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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 1 Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home registered with Ofsted as a multi-building children’s home in January 2024 and provides care for up to six children in four separate houses.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 18 June 2024. A new manager is in post but has not yet applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living at the home.

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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 requires improvement to be 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 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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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 2

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improvement to be good

Children are welcomed into the home sensitively. Children are given opportunities to visit the home before they move in. When admissions are unplanned, staff ensure that children are supported to adjust to their new environment.

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improvement to be good

Children can personalise their bedrooms, and some houses fully reflect the children, with their photos and personal belongings throughout. However, this is not evident in all of the houses. Children’s bedroom doors have active door sensors. However, risk management plans do not clearly demonstrate any safeguarding risks to warrant the need for the sensors. This compromises children’s liberty.

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improvement to be good

Children are offered formal and informal education, but children’s participation in learning is inconsistent. One child has made progress from their starting point, and their social worker said, ‘[Name of child] is showing an interest in learning, which is a big achievement.’ Children do not have planners for education activities, which means that some children have no structure or routing to their day.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not have access to children’s most recent local authority care plans. This compromises the care provided to children.

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improvement to be good

Children are registered with local health services, and staff encourage attendance at all appointments.

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improvement to be good

Children’s time spent with family is valued and managed safely. Staff ensure that children are able to attend significant family events.

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improvement to be good

Children have trusting relationships with staff and can identify those they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns.

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improvement to be good

Managers have not thoroughly considered the potential risks for children living together. As a result, strategies to mitigate potential risks are not effective. Children have individualised risk assessments, but these do not always provide staff with clear guidance on what they need to do to manage risks.

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improvement to be good

Physical intervention is used as a last resort to keep children safe. Physical intervention records clearly demonstrate why physical intervention has been used. However, children are not always spoken to in a timely manner following any holds, which compromises their opportunities to share their views and contribute to their Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 3 behaviour support plans. This also compromises the children’s opportunities to share any concerns about staff practice.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not always notify Ofsted of significant incidents, including allegations against staff, as required. However, when children make allegations, leaders and managers respond immediately and ensure that safeguards are in place while investigations are undertaken. Children are kept informed and updated on the outcome of their allegation.

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improvement to be good

Key-work sessions with children are not planned and do not target the vulnerabilities and risks of each child.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from home, staff understand the procedures they should follow and the action they should take. They look for children and update social workers and the police of emerging information.

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good

The manager and responsible individual are aware of the strengths and areas for development of the home. They have a clear plan of the action required to address the shortfalls.

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good

The arrangements for the monitoring and oversight of staff practice are not fully established and embedded. Those responsible for management oversight are not consistent in their roles and responsibilities, which means shortfalls in staff practice and case records are not identified. The systems for monitoring and overseeing staff practice are not yet fully established or integrated. Inconsistent roles and responsibilities among those responsible for management oversight result in shortcomings in staff practice and case records going unnoticed.

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good

Leaders and managers have not ensured that there are robust monitoring and review systems in place. The quality of the reports from the independent person has not been challenged by leaders and managers. These are missed opportunities to ensure that practice is safe and continuously improving.

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good

Those delivering supervision are trained. However, supervision does not take place regularly, and some staff do not receive supervision that is reflective. Staff feel that communication from managers is variable, which can lead to inconsistences in the care provided to children.

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good

The quality of team meetings varies in the different houses, which compromises staff learning and development. Service meetings for all staff follow a set agenda and are used to deliver training and development opportunities for staff. Staff have completed ‘language that cares’ training; however, the impact of this is not yet seen across all records. Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 4 Not all staff have completed the required training as detailed in the home’s statement of purpose. Leaders and managers are supporting staff to complete the relevant qualification, and staff are enthusiastic about their development.

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good

Recruitment is safe and all necessary checks are completed before staff commence work at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 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;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must fully evaluate how children’s risks will impact on each other when new children move into the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all risk assessments contain clear steps for staff to follow should an incident occur.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must consider any risks outside of the home and ensure that staff know how to respond to these.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that each child is provided with proactive key-work sessions that are planned based on children’s risk assessments and presenting needs and feelings. 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 6 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

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;

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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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure they lead and manage the home consistently, so all children receive care in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff receive regular reflective supervision and training that equips them to support children’s understanding of risks and meet children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they have oversight of all work being completed. They must ensure incidents and work are evaluated to establish patterns and trends and identify areas of learning in order to make continuous improvements. 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 7 The registered person must ensure that evaluative monitoring systems are in place to inform practice in the home and the quality-of-care review.

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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

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 18 October

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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.

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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

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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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 registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(c)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that they are in receipt of current local authority care plans and pathway plans and that local authorities are contacted to review plans if there are concerns.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are prepared for leaving the home or moving into adult provision. This includes the development of independence skills, understanding of risk and access to employment, education, or training. 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 8 The registered person must ensure that—

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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 (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are spoken to following a restraint, and that all restraints and consequences are evaluated to determine their effectiveness and identify learning that can be put into practice. 31 October

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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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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;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training, or employment and to prepare for future care, education, or employment; 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 9 help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities, and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children not attending education have a regular routine and education timetable and are supported to complete educational activities while not in school.

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that there is a clear rationale for the use of bedroom door sensors and that this is regularly reviewed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the use of door sensors on bedrooms is included in children’s plans and the home’s statement of purpose. 18 October

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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.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 10 timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a) (5))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that the independent person is regularly consulting with children, staff and stakeholders and that reports are submitted to the regulator within timescales.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children live in a warm and welcoming environment with a homely feel. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2778387 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Stoneybeck, Bowscar, Penrith CA11 8RP

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Inspectors

Sarah Jackson, Social Care Inspector Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2778387 12 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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