Children's Home run by A Wilderness Way Limited in Northumberland

Inspection report children’s home: SC474894 1 SC474894 Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides accommodation for up to three children and young people. The primary focus is to work with young females who may be at risk of exploitation and who may present with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private company. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 17 to 18 December 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: 24 September 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC474894 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2018 Full Good 15/01/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 04/07/2017 Full Good 31/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC474894 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people move into this home following a well-planned induction that is individualised to their identified needs. They are provided with a stable and homely environment in which they make progress. The staff provide consistent, nurturing care that promotes a sense of well-being in children and young people. Staff are skilled at developing supportive relationships with children and young people. They strive to engage positively with parents, carers and families through good communication and the sharing of information. This enables the development of trust, which supports the safe care of children and young people. As a result, children and young people are able to re-engage in family life and develop their sense of belonging and identity. Staff proactively support children and young people to attend education, and all children and young people have made progress from their starting points. Routines to encourage

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

children and young people back into education are sensitively implemented. This work is supported by close liaison with educational professionals in schools, colleges and alternative provisions. This flexible and sensitive approach enables children and young people to regain their confidence and direction within education and to make progress. External professionals in education and social work commented on the development of positive relationships between children and young people and staff. Additionally, they expressed how well children and young people were developing their understanding of their own behaviours. This is achieved through close supervision and opportunities to engage in open discussions with staff, who provide positive role-modelling and listen to children and young people. Children and young people are supported to develop their interests. For example, volunteering opportunities to work with animals and to support younger children in youth

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

clubs are sourced by staff. Children and young people can have pets in the home and this is managed by clear expectations and support from staff. This helps children and young people develop empathy and a sense of responsibility and ensures that they develop life skills and confidence. Although children and young people do not always attend planned appointments with health professionals, they are helped to understand their health needs and staff consistently encourage and support them through health education. The children and young people develop an awareness of healthier lifestyles, including healthy eating and maintaining personal care. This supports the development of their self-esteem. Transitions from the home are managed very well. The staff team and management ensure that children and young people receive memory books and survival kits before moving on. The kits are based on items that the staff know, from their work with the

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

children and young people, will help them when they feel low or stressed. This is a well- embedded practice that continues to support children and young people to move on successfully. Inspection report children’s home: SC474894 4

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

Children and young people are supported to understand their own vulnerabilities and develop safe-care strategies. Staff work positively with a range of professionals to ensure that risks are known and understood. Risk assessments and behavioural management plans are thorough as a result. However, historical information can mislead how the risk has been assessed. It is not clear what is current. This potentially limits the assessments’ effectiveness. The staff work collaboratively with local and national police forces in gathering intelligence and sharing information. This in-depth communication helps to manage complex child sexual exploitation situations. This leads to children and young people being increasingly safe because of living at the home. The staff assist children and young people’s recovery from harmful experiences, through the development of positive, supportive relationships. This helps children to regain confidence in trusted adults and

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

promotes their well-being. Children and young people are supported to manage their behaviours through close supervision. Staffing ratios are in accordance with agreed plans and the statement of purpose. However, these do not account for unpredictability, for example when physical intervention is needed. This potentially leads to staff and children and young people being at risk in the home. A recommendation has been made to ensure that contingency plans are considered. Staff are highly vigilant and respond effectively to situations that incur risk. They follow safeguarding protocols individual to each child and young person. They assist children and young people to spend positive time in the local community, with appropriate safeguards in place. The plans enable small steps to be taken not only to keep children and young people safe but also to rebuild confidence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is experienced and is supported effectively by an efficient leadership team. Together, they have high aspirations for children and young people. As a result, children and young people make progress from their starting points. The registered manager is a supportive leader, who leads by example and is an effective role model. She has excellent relationships with children and young people, who trust her and will seek her out for support and interaction. She is highly visible in the home, ensuring that she has a direct understanding of the day-to-day quality of care provided. This approach is highly supportive of her staff and ensures that children and young people receive consistent good care. Staff receive regular training, both e-learning and face-to-face. The provider has a well- developed training programme and an effective system in place to ensure that staff maintain up-to-date knowledge and skills. The registered manager and her deputy

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

ensure that staff receive regular and reflective supervision and take part in team meetings. Staff report these to be based on open and constructive discussions. This enables staff to feel supported and develop a positive working environment in which children and young people are at the centre of good practice. The new deputy brings a wealth of experience in creative outdoor activities. This enables Inspection report children’s home: SC474894 5 children and young people to develop confidence and resilience, developing a range of life skills through planning and participation in outdoor activities such as rock climbing and camping. Previously, this work was carried out by the provider’s education facility and not directly linked to individual plans within the home. As a result, plans were not coordinated to ensure that progress prior to transition from the home was tracked. Addressing this means that children and young people will be able to see their progress

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

and gain confidence in their own abilities. Children and young people’s records are largely electronic. Staff engage children and young people in contributing to and understanding their plans. However, the system does not enable effective analysis of linked documentation, for example regarding incidents connected to behavioural support plans. This limits the effectiveness of the system and means that children and young people are not able to fully contribute to plans. The registered manager and her staff work collaboratively with external professionals and families. Their relationships are positive and help to ensure that care planning and risk management for children and young people are consistently evaluated and reviewed. This promotes positive outcomes for children and young people and assists with maintaining their well-being.

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Recommendations

 Staff must help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  As outlined in 10.1, the registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. Staffing structures should promote continuity of care from the child’s perspective. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.15)  Some records may be kept electronically (regulation 38) provided that this

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Recommendations

information can be easily accessed by anyone with a legitimate need to view it and, if required, be reproduced in a legible form. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Specifically, staff should ensure that risk assessments are up to date and information is clear and relevant to current identified risk. Inspection report children’s home: SC474894 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 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: SC474894 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Manor House, Brisco, Carlisle, Cumberland CA4 0QS

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Inspector

Michael Dack, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC474894 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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