Children's Home run by Active Ark Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Assurance visit report: SC439956 1 SC439956

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of several homes run by a private company. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child or young person with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since March 2020, when the previous registered manager resigned. An interim manager was appointed but the arrangement was not suitable. A new manager has been appointed and has recently made an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic. Assurance visit report: SC439956 2

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit.

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The care of children

The child has benefited from the support of a small, consistent staff team. Staff provide her with a good continuity of care and show her a lot of emotional warmth and nurture that allows her the freedom to be the child she is and enjoy the experience of being parented.

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The care of children

The child benefits from a variety of positive role models within the staff team who she can identify with. For example, one staff member can be like an older sister while another more like a grandmother.

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The care of children

Staff have invested time into home schooling when attending school was not an option because of the pandemic lockdowns. The child has now returned to mainstream primary education and is continuing to make reasonable progress.

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The care of children

The home’s care planning appears basic and underdeveloped. There is an absence of information in relation to the child’s culture, heritage and identity, which does not provide a sufficient picture or understanding of her needs and how they should be met.

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The care of children

Staff recognise the child’s talents, which include singing, dancing and gymnastics. They encourage these and have supported her previously to attend local community groups where these talents can be developed. However, some difficulties experienced by the child in sharing adult attention has resulted in her exclusion from these; some by her own choice.

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The care of children

Staff have continued to encourage other home-based activities as well as regular walks to make sure the child gets plenty of fresh air and exercise. However, due to the current restrictions, she is missing out on group activities that she previously enjoyed and opportunities to join alternative groups.

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The care of children

Significantly, the COVID-19 pandemic has impaired the quality of contact that the child previously enjoyed with her older brother. Before the pandemic, the two siblings could meet and enjoy an activity away from their children’s homes. As the two have had a difficult relationship, this has allowed them to meet somewhere neutral to build and develop their relationship in readiness for a time when they could potentially live together again. Because of current government restrictions, these arrangements now are safely managed between the two company homes. This restricts what they can do and often causes frustration or upset for one or both children.

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The care of children

As restrictions have allowed, staff have assisted both children to meet up and spend time with their parents individually. This has not always been a positive experience Assurance visit report: SC439956 3 as this is deliberately supervised away from the children’s homes because parents struggle with their children being in residential care. Staff have continued to encourage and promote telephone contact with the child’s parents, but the child feels less comfortable with this arrangement.

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The care of children

Professionals speak highly of the care that the child receives in this home but have also expressed some frustration with interim leadership and management arrangements and how these have failed to achieve good communication between the home and the placing authority.

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The safety of children

The child currently placed says that she feels happy, safe and well looked after by staff. She feels safe in her environment and confident that she can talk to staff should she feel scared or worried.

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The safety of children

The child has a reasonable understanding for her age and ability of the concerns surrounding the current pandemic and the government’s ‘hands, face, space’ campaign. Staff, following government health advice, have ensured that the home is kept well sanitised and have implemented routine measures to avoid transmission of the virus.

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The safety of children

Staff know the child well and as such demonstrate a clear understanding of her vulnerability, due to her age and understanding. They are also fully aware of risks associated with her behaviour and how these should be managed. However, the quality of the child’s recorded risk assessments does not reflect this or provide staff with sufficiently clear guidance. Some include inaccurate and historic information and have not benefited from any recent management review or revision.

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The safety of children

Staff provide the child with clear boundaries and expectations. They promote her positive behaviour with small incentives and enthusiastic encouragement. The quality of the relationships they share with her minimises incidents from escalating and unsettling her.

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The safety of children

Physical interventions only occur when necessary to protect the child from harm. These are sufficiently detailed and well recorded. However, during this visit, it was identified that the home has not been routinely keeping a record of all sanctions that have occurred. Apart from breaching regulation, this fails to provide managers with a clear understanding of the actual number occurrences, any patterns of behaviour emerging and the ability to assess their effectiveness and fairness.

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The safety of children

Staff provide a high level of supervision to the child given her age and vulnerability. There have not been any incidents concerning the child going missing from this home. Assurance visit report: SC439956 4

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Leaders and managers

The home has been without a registered manager since March 2020. A new manager has recently been appointed and has applied to Ofsted to become the home’s new registered manager. Currently the manager is settling into his new role, getting to know both the staff team and the child placed at the home. He has considerable experience of working in children’s residential care and is currently enrolled and working towards a suitable management qualification.

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Leaders and managers

Prior to this appointment, the home was managed for a period by a registered manager of another home run by the company. This arrangement was not ideal as the manager retained responsibility for his own home and a sister home, also with a vacant registered manager position. Because of this, the home’s leadership and management have not been as strong or as consistent as in previous years.

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Leaders and managers

Although staff are eager to praise the day-to-day support provided by the previous manager, they recognise that the routine arrangements for staff meetings and professional staff supervision have not been maintained since their previous registered manager left in March 2020. This shortfall in management practice has hindered communication and not successfully dealt with issues of relating to staff practice and their ongoing professional development.

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Leaders and managers

The quality of internal and external monitoring and reporting has declined. Ofsted did not receive a quality of care report from the manager for a six-month period prior to this visit. Additionally, Ofsted has not consistently received timely reports from the independent person’s scrutiny of the home. This has reduced the home’s transparency with Ofsted and failed to evidence the positive work staff are doing.

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Leaders and managers

One requirement concerning the availability of external monitoring reports to Ofsted is being repeated from the last inspection. Six more requirements have been made to deal with shortfalls in practice identified during this visit.

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 28 February 2021 Assurance visit report: SC439956 5 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider keeping children’s risk assessments under review, up to date and accurate.

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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

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met;

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that regular staff team meetings occur, and that account is taken of feedback received and other monitoring activity to assist the home’s planning for improvement. 28 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 28 February 2021 Assurance visit report: SC439956 6 receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to ensuring that the home’s care plans are sufficiently detailed and take into account the child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural and linguistic background, sexual identity, mental health, any disability, their assessed needs, previous experiences and any relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that staff receive training to understand the value of contact and that staff supervision occurs regularly and is appropriately documented. 28 February 2021

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; 28 February 2021 Assurance visit report: SC439956 7 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii) (c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to establishing a sanction record at the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must provide a copy of the independent person’s report to—

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Requirement Due date

upon request, the local authority for the area in which the home is located;

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Requirement Due date

the registered provider and, if applicable, the registered manager; and

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Requirement Due date

the responsible individual (if one is nominated). 28 February 2021 Assurance visit report: SC439956 8 (Regulation 44 (1) (7)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to monitoring visits being conducted on a monthly basis, with reports reaching Ofsted within the prescribed timescale.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality 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) (5))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the provider ensuring that Ofsted receives a quality of care review report every six months within the prescribed timescale. 28 February 2021 Assurance visit report: SC439956 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Active Ark, Unit E, Baron Way, Kingmoor Business Park, Carlisle CA6 4SJ

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Inspector

Gillian Walters, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC439956 10 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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