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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2778885 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 children’s home provides care for up to six children in up to four houses within this single registration. The home offers short-term intensive stays, typically lasting for 17 weeks in duration, for children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in January 2024.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were living at the home at the time of this 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 good

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good

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

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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: 2778885 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have developed trusting relationships with staff in the short time they have lived at the home. Staff members are inquisitive about children, which helps children to express themselves. As a result, children are able to discuss sensitive topics with staff who help them to access the right care and support. Professionals and family members speak positively about the impact this has on outcomes for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff engage children in conversations about their health. This helps children to share information about themselves with staff and to make positive changes, such as accessing support to stop smoking and to improve sleep hygiene. One child’s mental health needs were more significant than anticipated by the manager and the placing authority when the child moved into the home. The staff team supported the child to get the right help and support and recognised that the child’s needs could not be met effectively at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress with education. Tutors consider creative ways to build rapport with children and to engage them in learning. Staff involve children in informal learning opportunities and complete logs to demonstrate how they use their skills in everyday activities. One child has achieved the highest level of award, completing a portfolio which shows a significant amount of time invested in their work with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

An education, health and care plan for one child who recently moved into the home is out of date. The manager has not escalated this to the placing authority. Consequently, staff do not have a good understanding of the child’s current needs and how they can be met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to express their diversity and explore their identity. Staff are curious and sensitive to children’s individual circumstances, which helps children to feel accepted and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain and develop important relationships with their family. Family members visit children in their home as a natural way to spend time together.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are provided with a variety of opportunities to develop and explore their interests, including singing, climbing and building with toy bricks. This extends to children expressing themselves in their home, both in their bedroom and living rooms. Inspection report for children’s home: 2778885 3

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

Children are supported to understand why they have come to live at the home. Staff help children to consider their own safety and to develop positive routines that benefit their self-esteem and well-being.

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

There is a high level of supervision of children, which helps to reduce their risks. Some children have moved into the home because of the high risk of them going missing from home. However, there have only been a few occasions where children have gone missing from the home. When children have been missing, it has only been for short periods of time, and staff have taken appropriate action to locate children quickly and ensure their safe return home.

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

Staff help children to understand what court orders, such as those restricting their liberties, mean. Staff ensure that children have opportunities to share their views about court orders. Children understand what staff are doing to help keep them safe.

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

Staff understand the risks to children. Staff initially responded appropriately to support a child who had used an item to cause themselves harm. However, staff were not proactive in assessing the situation to ensure that the item was removed. This resulted in a further incident that could have been prevented.

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

The use of physical intervention is low. There has been one time when staff supported a child who was at risk of harming themselves and others. The provider has completed a review of the incident and identified areas of learning. This includes further training for staff and joint work with the police.

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

The review of premises considers the potential risks to children posed by busy roads and nearby farms. At one property, there is a utility pole directly outside the property which has not been considered, despite the potential risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a caring and compassionate leader, and staff and children speak highly of him. The manager shares his time across all four houses, which is reflected in how well he knows the children and staff. There are effective methods of communication in place across the houses, which supports consistent practice and encourages staff involvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and supported by the manager and his new assistant. Staff are recognised for their skills and are encouraged to develop. There is a system in place for staff to receive nominations and awards for their positive practice. One member of staff provides peer support to colleagues who are completing their qualifications. As a result, there is a strong team spirit within the home which has positive benefits for staff and children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2778885 4 Staff have all completed all basic training. Some staff have also completed additional training which is specific to the needs of the children in their care, such as LGBTQ+ and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) awareness training. There was no training put in place to support staff who would be caring for a child with specific mental health needs, despite the team having access to a psychologist who could provide specific information.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff who are new to the home say that the quality of training and support during induction has helped to prepare them for their roles. The manager does not outline the specific training completed by staff in documents that consider how the team can meet the needs of new children moving into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are child-focused. The manager uses meetings to share information, which helps to build a strong team approach and consistent care for children. There are some gaps in supervision. However, staff have regular contact with senior staff and managers, which supports their practice. Supervision also takes the form of single-subject and group sessions to support more directed discussions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Care planning documents for children lack detail in some areas. Some key local authority documentation for children is not available. This means that some of the home’s key documents lack key information relating to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The provider follows its own safer recruitment processes. This does not include carrying out checks when applicants have previously worked with children overseas some time ago. This means that managers are not reassured that all staff are safe to work with children. One child was involved in interviewing prospective staff and shared their views on how applicants performed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager carries out regular monitoring of the home that focuses on the quality of care being provided rather than just including data. There are delays in the manager reporting to Ofsted. The review of quality of care has not been completed and shared with Ofsted as required. Additionally, there are often delays in Ofsted being notified of serious incidents, and the monthly reports from the independent person are often provided late. Inspection report for children’s home: 2778885 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they have access to all relevant and up-to-date local authority documentation to assist effective planning for children and that plans and assessments demonstrate how children’s specific needs will be met. 31 October

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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

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff take effective action to remove items that present a risk to a child. 31 October

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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; 31 October Inspection report for children’s home: 2778885 6 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 —

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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 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all notifiable incidents are notified to HMCI without delay.

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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

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there are systems in place to ensure that low-level incidents are reviewed and to ensure that ongoing monitoring through the completion of monthly reports by the independent person and six-monthly reviews of care are completed in a timely way. 31 October

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the review of premises includes all known risks and any emerging risks. Specifically, this relates to the utility pole on the driveway of the property. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.12) Inspection report for children’s home: 2778885 7  The registered person should ensure that recruitment practices safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. This relates specifically to ensuring that checks are completed for applicants who have worked with children overseas. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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: 2778885 8

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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

Andrea Foreman, Social Care Inspector Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2778885 9 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

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