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

Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 1 Registered provider: Radical Services 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 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. The home’s manager has the level 5 diploma and was registered with Ofsted in March 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 27 to 28 November 2019

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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: Outstanding

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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

30/07/2018 Full Outstanding 23/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 3

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outstanding

Young people at this home are settled and are making good and exceptional progress. They have positive and trusting relationships with staff. This helps them to feel secure and to know that staff will help and support them in all situations. Staff know and understand the young people. This means that young people are consistently responded to in ways that work well for them.

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outstanding

Young people are all thriving either in education or employment. They have ambitions for their futures and are working hard to realise those ambitions. Staff have high expectations that young people can, and will, be successful. Some young people particularly enjoy arts and crafts, and the work they have produced is of an extremely high standard. Some of this work is proudly displayed around the home.

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outstanding

Staff celebrate young people’s successes and achievements, however big or small. They show genuine care and warmth and are proud of how far the young people have come. From their starting points, even young people who leave in an unplanned way make some very good progress. For most, their progression from the point of placement is outstanding.

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outstanding

Young people are invested in their placements. Most consider this to be their home, and they have been supported to choose furnishings and decor which suit their taste. This results in their respecting the home environment. Relationships between young people are positive, and they show understanding and compassion for others’ difficulties.

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outstanding

Individualised programmes of direct work are of an exceptionally high standard. The records of these capture the young person’s voice and evidence that their views, wishes and feelings are considered and responded to appropriately. Independence work undertaken with those young people preparing to move on is of an exceptional standard. This ensures that young people have the best possible chance to live independently successfully.

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outstanding

Information from research is embedded into every area of practice. Attachment theory and trauma-informed care are focused on as the most relevant areas from which to embed research into practice. This helps staff better understand young people’s needs and behaviours. With this understanding they have developed improved tools to work with the young people in an individualised way.

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

Staff understand young people’s risks, and in general risk management strategies are effective. From their starting points, most young people make exceptional progress in Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 4 reducing their risks and learning to manage their behaviour in a safer way. Detailed positive behaviour support plans help staff to understand how to help young people when they engage in risk-taking behaviours.

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

Young people currently placed are settled and their risks well managed. However, two previous placements have had an impact on the help and protect judgement. Young people who had risks of sexualised behaviour had clear plans in place, which on one occasion were not followed by staff. As a result, their safety was compromised. While this was a very serious incident, the concerns are not widespread, and staff have been helped to reflect on the incident and improve their practice. The incident was taken extremely seriously by managers who show commitment to preventing any further such incidents.

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

One young person’s behaviours escalated to the point at which he was having a detrimental impact on some of the other young people in the home. Staff took effective action to reduce the risk. They implemented a managed move for him, after enabling him to complete his school exams, to an alternative placement, while keeping everyone safe and minimising the impact on all young people.

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

Staff work with young people to help them understand risks and to reduce risk-taking behaviour. Young people are helped to take ownership of their own safeguarding through involvement in creating their own document, ‘Help me manage my risk-taking behaviours’. One young person reported that he had devised his own set of rules and boundaries. This helped him to understand and adhere to them, taking ownership of his own behavioural expectations.

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

One young person was subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements on admission to the home. Through a high level of care and support, she is now no longer subject to these arrangements, which shows a significant reduction in her risk to the community.

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

Most young people are now able to have free time in the community, where they have made friends. They understand what is expected of them regarding staying in contact with staff and returning home at the correct time.

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

Incidents of missing from home are low, as are incidents of restrictive physical interventions. Records of such events are detailed and clear. They show that staff follow the correct protocols for managing such events.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home’s manager has now achieved her level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare. The management team shows unwavering commitment to the young people and staff team. Managers are highly ambitious about the quality of care delivered to the young people. They have led the home through some significant challenges since the last full inspection and have shown that Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 5 they have the skills and dedication to minimise the impact on young people and to re- group the staff team and continue to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home’s manager is fully committed to embedding research into practice. She is tenacious in her efforts to ensure that staff are well informed about, and able to implement, the relevant model of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The management team has good understanding of the complexity of the young people and the progress they are making. Managers are also clear about the strengths and weaknesses of the home. They are committed to ongoing development and show passion and drive to make continuous improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring activity is of a high standard, which ensures that any errors or omissions are quickly identified and rectified. External monitoring is also of a high standard, and managers value this feedback. Feedback from young people and external agencies is considered to be highly important, both for evidencing young people’s experiences and progression and for identifying ways to improve. Feedback from external agencies sought for this inspection was consistently positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers are mindful of the impact on staff of working with young people who can be difficult to care for at times. They offer help and support to ensure that staff well- being and emotional health are taken into account. Staff are encouraged to identify their own needs and ways in which this may have an impact on their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is operating in line with its statement of purpose, which has been updated to give a much better reflection of the service. Placing authorities reviewing the statement of purpose will have a clear idea of the service and of the experiences young people can expect if placed at this home.

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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: 1249264 6

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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, Wyther Lane, Leeds LS5 3BT

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Inspectors

Charlie Bamber, social care inspector Cheryl Field, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1249264 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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