Children's Home, Residential special school run by Cambian Whinfell School Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children's home: SC066821 1 SC066821 Registered provider: Cambian Whinfell School Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home provides care, accommodation and education for a maximum of 14 young males. The home’s statement of purpose states that care is provided for children who have a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome or autism spectrum disorder and possible accompanying conditions, which may include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, pathological demand avoidance and mild to moderate learning difficulty.

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Information about this children’s home

Accommodation is split, with most children living on the main site and facilities for some children working towards semi-independent living a short distance away.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in June 2020 and has the relevant level 5 leadership and management qualification.

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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.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 2 March to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted website.

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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. Inspection report for children's home: SC066821 2 Date of last inspection: 18 February 2020

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: The home had a monitoring visit on 27 January 2021, when two compliance notices were issued. The first concerned children’s safety and staff’s understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to safeguarding children. The second concerned the children’s views, wishes and feelings. Both these notices were deemed to have been met at the subsequent monitoring visit on 2 March 2021. Inspection report for children's home: SC066821 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/02/2020 Full Outstanding 29/01/2019 Full Outstanding 15/05/2017 Full Outstanding 12/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC066821 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In general, children make good progress at this home. The current cohort of children is settled, and most children are happy to live there. Although there is sometimes friction between children, they are helped to maintain positive relationships. They are supported to be considerate of each other and live together comfortably.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children engage in a wide range of activities. This helps them to learn new skills, to socialise and to broaden their experiences. Some children are reluctant to participate in activities. Staff offer encouragement and praise when they do join in. Some children have made excellent progress in respect of their engagement and are now intending to take part in a planned ski trip.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are keen and committed. They want the best for the children and are prepared to work hard to achieve that. Good relationships are developed between staff and children. This has a positive effect on children’s feelings of well-being and happiness.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placement plans for children are detailed and individualised. Staff writing the plans clearly have excellent knowledge of the individual they are writing about. Some good examples of visual aids were seen. These help children to understand their routines and to know what is expected of them. This reduces their anxieties and supports positive behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children who have previously not attended education are now attending. They make good progress and take qualifications, which has a positive impact on their future. The school was inspected at the same time as the home and the inspector noted some exceptional artwork. When children find attending education difficult, bespoke plans are implemented to help them attend as much as possible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s physical and mental health needs are met to a high standard. Staff seek the involvement of external agencies as appropriate in most cases. On one occasion, a child declined medical attention after being injured. Staff did not advocate for the child and get advice from a medical professional on his behalf. This minor shortfall is addressed in a recommendation regarding good practice.

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

Children who live at this home are safe. Children who previously put themselves at risk are safer because they came to live at the home.

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

The manager ensures that children are not prevented from taking part in activities because of any inherent risk. He works to overcome barriers and to make sure that children living at the home are not limited or restricted in what they can do. Inspection report for children's home: SC066821 5 There are good systems in place to educate children about safety. When children have identified needs around criminal exploitation and racism, work is done to help them reduce these risks.

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

All children are educated about bullying. The home has detailed plans for a thorough exploration of this topic during anti-bullying week. Restorative work is both reactive and proactive. It helps children to improve their relationships and reduces the risk of bullying.

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

The manager compiles a monthly audit and analysis of incidents involving restrictive interventions. This helps to identify patterns and trends and supports the reduction of physical interventions through understanding and avoiding trigger situations.

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

Risk assessments are generally detailed and individualised. However, shortfalls were identified in some children’s risk assessments. One child’s risk assessment did not include information about a specific and potentially serious risk. One did not direct staff in how frequently a child should be checked up on. Another child’s risk rating in one area was not commensurate with the risk. While there was no detrimental impact on the children’s safety, a requirement is made to reflect these shortfalls.

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

Staff are not trained to use ligature kits. Although there are no children who are currently believed to be at risk in this area, it would be good practice for staff to be trained in the event that the kits are needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager is committed to the children in his care. He shows a proactive approach to ensuring they achieve their potential and have positive experiences while living at the home. Inspectors observed him to have a positive rapport with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel good about their work and believe that they are making a difference. They describe the home as a supportive and inclusive environment. Some staff still in their probationary period have not been supervised at the stipulated frequency. Some staff have not had an annual appraisal. These are necessary to ensure that staff are fully supported in their role and are given opportunities to reflect on their practice and further their professional development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff team meeting records are particularly detailed. They show that managers are focused on developing staff knowledge and understanding of children’s needs. Examples of topics discussed include peer-on-peer abuse, trauma and attachment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good monitoring systems in place. This ensures that tasks do not get overlooked. Systems also serve as a tool to review, evaluate and identify any patterns or trends which can subsequently be addressed. Inspection report for children's home: SC066821 6 The home’s statement of purpose has been updated since the last inspection. The latest version has not been sent to the regulator, which has an impact on service monitoring.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has had a significant amount of money invested in it. Lots of improvement work, both to the interior and exterior of the building, has been carried out and is continuing. This interior investment is already resulting in a nicer and more homely environment for the children, particularly in some of their bedrooms. Inspection report for children's home: SC066821 7

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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—

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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)) 16 December

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b)) 16 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(c)) 16 December

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff receive supervision of their practice by an appropriately qualified and experienced professional which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. In particular, staff who are in their probationary period should receive supervision in line with the agreed frequency. (‘Guide to the Inspection report for children's home: SC066821 8 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. The registered person should ensure that skills in safeguarding are gained, refreshed and recorded in the home’s workforce plan. Specifically, staff should be trained to use the home’s ligature kits. (‘Guide to the children’s homes

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Recommendations

regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)  The registered person should ensure that staff should have sufficient understanding of relevant health services, including the functions of the designated nurse for looked after children in their area. They should support children to navigate these services, advocating on their behalf where necessary and appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 34, paragraph 7.8)

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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 for children's home: SC066821 9

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Whinfell School Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspectors

Charlie Bamber, Social Care Inspector Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC066821 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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