Children's Home run by A Wilderness Way Limited in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children’s home: 2689047 1 Registered provider: A Wilderness Way 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 provides care for up to six children in up to four buildings under this single registration. This is a multi-building children’s home.

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Information about this children’s home

A multi-building children’s home allows the provider, in agreement with the placing authority, to make child-centred decisions about where each child lives and to ensure that their individual needs are met.

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Information about this children’s home

The homes offer short-term intensive stays, typically lasting for 17 weeks. One child lives in each home and is supported by up to two carers.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered as a multi-building children’s home in November 2022 and the manager registered with Ofsted in August 2023. This is the first inspection.

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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: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2689047 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, there was one child living in each of the four homes. All children were spoken to by the inspectors and all the homes were visited. Inspectors also considered the progress and experience of other children who have lived in the homes since registration Children have made significant progress and their outcomes have been positive. After their short-term stays, children have been able to return to family members, live with other children or live independently due to the high-quality multi-agency integrated care provided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Any move in or out of the homes is planned sensitively and is child-centred. Positive endings help children with the next period of their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a wide range of activities and experiences. These are actively promoted and captured in records and through photos. Children leave with a visual record of their time living in the home. This makes children feel highly regarded and is a reminder of their time at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have excellent relationships with children’s parents, previous carers and external professionals. Time with family members and important people in children’s lives is encouraged and promoted, in line with children’s plans and always in conjunction with placing authorities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each of the homes is well presented and maintained. They are all personalised for children and provide them with lots of space inside and outside. Children have their personal belongings. One child who recently moved in said they have everything they need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted by the staff team and children who have previously struggled in education engage well. This gives children a solid learning base. As a result, children have made good progress with their education from their starting points. Children have clear, measurable goals in place to support their educational attainment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good routines and benefit from the structured environment. Children who struggled to be motivated in previous placements are now more active and this is having a positive impact on their physical and emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Although key conversations are held with children on various topics, these are often unplanned and for some children do not cover all known risks and vulnerabilities. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that children are given the opportunity to talk to their care staff about any issues affecting them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689047 3

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

Children say that they feel safe and that the staff looking after them care about them. Some children display behaviours that present high levels of risk. However, risk management arrangements are good. There are clear strategies in place for staff to manage these risks effectively. As a result, safeguarding incidents have reduced for children.

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

Risk assessments are in place promptly when children move into the home and are reviewed regularly. However, for one child, a new risk area has not been included in their risk assessment and the information had not been shared with their social worker. The manager took appropriate action to address this during the inspection and there was no impact on the child.

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

Restraint is rarely used and on the few occasions when it has been used it is proportionate and necessary. Children and staff involved in restraints receive debriefs to discuss the incident and each restraint is robustly evaluated by the manager.

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

When children go missing from the home, there are individualised protocols to follow which include relevant information about that child. This helps staff to locate children and assess the level or risk. The manager and staff team work well with the police, birth families and placing authorities to ensure that there is a well- coordinated response. This reduces the risk of harm to children.

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

Safer recruitment practice is followed. The provider ensures that necessary checks are completed before staff start work in the homes.

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

When allegations are made by children, leaders and managers ensure that appropriate action is taken to safeguard children without delay.

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

Children’s views, opinions and complaints are listened to and taken seriously. When children have made complaints about the staff caring for them, the manager has spoken to children. On one occasion, there was a delay in the manager addressing a complaint with the staff member involved, which then caused a delay in the complaint being fully investigated and practice issues addressed.

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good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She is committed to her role and is child-centred. She is now supported by a deputy manager who, at the time of this inspection, had been in post for three weeks.

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good

Positive feedback was received from professionals and family members about the communication from the manager and staff. They work collaboratively with external professionals. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689047 4 There are shortfalls in the monitoring and review systems for children and while some positive changes are being made, these are not yet embedded. Staff are confused about recent changes to risk management arrangements for activities. This needs to be clarified by the provider to ensure that expectations are clear.

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good

Staff who are not yet qualified are supported to complete their qualification. In exceptional circumstances, when staff have not completed their qualification in the required timeframe, this has been appropriately addressed by leaders and managers.

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good

The statement of purpose is kept under review but still contains incorrect information. For example, it includes details of staff who no longer work at the homes and states that children will be assigned a key worker, which is not happening currently.

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good

Staff benefit from team meetings and supervision. However, their frequency and the quality of records is inconsistent between individual houses. While service-wide meetings have been routinely held, there need to be clear and consistent plans for individual house meetings. Staff appraisals are not being carried out for all staff annually.

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good

At the time of this inspection, due to unavoidable circumstances, shifts in some of the homes were being covered by agency staff. Inspectors spoke to them as part of the inspection. All staff, including agency staff, benefit from thorough handovers and inductions. When children have given their views about staff members, these have been heard and acted on, resulting in changes being made to the rotas. While this is good for the children, some staff have felt frustrated. Inspection report for children’s home: 2689047 5

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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, 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.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that all risk assessments contain children’s current risks, are reviewed regularly and read by staff. Furthermore, ensure risk assessments for out-of-area activities are robust and shared with staff before they go on the activity. 7 December 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—

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that monitoring systems are robust. 7 December 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2689047 6 Leaders and managers must ensure that staff supervision is held regularly, is of consistent quality, includes reflection and considers the development of staff.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, leaders and managers must ensure that house team meetings are held regularly.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (1) (5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that children are allocated key workers as stated in the statement of purpose. 7 December 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. Staffing structures should promote continuity of care for children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.15)  The registered person should ensure that all staff have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes 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: 2689047 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Limited

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Inspectors

Jessica Higginson, Social Care Inspector Nicola Clements, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2689047 8 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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