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

Inspection report children’s home: 2778432 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 home provides care for up to six children in up to four buildings, under one single registration. This is described as 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 under one registration.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager is vacant.

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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: not previously inspected

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2778432 2

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, three children had recently moved out of the home. Two children had unplanned endings.

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences around education, health and well-being, and their progress in building positive relationships are variable.

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improvement to be good

Since the home registered, some staff say that there has been a high turnover of staff. One child said there has been lots of changes to staffing. This does not ensure that children are cared for by a consistent staff team.

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improvement to be good

Children’s individual hobbies and interests are well catered for. They enjoy a wide range of activities, such as outdoor activities, go-karting and going on trips to local shops and parks.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote education and tailor it to meet children’s individual needs. Children complete ASDAN qualifications and functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics. One child has accessed additional education sessions with the support of the virtual school team. Some children have engaged well and have made good progress. However, not all children make progress in their education.

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improvement to be good

Children are registered with all universal services and have up-to-date health assessments. However, managers and staff have not sought support for one child in relation to a specific health need. This could impact on this child’s overall health and development.

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improvement to be good

Children take part in individualised discussions with the organisation’s clinical team. This provides children with an opportunity to talk about how they feel. Some children engage well and are making progress.

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improvement to be good

Children living in the home said that they feel safe. However, improvements are required in staff’s safeguarding practices.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not always provide staff with clear strategies to reduce the risk of harm to children. For example, staff do not always demonstrate professional curiosity and carry out robust checks on a child. As a result, a child was able to leave the home during the night without staff knowledge. This left the child at risk of significant Inspection report children’s home: 2778432 3 harm in the community. Leaders and managers have taken action to address this incident and improve staff practice.

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improvement to be good

On occasions, staff have been unable to de-escalate incidents effectively in line with the child’s individualised plan. As a result, on some occasions, staff have relied on the police to manage incidents. Leaders and managers do not demonstrate any learning from these incidents or take sufficient action to prevent incidents reoccurring.

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improvement to be good

Individualised risk assessments are in place for children. These assessments are regularly reviewed.

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improvement to be good

Two members of staff do not understand the role of significant safeguarding professionals. This includes the local authority designated officer and their own roles and responsibilities in reporting any child protection concerns.

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improvement to be good

Children’s achievements are celebrated, and the use of individualised rewards and consequences helps children to understand the importance of good routines and boundaries. However, leaders and managers recognise that this is an area for development and are organising workshops to address this.

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improvement to be good

There have been two complaints since the home registered. These have been explored thoroughly and the manager ensured that the child was kept updated. During this period, there has been one allegation made by a child. This was addressed promptly and appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to remain vigilant when using the internet. Individual work is carried out with children on important issues, such as staying safe online and healthy relationships. However, not all staff have received training around internet safety.

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improvement to be good

Safe recruitment processes are effective. All staff are vetted before starting work. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been some changes in the management structure since the home registered. The registered manager has taken on the role of the responsible individual, and a new manager has been appointed. The responsible individual and manager said that applications have been submitted. However, these have not been received by Ofsted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say they are well supported and that the management team is approachable. They are child-centred and work hard to achieve positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Monitoring tools used by leaders and managers do not identify gaps in children’s plans. Leaders and managers are in the process of developing some further monitoring tools to improve their overall monitoring and review process. However, these are not embedded into practice. Inspection report children’s home: 2778432 4 On one occasion, the manager has failed to notify Ofsted of an incident in line with regulation. This impacts on the regulator’s ability to monitor the home effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not ensure that all staff are suitably skilled or trained to meet the needs of all children. Not all staff have received training in specific issues relating to children’s individual needs in line with the home’s statement of purpose. This includes training on matters such as self-injurious behaviour, internet safety and attachment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive a comprehensive induction, and team meetings are regular and well attended. However, two new members of staff do not receive regular supervision in line with the home’s statement of purpose. This is a missed opportunity for staff to discuss their development needs to improve their caring practices. The manager is aware of these shortfalls and is developing a new system to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Feedback from professionals is positive. They spoke about good communication and effective information-sharing. One parent said, ‘Staff they went above and beyond, they were always happy to take my calls and help me when I was worried.’ Inspection report children’s home: 2778432 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 9 December 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

promotes their welfare. 9 December 2024 Inspection report children’s home: 2778432 6 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 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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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)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that there is a stable staff team to promote continuity of care. The manager must ensure that there are effective monitoring systems in place and that all staff are suitably trained in matters such as attachment, internet safety and self-harm.

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the 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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose; 9 December 2024 Inspection report children’s home: 2778432 7 that arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that all children have a positive and planned move out of the home and that all local authority documents are in place.

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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 signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 9 December 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they notify Ofsted if one of the situations specified in Regulation 40 (4)(a) to (d) occurs, or if there is an incident in relation to the protection, safeguarding or welfare of a child living in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.10)  The registered person should ensure that, where appropriate, consequences are used to address poor behaviour to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, others and the wider community. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)

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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 Inspection report children’s home: 2778432 8 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: 2778432 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Limited

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Inspectors

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Kelly McCurdy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2778432 10 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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