Children's Home run by Westmorland and Furness Council in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children’s home: 2732129 1 Registered provider: Westmorland and Furness Council

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

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 1 April 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

The previous registered manager left the role in September 2024. A new manager has been appointed. They have submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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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: 17 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: 2732129 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/10/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2732129 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are positive transitions for children moving in and out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A detailed support plan and timetable were put in place to help one child return to the care of a family member. The staff team advocated for decisions about the child’s plan to be escalated to meet their needs. The child wrote to the staff team recently, saying, ‘I’m really happy here at home. I couldn’t have done it all without you all fighting my corner and having my back the whole way, so thank you so much.’ A family member complimented the team on how it has shown care for them all as a family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress. Children enjoy living in the home and have trusted relationships with staff. The team provides nurturing, child-focused care in a family environment. Staff know and understand the children well and provide sensitive care that is tailored to meet their individual experiences, personalities and needs. Staff work in a child-centred way to support one child to process a recent trauma.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children engage well in education. Prompt action was taken by managers to support a child whose school closed. This involved finding another provision with the child’s input to limit the impact on them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are met well. Staff have been proactive in responding to a potential health condition for one child and in making improvements to a child’s bedroom to improve their sleep routine. An emotional health and well-being team supports children directly and provides guidance and training to staff to help them meet children’s therapeutic needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff did not seek medical assistance for one child as quickly as they should have done after a bike accident. While there was little impact on the child, the staff have reflected on their practice and recognised the potential consequences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The support to develop children’s interests is a strength of the team. Staff work hard to encourage children to try different things and develop their hobbies as individuals. This includes supporting children to learn to play musical instruments, go to concerts, play sports, engage in outdoor pursuits and eat food from different cultures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to spend time with the people who are important to them. Staff work hard to develop positive working relationships with families to help them feel involved in children’s care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2732129 4 The home has been personalised more, with changes to children’s bedrooms and canvases of the children in living areas. The kitchen is the heart of the home, where staff and children eat together every day. A wall in the kitchen has certificates for children from the manager recognising their achievements, which helps children to feel valued and cared for.

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

The risks to children living in the home are low and managed well. Staff have a good understanding of the children and pick up on changes in their presentation. The staff reflect well together to consider what might be impacting on children.

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

There are clear and consistent rules and boundaries in place for children. There is a stable and experienced team of staff in place who communicate with each other well. As a result, the care provided by staff is predictable and gives children an increased sense of security.

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

Risk-taking behaviours for one child reduced as the plans for their return to family were progressed. Staff were proactive in working with the child to understand the impact of their behaviours and to ensure that their views were fed into the planning process. Staff worked well with the child’s family to support their behaviours, which led to the child being returned safely after going missing from the home.

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

Staff follow the protocols in place to ensure that children who go missing are returned home safely. The recording of incidents has improved, with more detail being provided about staff actions. Managers have made significant improvements to documents to improve reporting and management oversight.

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

There has only been one occasion when staff have used physical intervention to keep a child safe from harm. The child had been held by staff on a daily basis in their previous children’s home. This is a positive change for the child and demonstrates the team’s clear approach to therapeutic and nurturing support. The team has a member of staff who is a trainer in the provider’s therapeutic approach, who supports staff practice in this area.

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

There are several ways for children to share their views about the home. Children know how to make a complaint, and the manager takes these seriously. Greater clarity is needed about the difference between a complaint and an allegation. However, this has not impacted on the way in which concerns are dealt with.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager and her deputy have improved the home’s culture and atmosphere. Both staff and children highlighted how present, approachable and supportive the manager and deputy are. Staff feel valued and empowered under the new management to develop in their roles and contribute towards the running of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2732129 5 There is a reflective approach in the team which is embedded and encouraged by managers. Staff are supported to reflect on incidents and consider how they could improve their practice. This reflects a ‘no-blame’ culture in the home, where staff feel there is greater transparency and openness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have plans in place to develop the home and are open about the shortfalls that have needed work. Staff have been involved in making improvements to ensure that they feel included in the changes being made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are some staff vacancies that have been filled by using relief and agency staff. The staff used are well known to the children to ensure that there is consistency and stability. Children were involved in the recruitment process for the manager by providing feedback to leaders on their view of the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers advocate for children and have high aspirations for what they can achieve. They ensure that children’s views and wishes are listened to and acted on. However, children’s views about staff who are caring for them are not sought by the manager in preparation for staff appraisals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are weekly team meetings that are focused on the children. Records show how staff participate fully in the meetings through reflective discussions. Staff supervision sessions are used by managers to help staff reflect on their practice and to support their well-being. There are some inconsistencies in the timescales between supervision sessions for staff, which the manager acknowledges.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well trained to meet children’s needs. Staff have completed bespoke training to understand how to support children through loss and grief and with neurodiversity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight is evident across all the documentation and includes reflection on incidents and areas requiring follow up. Managers have regular meetings with their peers and leaders to ensure that there is support for their own development and for improvements in the quality of care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2732129 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that annual appraisals of staff take into account, 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)  The registered person should have systems in place to ensure that all staff receive regular supervision of their practice. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2732129 7

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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: 2732129 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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