Children's home run by Witherslack Group Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 2585926 1 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to seven children who may have emotional and/or social difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 21 January 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2585926 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2585926 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences of living in this home are good. This results in the children making good progress.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The homely atmosphere provides the children with a comfortable and relaxed environment. There are shared spaces for the children to socialise or enjoy meals together. Children like their bedrooms, which are personalised and changed at the children’s requests. By adding themed decorations, the staff help the children to celebrate events such as Halloween and the children’s birthdays.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a warm welcome when they move into the home. The manager and staff think carefully about every child’s move, and think about the information that the child needs to help them prepare. For example, the staff visit the child to provide them with information about the home such as the floor plan and where the child’s bedroom is located. Children are involved in planning their arrival and choose who will greet them at the door. Plans are followed and risks are well understood so that the children’s needs are met, and they are fully supported to settle in when they arrive.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

From the moment the children move into the home, staff work hard to develop positive relationships with the children’s family. Through regular communication, feedback and visits to the home, family members feel involved in their children’s lives. Staff provide the children’s parents with information and reassurance about their child’s well-being and progress. Feedback from relatives was positive. One relative said, ‘I feel welcome at the home’ and another said, ‘I wouldn’t want my child anywhere else.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children speak positively about living in the home. They say that they have a trusted adult who they can rely on to help them solve a problem or provide support. Staff are in tune with the children’s emotions, and notice when children are worried, unhappy or anxious. Staff use humour and play sensitively, alongside conversations, to help the children understand their own feelings.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well to have good physical and emotional health. Staff help the children to attend routine and specialist appointments. They also support the children to follow medical advice and take prescribed medication. This is particularly beneficial for children who have not accessed these health services prior to moving into the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress with their education. For some children, this means attending school after a long period of absence or low attendance. Children’s attainment is carefully tracked and, if there are any issues or cause for concern, relevant professionals, such as the virtual head, are consulted. Inspection report children’s home: 2585926 4 Children are treated as individuals and regularly reminded by staff that they are loved. Children’s views are valued and used to influence decisions in their daily lives. Through regular interventions, questionnaires and informal discussions, the manager gathers children’s views. Where possible, the manager responds to the children’s ideas and requests. For example, one child asked for a pet and has since developed their skills to care for the animal.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are also supported to develop independence skills, for example budgeting, grocery shopping and cookery. Children spoke proudly of their new skills and felt confident in using them as they move into adulthood.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move out of the home, staff recognise that this can be a worrying and unsettling time for the child. The manager and staff liaise with new carers to ensure that the child has the right support at each stage of the process. One new carer said, ‘I think the work that we’ve done collaboratively has made sure that [name’s] move has been a success.’

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to remember fun times in the home and the progress that they have made. However, staff do not provide the children with memory books or photographs for the child to use to aid reflection.

p.4

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

Children’s individual risk assessments are detailed. They help the staff to understand the children’s vulnerabilities and what strategies they should use to reduce the risks for the children. Where there is a particular concern regarding a child’s welfare, the manager discusses this with the relevant staff, the child’s family, and professionals.

p.4

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

Staff provide the children with intervention sessions which are tailored to address the children’s individual needs. Sessions focus on providing the children with information, advice and support so that the children can learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff provide the children with help to promote positive well-being, for example regular physical exercise, good personal hygiene and an appropriate sleep pattern.

p.4

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

Children receive help to develop positive behaviour. Together with the staff, the children set individual targets with incentives to reward good behaviour. This supports the children to understand the rules in the home and what is expected of them. Children spoke with excitement about their incentives, such as new gaming equipment and trips away to see their favourite music artist.

p.4

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

Children are supported to enjoy regular family time and opportunities to socialise with their friends. Children are kept safe as the manager and the staff are confident in managing the associated risks and use the agreed strategies in response to any concerns. Staff support the children to maintain links with the people who are important to them, even when they live some distance away. Staff provide transport and, when necessary, go with the children to ensure that they are safe. Inspection report children’s home: 2585926 5 Physical intervention is used as a last resort to keep the children safe and to prevent harm to others. Records are thorough and show the strategies that are used to avoid physical intervention and how effective they are. Debrief sessions take place with the children and staff, offering time to reflect, raise any concerns and discuss ways to avoid future occurrence.

p.4

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

The manager ensures that most complaints and allegations are taken seriously and are investigated. However, the inspector identified that two complaints had not been fully documented. Although the manager provided a detailed explanation of the action taken, this is a breach of regulations.

p.5

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

When serious incidents occur which involve the children, the manager does not consistently inform Ofsted. This prevents the regulator from having an overview of the actions taken by staff in the home to ensure that the children are increasingly safe.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a qualified and experienced manager. He has a clear vision for the home and high aspirations for all the children. He shows genuine care and compassion towards them, with a strong focus on children feeling well looked after and loved. The manager invests a lot of time in the children and also keeps in touch with the children who have left.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses the monitoring systems well to evaluate children’s experiences and progress. Children’s progress is carefully tracked and evaluated. This enables the manager to identify when children need additional support or changes to their plans. Regular reviews, in addition to feedback from other agencies and the independent visitor, mean that the manager understands the home’s strengths and areas for development. He uses the information to make ongoing improvements in the care that the children receive.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and the staff work together with other agencies well, and the quality of communication is good. One professional said, ‘The staff are proactive, and they work well with the local authority.’ Another professional said, ‘Communication was excellent, and the staff knew [child] inside out.’

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

COVID-19 has had an impact on staff recruitment and retention. Despite the staffing pressures, the staff remain enthusiastic and support each other. Consequently, relationships amongst the team are good and morale is high. Staff have worked additional hours and also been supported by the staff from the sister home. The manager understands the potential impact that this has on continuity of children’s care. He has successfully recruited new staff and has a plan for the forthcoming weeks.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training and continued professional development are high on the manager’s priorities. He uses a monitoring system to track the staff’s training and progress. In addition, the manager has met the requirement at the last inspection and ensured Inspection report children’s home: 2585926 6 that all the staff have now completed fire prevention training. The staff recognise the benefit of their training and the positive impact this has on the children’s care.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff feel valued and well supported by the manager and deputy manager, who provide advice and guidance. Staff spoke highly of their experiences of working in the home. One staff member reflected on the progress of a child, describing a ‘success story’, and another staff member said, ‘it’s a safe atmosphere’, ‘children thrive’ and ‘we focus on the best possible outcomes for the kids’.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular practice-related supervision and say that these sessions are helpful and reflective. Where there are issues of concern regarding the staff’s practice, additional supervision and management oversight is provided. In the majority of cases, a record of staff supervision is completed. However, the inspector identified two sessions where the records of these sessions could not be found. Inspection report children’s home: 2585926 7

p.6

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, the 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.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 27 December

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child— is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 27 November

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that the staff undertake life story work or other direct work with children so that the children understand who they are and where they have come from, as this is recognised as good social work practice. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations and quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.14)

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered provider should demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that the children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent the children from receiving the continuity of care that they need. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations and quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1) Inspection report children’s home: 2585926 8  The registered provider should ensure that there is a record of the staff’s supervision. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations and quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

p.7

Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations and quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.8

Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: 2585926 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Witherslack Group Ltd

p.9

Children’s home details

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

p.9

Inspector

Catherine Heron, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2585926 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.

p.9

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10