutually positive relationships.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Robust recruitment practices ensure that only suitable adults care for the children and young people. The staff are valued by their managers. They feel supported and act as good role models to the children and young people. They are kept informed about the children’s and young people’s progress through daily handovers and other modes of communication. They are regularly supervised, but more evidence of reflective supervision and less repetitive information in the supervision records would provide a clearer impression of the level of support and challenge during these meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Information gaps in some records, such as incident forms and risk management documents, may leave the home vulnerable in the event of a concern. Full written debriefings following allegations have not been consistently done with staff to ensure Inspection report children’s home: 2509298 5 that all learning points are identified and inform practice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. Professionally qualified staff employed by the home, e.g. teachers or social workers, should be provided with relevant professional or clinical supervision by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) In particular, that supervision is reflective and does not include repetitive information from the previous month. The records must include the staff debriefing and support when an allegation is made against them to ensure that all learning points are identified and inform future practice.

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, provide consistently clear information in incident forms and risk management documents to avoid any misunderstandings.

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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: 2509298 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Witherslack Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lupton Tower, Lupton, Carnforth LA6 2PR

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Inspector

Jacqueline Malcolm, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2509298 7 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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