Children's home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC475723 1 SC475723

p.1

Witherslack Group Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home is registered to provide care for up to nine children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

An experienced manager has been appointed. She has submitted her application to register with Ofsted.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This visit was undertaken to address specific concerns received by Ofsted, following point-in-time survey responses. Information received identified possible concerns relating to the safety of children living in the home.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Children were observed interacting positively with staff and each other. Staff have a strong awareness of the individual needs of each child living in the home. Children spoke positively about the staff who care for them. Children spoken to all feel comfortable and safe in the home.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Children have a good understanding of how to raise concerns or make a complaint about their care. Records reviewed demonstrate that staff and managers take appropriate action to address complaints and concerns raised by children. Children receive a clear response in relation to the action taken, following complaints being made. However, work identified by the manager to address an issue relating to bullying has not been completed, despite this being shared with a child in response to a concern around bullying.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Staff have a good understanding of safeguarding. They know what action to take to safeguard children and have a clear understanding of the whistle-blowing procedure. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC475723 2 During this visit, inspectors did not review the progress made in relation to requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection. These are restated in this report.

p.1

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 12/10/2021 Full Good 22/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/08/2018 Full Good 31/10/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC475723 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

p.3

Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

p.3

Requirement Due date

Specifically, the manager should ensure that return home interviews are taking place and, where this is not the case, effective tracking should demonstrate that concerns have been escalated to the child’s placing authority and evidence when interviews have taken place following the manager’s challenge. The manager should also ensure that their escalation policy is used consistently with regards to chasing out-of-date documents from children’s placing authorities. 25 November 2021

p.3

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—

p.3

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.3

Requirement Due date

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

p.3

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

p.3

Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(h)) 25 November 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC475723 4 Specifically, the manager should ensure that enough staff have received training that is specific to the needs and risks of children, for example self-harm, suicide and ligature, substance misuse, ADHD, and bereavement training.

p.3

Requirement Due date

The manager’s monitoring should ensure that there are clear recording systems in place to evidence that child welfare checks at family homes, and children’s mobile phone safety checks, are taking place as directed, and any concerns or outcomes are recorded clearly in children’s case files.

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records are kept of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused. Where there are questions or concerns about a child’s medication, the home should approach an expert such as a general medical practitioner, community pharmacist or designated looked after children’s nurse. Specifically, there should be thorough oversight and clear records to demonstrate if medication has been administered or refused when children are staying at a family member’s house. In addition to this, staff should seek medical guidance to clarify when children’s prescribed medication should be administered and the potential impact of missing frequent dosages on the child’s health. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that they demonstrate every effort to

p.4

Recommendations

achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care that they need. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)  The registered person should lead a team which provides high-quality care for all children living in the home. They must lead and manage the home in a way that delivers the ethos, outcomes and approach set out in the home’s statement of purpose. Specifically, team meetings should take place regularly with the staff team. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.4)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring, including

p.4

Recommendations

under regulations 44 and 45, to ensure continuous improvement. Specifically, the manager should ensure that the feedback they obtain from children, staff, social workers and families is included in the review of quality of care report, to demonstrate that they have considered a full evaluation of the service provided. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that any identified actions following an investigation into concerns around bullying are carried out in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC475723 5 (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.16)

p.4

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.5

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC475723 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

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

p.6

Inspectors

Louise Redfern, Social Care Inspector Cheryl Field, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC475723 7 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.6

Inspectors

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.7

Inspectors

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

p.7

Inspectors

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

p.7