Children's home run by Active Ark Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1263126 1 Registered provider: Active Ark Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is one of a number of homes owned and operated by a private organisation. It is registered to provide care for up to two children.

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Information about this children’s home

The post of registered manager is currently vacant. A manager has been appointed and is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home. They both spoke with the inspector about their experiences.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1263126 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2022 Full Good 19/08/2021 Full Good 01/07/2019 Full Good 28/02/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: 1263126 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into and on from the home in a positive way. The inspector observed positive and caring relationships between staff and children. The manager and staff provide children with individualised care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A shortfall in care planning meetings and requests for meeting minutes from the local authority have not been escalated by the manager. This does not support the manager or staff to provide consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build positive relationships with the children. Children’s views, wishes and feelings are taken into consideration, which allows them to make choices and decisions about their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff prioritise children’s health and well-being and encourage children to attend routine health appointments. Staff encourage the children to be active, such as attending the gym and going fell walking. This supports the children to remain fit and well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported and encouraged to attend education. The manager works with the local authority and education professionals to identify suitable education placements for the children. However, the children would benefit from having routines in place which incorporate informal learning opportunities when not in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated and furnished to a high standard. Children have a choice in the decoration of their bedrooms and are encouraged to personalise their own space. This supports the children to develop their identity and creates a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their family. Staff have good relationships with family members, which means that children can maintain relationships with people who are important to them. One family member said, ‘I think it’s great. They [the child] are treated with respect, they have their own money, go on outings and have things for their bedroom.’

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

The safety and welfare of children are at the centre of staff’s practice. This helps staff keep children safe. Children’s risk assessments and safety plans address their vulnerabilities and include clear strategies for staff to follow.

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

Children say they feel safe, and staff help them to stay safe. One child said, ‘I like it here, it is nice. Some rules I don’t like, but I know it is to keep me safe.’ Inspection report for children's home: 1263126 4 All staff are trained in physical intervention and de-escalation techniques. This supports staff to de-escalate incidents to keep children safe. Plans are reviewed and updated following any incidents.

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

When children have been missing from care, staff know how to respond. They have taken appropriate action and been proactive in locating the child and encouraging their safe return in line with protocols. Following their return home, children have the opportunity to speak to someone independently to share any worries.

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

Staff talk to children to help them understand their thoughts and feelings. They also help them to reflect on any incidents or risk-taking behaviours. The manager takes appropriate action and communicates effectively with other professionals to ensure that children are safe living in the home.

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

External professionals are complimentary about the quality of the care children receive and they gave positive feedback. One said, ‘Staff and the manager understand [name of child]’s risks and are fantastic at meeting their needs.’

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good

The manager has been in post since August 2022 and is enrolled on the relevant management qualification. She has high aspirations for the children in her care. Shortfalls identified at the previous inspection have all been addressed.

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good

The manager reviews the home on a six-monthly basis and completes a location risk assessment annually. The independent visitor reviews the home on a monthly basis. The reviews give a clear overview of the service. However, consistent feedback from children, professionals, parents and staff would support the manager in further developing the service.

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good

New staff receive a thorough induction that provides them with a detailed programme of training and guidance in their new role. Staff have received annual appraisals, but these have not included feedback from the children or professionals who work alongside them.

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good

The manager has not notified Ofsted in a timely manner of significant incidents that have taken place in the home. This does not support effective monitoring and compromises children’s welfare and safety.

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good

The manager has not got effective monitoring systems in place. This does not help her to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the service or to take swift action to address any shortfalls as they arise.

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good

Staff spoken to had mixed feelings about the support offered by leaders and managers. Some staff have not received regular supervision or attended team meetings, in line with the home’s statement of purpose. This does not support the Inspection report for children's home: 1263126 5 staff to reflect on their practice to ensure they continue to meet the needs of the children.

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good

Professionals are complimentary about the manager and staff. One said, ‘I chair many meetings and the quality of residential care for children can be variable, however, I fed back to our commissioning team that I would be happy to work with your organisation again.’ Inspection report for children's home: 1263126 6

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)) 18 June 2023

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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— 18 June 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1263126 7 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

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(f)(g)(i))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(c)(e)(ii)) 18 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; 18 June 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1263126 8 there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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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

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)) 18 June 2023

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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 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

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 (2)(b)(c) (5)) 18 June 2023

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (2)) 18 June 2023 Inspection report for children's home: 1263126 9

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and of children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 1263126 10

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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

Julie Elder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1263126 11 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 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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