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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1247560 1 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is operated by a private organisation. The home is registered to care for up to four children who have social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in March 2017.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of inspection, four children lived in the home. They were all seen and spoken to.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1247560 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/03/2023 Full Good 08/03/2022 Full Outstanding 16/03/2020 Full Outstanding 16/01/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: 1247560 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children move into the home in a sensitively planned way. Children are invited to the home to spend time with the everybody and to have a look around their new school prior to moving in. This supports the children to settle in well and helps them to begin to form relationships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a supportive and nurturing home. This helps children to establish positive, predictable routines that support their development and allows them to thrive. One parent said, ‘They were in such a bad way when they first moved in, they have now come on in leaps and bounds. I can’t rate the therapy and care highly enough.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend full-time education and are making good progress. The manager and staff have a good relationship with the education staff. This supports positive collaboration and provides flexibility in meeting the children’s needs. However, there is no education or placement plan for one child. This means the manager and staff are unaware of the child’s starting point or the expectations from the placing authority.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to attend any health appointments. The manager and staff work closely with the organisation’s clinical team. This supports the children’s emotional health and well-being. Children are happy and settled living in the home. The children’s care plans are understood and followed by staff. This ensures that the children receive consistent care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to see their family and friends. Staff have good relationships with family members, which helps the child to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. One parent said, ‘Staff trust us, and we trust them. We have a really good relationship with them, they are always open and honest.’

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in activities such as trampolining, attending football games and days out with the staff. This increases the children’s social interactions and allows them to develop different skills and interests.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a large, suitably designed and comfortable home that is furnished and maintained to a good standard. Children like their home and take pride in it. This is a comfortable home where children feel relaxed, safe and happy.

p.3

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

Children confirmed that they feel safe. One child scored the home is 10 out of 10. The children benefit from clear and consistent routines, boundaries and expectations. Children’s risks and vulnerabilities are understood, and adequate plans and strategies are in place to manage them. Inspection report for children’s home: 1247560 4 The manager and staff are proactive and forward thinking in terms of how they can address and reduce children’s risk-taking behaviours. One child has recently been given responsibility alongside a staff member for ensuring that the car safety checks are completed. This supports the child’s curiosity and understanding about cars in a safely planned and managed way.

p.3

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

On occasions, children have been missing from care. Staff are proactive in their approach to try and locate the child and work with the police to return the child home safely in line with protocols. A return home interview is offered and staff speak to the child to try to identify triggers, so that further strategies can be put in place to reduce the risk.

p.4

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

Allegations are managed well, in line with protocol and procedures. However, on one occasion, the manager failed to notify HMCI of an allegation against a member of staff. Although managed effectively, this did not allow for the regulator to have sufficient oversight and scrutiny.

p.4

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

Staff are trained in physical intervention and de-escalation techniques. Staff have held children on a number of occasions. Managers have reviewed the records relating to physical interventions and the holds were proportionate and necessary. However, on one occasion, the manager failed to carry out reflection work with a child after a hold. It was unclear if staff debriefs for a number of holds have been carried out in a timely manner due to how they are recorded on the organisation’s recording system. This does not support the manager to robustly analyse and evaluate staff practice, or to recommend any changes required to staff practice to reduce the number of holds in the future.

p.4

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

One social worker shared that they felt that the manager and staff manage safeguarding concerns well and communication is good. Staff are trained in a variety of safeguarding practices. This means staff are skilled in identifying risks and ensure that children are supported to become increasingly safe.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since the home opened and has a relevant childcare and management qualification. There is a full and committed staff team that has high aspirations for the children in its care. There is a good sense of teamwork. One staff member said that staff morale is very high and they feel very proud to be in a team that communicates and works together to support the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

New staff receive a thorough induction that provides them with a detailed programme of training and guidance in their new role. This ensure that children are cared for by staff who can meet their needs.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff receive regular supervision, are up to date with their training and take part in regular team meetings. This ensures that they can reflect on their practice and continue to meet the needs of the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1247560 5 The staff and manager had their performance reviews in July 2023. Staff practice has been appraised and targets, goals and actions set. However, the review does not capture feedback from professionals working with staff or the children who live in the home. This is a missed opportunity for further reflection on practice.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Case records and individual work sessions provide a good picture of the children’s progress and experiences of living at this home. The manager ensures that the children’s guide and statement of purpose are kept under review.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good monitoring systems in place, which helps her to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the service. This means she is able to take action to address any shortfalls as they arise. The manager reviews the quality of care on a six-monthly basis, which gives a clear overview of the service and areas for development. Inspection report for children’s home: 1247560 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

p.6

Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

p.6

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

p.6

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 31 March 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is an adequate system in place to notify HMCI without delay of any serious events. 31 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1247560 7

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they have a copy of children’s placement plans and education plans when children move into the home. The child’s plans should form the basis of their care, and the provider should use their judgement as to what is relevant in each case. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.1)  The registered person should ensure that staff appraisals include the views of other professionals who have worked with staff over the year, and the views of children who have been cared for at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Recommendation re-stated.

p.7

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: 1247560 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lupton Tower, Lupton, Carnforth, Lancashire LA6 2PR

p.8

Inspector

Julie Elder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1247560 9 regulates and inspects 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.

p.8

Inspector

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 .

p.9

Inspector

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.9

Inspector

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

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: 1247560 10

p.9