Children's home run by Westmorland and Furness Council

Inspection report for children’s home: 2732719 1 Registered provider: Westmorland and Furness Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted on 1 April 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three 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 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: 24 October 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2732719 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/10/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2732719 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children develop trusted relationships with staff. The depth of these relationships helps children to talk to staff about their previous experiences and to make decisions about their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into and out of the home, this is done with care and consideration. Children are involved in planning to ensure that their wishes and views are responded to, and plans are tailored to meet their individual needs. The manager recognises the importance of the relationships with children, carers and professionals in developing effective plans which support children at times of change.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager produces end-of-placement reports to capture children’s journeys and recognise their successes. These are shared with children along with their memory books. One child’s previous foster carer said that their child has made great progress which is a testament to the nurturing and supportive environment of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in education at their own pace. Two children have had setbacks in their experiences of education, which has impacted on their engagement. Staff work hard to understand the barriers to education and to find ways to address them. This has resulted in referrals for assessments to ensure that children’s specific needs are understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to develop their independence. For one child, there is no overview of their progress to help to identify where they need further support. There are plans in place to introduce an educational programme that will provide a more detailed approach to developing independence skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional needs are well met. There is significant input from the emotional health and well-being team for direct work with children and staff. This has included sourcing additional funding for a psychological assessment for one child to help carers to understand how best to support their needs as they move towards independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to consider their own physical health needs. There has been ongoing work with children around the dangers of smoking and vaping. Children are aware of the risks and expectations but are currently not engaging in any cessation work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have not followed up on the exercises identified in one child’s health assessment to support their speech and language development. The manager recognises that staff will need additional training to support this effectively. Inspection report for children’s home: 2732719 4 Records of staff discussions with children are focused and detailed. They demonstrate the importance of listening to children and how they respond. The work shows the depth of staff relationships with children and the nurturing approach to their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain and develop their relationships and to build networks which will support them as they move into adulthood. Staff develop positive working relationships with family members and friends. One child’s social worker commended the team of staff on how the quality of their relationships supports shared goals and effective outcomes for children.

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

Risk assessments are detailed. They clearly set out the risks along with the strategies that staff should use to reduce risks. The plans show how risks have changed over time and when new risks have emerged.

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

The risks for children living in the home are reducing. Staff talk to children about the concerns they have for them. They carry out planned work with children to help them understand how to keep themselves safe. As a result, children have been able to reflect more on their actions.

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

There are clear rules and boundaries in place which consider children’s vulnerabilities. There are concerns for one child around going missing from the home and alcohol misuse. Therefore, there are appropriate and safe arrangements in place for the time the child spends in the community. This includes regular welfare checks.

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

When children are missing from the home, staff follow the protocols in place and work with professionals such as the police to share information. Return home interviews are attempted with children and staff are curious to try to understand the triggers. On most occasions when children are missing, it is usually when they return home later than the agreed time.

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

There have not been any occasions when staff have needed to use physical intervention. Staff are trained in de-escalation and diversion techniques and use the strength of their relationships with children to promote positive behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is calm, patient and reflective. She has shown great insight into her role and taken action to improve the monitoring of the service since the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager collaborates effectively with staff and other professionals. She is responsive to the needs of staff, both professionally and personally. The team of staff are experienced and passionate about their roles, and they look at ways to improve the service. Staff are positive about how the manager values their views and input. Inspection report for children’s home: 2732719 5 There have been several challenges around staffing, which has led to continued use of agency staff. The manager has tried to use consistent agency staff to limit the potential impact of inconsistent care. However, the manager has now recruited to all vacant posts.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective oversight of staff training. Some staff have not completed the required refresher training; however, dates are scheduled for them to achieve this. The manager also identified some additional training to support staff to meet children’s specific needs. This includes training in autism awareness, the risks of smoking and vaping, and supporting children’s emotional health and well-being. However, there is a gap in speech and language therapy training for staff to support a child who recently moved into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and supervision sessions take place regularly. Sessions are reflective with staff taking an active role in discussions. Supervision takes place in a variety of ways, including one-to-one discussions and group discussions, and ad hoc sessions on specific topics take place when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Appraisals focus on staff’s well-being and development. However, the manager does not seek feedback from other professionals working with staff or from children living in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home environment has been improved with a more comfortable communal space. The same level of improvement is not evident in children’s bedrooms. While staff have taken action to try to support children to maintain clean and tidy bedrooms, this has not been sustained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are missed opportunities for the manager to analyse patterns and trends to see what impact the physical environment has on children’s well-being and on areas such as children’s engagement in education. The manager has not made use of theory or professional input to consider how children’s past experiences or potential diagnoses may impact on their environment. Inspection report for children’s home: 2732719 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, 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(c)) 31 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2732719 7 This relates to ensuring that staff understand how to support children to engage in specific physical exercises to improve their speech and language therapy outcomes.

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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

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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that the registered person uses monitoring and review systems to ensure that theory and professional input around children’s physical environments is used to improve their physical and emotional well-being. 31 December 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are prepared to live independently. This includes having systems in place to record how the child is progressing with practical skills, such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27) Inspection report for children’s home: 2732719 8  The registered person should ensure that annual appraisals of staff consider, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 2732719 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Westmorland and Furness Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Duke Street, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria LA14 2LD

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Elizabeth Curtis

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Inspector

Andrea Foreman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2732719 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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