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

Inspection report for children's home: SC475723 1 SC475723 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to provide therapeutic care for up to nine children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. The home is privately owned.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2022.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC475723 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/07/2022 Full Good 12/10/2021 Full Good 22/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/08/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC475723 3

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improvement to be good

Children are enabled to build trusted and secure relationships with staff. Staff spoke warmly and positively about the children and they invest time in getting to know them.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to maintain good physical health. Children are encouraged to eat healthily and attend all their health appointments. Professionals from the in- house clinical team, such as speech and language and occupational therapists, provide guidance and training to the staff to help them work with the children’s particular health and sensory needs.

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improvement to be good

The children are attending school. Staff work closely with the on-site school, and there are open lines of communication. Regular meetings take place with the staff, therapist and school to discuss the children’s individual progress. This is supporting the children’s education outcomes.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a range of activities, such as swimming, kayaking and fishing. One child goes to a youth group each week and another child attends Scouts. Two children play in football teams. This is helping the children to learn new skills and enjoy different experiences.

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improvement to be good

The staff actively promote children’s family time. The staff maintain regular communication with children’s families and family members visit the home. This helps the children to maintain their identity and continue to see the people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

Children are consulted about their day-to-day care each week and monthly meetings have recently been reintroduced. This helps promote communication and understanding between the children and staff, and ensures that the children’s views are heard and that they can take an active part in decisions about their home.

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improvement to be good

Individual sessions are carried out with children on important issues. However, the records do not always include their views, or evidence their understanding of the topics and how the individual work is helping them.

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improvement to be good

The home’s therapist visits regularly and works with the children individually. The therapist supports the staff in delivering therapeutic care to the children. However, the children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans do not always include the individual therapeutic approaches identified by the therapist and the wider in- house clinical team.

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improvement to be good

The children are making some progress. However, there are care practices within the home that do not always support a personalised culture of care for each individual Inspection report for children's home: SC475723 4 child. For example, children go to their bedrooms to ‘settle’ around 7.30pm most evenings and usually remain there until morning.

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improvement to be good

Children currently living in the home said that they feel safe. They said that they can talk to most staff about any worries they have.

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improvement to be good

Staff follow the statutory guidance when a child goes missing from the home. The staff will actively look for the children and liaise with professionals to help minimise risk. Although incidents of going missing from home are infrequent, they are well managed and coordinated.

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improvement to be good

Restraints are used as a last resort. The records show a range of de-escalation strategies used in attempts to avoid physical intervention. However, the manager’s evaluation of individual incidents is not robust. Staff and children receive a debrief after an incident. Debriefs for children are child-centred and in accordance with their communication needs.

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improvement to be good

Assessments of risk are in place and reviewed regularly; however, they do not always address all of a child’s individual needs. The behaviour management plans and placement plans lack detail, and some include inaccurate information. This impacts on the staff’s ability to meet all the children’s individual needs and keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently demonstrate that they are aware of their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding and protecting children. One staff member’s action placed a child at risk of physical harm. Another staff member behaved inappropriately during working hours. Swift and suitable action was taken by the managers to minimise the risk to the children to allow the necessary enquiries to be made.

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improvement to be good

Children know how to make a complaint. Children are kept fully informed throughout the process and understand the actions that are taken because of their complaint.

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improvement to be good

There are sensors on the children’s individual bedroom doors. However, there is no record that the use of sensors has been reviewed for all the children as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified manager and two deputy managers.

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good

There have been several staff changes since the last inspection. However, the core staff team has remained, which has provided consistency of care for the children. Inspection report for children's home: SC475723 5 Safer recruitment is followed for new staff coming into the home and they receive an appropriate induction.

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good

Staff described the managers as being supportive, and they said that they enjoy working in the home. Staff have regular supervision, and team meetings that allow for feedback and discussion take place frequently. Meetings take place with other professionals, where staff have an opportunity to discuss the children and reflect on their practice.

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good

Effective internal and external monitoring and review systems are not yet in place. Staff do not have the current copy of all the children’s relevant plans, including the placing authority’s care plan, personal education plan and education, health and care plan. Therefore, staff do not have access to up-to-date information about the children. This limits the staff’s ability to support the children and their development, and measure the children’s progress accurately from when they moved in. Managers have not taken effective action to rectify this.

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good

Robust management evaluation is not always evident within the children’s records. This means that the manager and staff do not always identify and act on shortfalls to improve the quality of care that children receive. Some records are disjointed and include inaccurate information. This is not helpful for the children to understand their journey in the home. Not all records have been signed by the author or manager.

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good

Staff receive training to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to understand and meet the children’s individual needs. All staff are trained in the PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) model of care, and staff have completed training in supporting children with autism spectrum disorder. This helps staff to have a good knowledge and skill base to safeguard children. Inspection report for children's home: SC475723 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

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

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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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 (a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person escalating concerns effectively if the provider does not have all the relevant local authority documentation. 14 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect; 14 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC475723 7 provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(iv)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered person ensuring that the children’s individual needs are met within a nurturing and supportive environment that promotes a personalised culture of care, rather than one that is ‘institutional’ in practice.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; 14 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC475723 8 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered person ensuring that there are robust and up-to-date assessments of risk and behaviour management and placement plans in place that address all of a child’s individual needs. Additionally, the registered person needs to ensure that the staff have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities in relation to keeping children safe, and that this is put into practice in their day-to-day care of the children.

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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

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

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that there are robust and consistent systems in place to 14 August 2023 Inspection report for children's home: SC475723 9 monitor and review all the children’s assessments and plans, and their progress in accordance with their relevant plans. Additionally, the registered person needs to ensure that staff understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording as information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should seek to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression within the home. As such, the registered person should ensure that the use of door sensors is necessary and proportionate for each child, and is kept under review and, if necessary revised. This should be recorded on the child’s records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that the individual therapeutic approaches identified by the clinical team for each child are incorporated into their assessments and plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.15)  The registered person should ensure that children are consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Children should be able to see the results of their

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Recommendations

views being listened to and acted upon. The registered person should ensure that this is detailed in all children’s records. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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: SC475723 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Dawn Walker, Social Care Inspector Nicola Clements, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC475723 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 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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