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

Inspection report children's home: 2688299 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 one single registration. This is a ‘multi-build children’s home’.

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Information about this children's home

A multi-build 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 under this one registration.

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Information about this children's home

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

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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

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2023

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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 children's home: 2688299 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report children's home: 2688299 3

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improvement to be good

This service operates from four separate homes. Four children were resident at the time of the inspection.

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improvement to be good

The homes are welcoming and comfortable. They are personalised to meet the needs of the children. Photos of the children and their families are displayed in the homes.

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improvement to be good

Children are enabled to build trusted relationships with staff. Staff spoke warmly and positively about the children, and they invest time in getting to know them. Staff were observed to be listening and responding to children’s views and ideas. These positive relationships are helping children to learn what a respectful relationship looks like, and how to create one.

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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.

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improvement to be good

Education is promoted in the homes and tailored to meet children’s individual needs. Children achieve ASDAN qualifications, and functional skills in English and maths. This provides children with a good foundation for future learning.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to see their families who are welcome in the homes. One parent said that communication with staff is good. This helps children to maintain their identity and continue to spend quality time with people who are important to them.

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improvement to be good

The children enjoy a range of activities such as rock climbing, mountain biking, paddle boarding and days out. Children are supported to develop their own interests such as Irish dancing and attend a local youth group. This is helping children to develop their confidence and learn new skills.

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improvement to be good

The staff team educate children to make safer choices and to keep themselves safe. Individual work is completed with children on important issues, such as sexual health, family time, and healthy relationships. This work is focused, and specific to children’s needs and daily experiences. The children’s views, wishes and feelings are ascertained. However, the records do not always record how these are acted on.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to carry out daily tasks independently, in line with their individual needs. For example, cooking, managing their personal care and budgeting. This is helping children to prepare for adult life.

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improvement to be good

The home’s therapist visits regularly and spends time with children individually. The therapist supports the staff in delivering person-centred care to children. This is Inspection report children's home: 2688299 4 helping to ensure that children are cared for by resilient and well-informed staff who can meet their individual needs and keep them safe.

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improvement to be good

Assessments of risk and safety plans are in place and reviewed regularly; however, they do not consistently accurately reflect children’s current vulnerabilities. This does not always support staff to ensure that children’s care is safe. For one child, their safety plan does not detail the safeguarding arrangements for an overnight stay.

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improvement to be good

Records of incidents are disjointed and lack clarity. In one case, although the manager reviewed the documentation, it is difficult to clearly understand the chronology of events for the child. This is confusing for staff, especially for agency staff who do not know the children.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions are used as a last resort. The records show a range of de- escalation strategies used in attempts to avoid physical intervention. However, the records do not always detail the time of the intervention, or its duration.

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improvement to be good

Debriefs do not always take place with children and staff following a significant incident. When debriefs happen, they are not always completed in a timely way, or by someone not involved in the incident.

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improvement to be good

Staff know what to do when a child goes missing from the home. Staff follow the missing-from-home protocol and actively look for children. There is good communication with the placing authority and police. However, independent return- home interviews do not take place in a timely way.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment is followed for new staff working in the home. This helps to maintain a safe and positive environment where children are protected from harm.

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good

The registered manager post is currently vacant; however, a new manager is due to start on the 4 March 2024. There are two assistant managers for the service who are supported by an experienced responsible individual.

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good

There have been several staff changes since the last inspection, and one vacancy remains. Staff work hard to cover the gaps in staff rosters. Agency staff known to the children are used on occasion. Managers are proactively recruiting new staff.

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good

Staff say that the managers are supportive, and they enjoy working in the home. Staff receive regular supervision, and records demonstrate that supervision is a good quality with opportunities for reflection. Service meetings take place each month, which allow for feedback and discussion. Inspection report children's home: 2688299 5 Effective monitoring and review systems are not in place. Staff do not have current copies of all the children’s relevant plans, including care plans and health assessments. Therefore, staff do not have access to the most up-to-date information about children. Managers have not taken effective and timely action to rectify this.

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good

Management oversight of incidents is poor. This means that the managers and staff do not always identify and act on shortfalls to improve the quality of care that children receive.

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good

Managers have not notified Ofsted of all significant events that have occurred at the home, for example when a child was missing for five days. This impacts on the regulator’s monitoring of children’s safety and welfare.

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good

New staff coming into the service receive an appropriate induction. All staff have received training in the PACE (Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy) model of care and first aid. However, not all staff have completed training to enhance their skills and knowledge to understand and meet the children’s individual needs. For example, not all staff have received training in relation to substance misuse and gang affiliation, despite these being known risks. Inspection report children's home: 2688299 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 protection of children standard is that children are pro- tected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the reg- istered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into ac- count information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if neces- sary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effec- tively from harm; (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s plans include all current vulnerabilities for a child. 1 May 2024

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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

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; 1 May 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2688299 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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; 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)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must maintain effective oversight of children’s care, children’s records, and significant incidents. Furthermore, the registered person must have robust systems in place to monitor and review the children’s plans and their progress in accordance with their relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff complete child-specific training in a timely way.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the child; details of the child's behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; 1 May 20024 Inspection report children's home: 2688299 8 a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) 3(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure a record is made which includes the time, location and duration of any physical intervention involving a child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are kept up to date; and are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the children’s records are up to date, accurate and contain all relevant information. Furthermore, the registered person should ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful and clear recording. 1 May 2024

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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 — is instigated; or

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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 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)) 1 May 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2688299 9 In particular, the registered person ensuring that regulation 40 notifications are sent to Ofsted when a serious incident has occurred that involves a child being missing from the home for several days.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that an independent return-home interview takes place within 72 hours of a child returning home when they have been missing. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children and staff have a de-brief following a significant incident and that this takes place in a timely way. The de- brief should be completed by someone who is not involved in the incident. Evidence of the de-briefs should be detailed within the records. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 43, paragraph 9.10)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that concerns about not being provided with children’s plans are escalated to the placing authority in an effective and timely way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56 paragraph 11.2)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children's views, wishes and feelings, and the results of these being listened to and acted upon, and are detailed within their 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 children's home: 2688299 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Limited

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Inspectors

Dawn Walker, Social Care Inspector Cathy Trengove, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2688299 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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