Children's Home run by Westmoreland Care Group Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2796537 1 Registered provider: Westmoreland Care Group Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home at the time of this inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: Not previously inspected

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2796537 2

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is settled and happy in their home. The manager and staff provide the child with personalised care. The child’s care plan is understood and followed by staff. This ensures that the child receives consistent care. A professional working with the child said, ‘[Name of child] gets the best level of care, they are doing really well. The staff are excellent and proactive. I wish all the children I work with received this level of care.’

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff show a commitment to the children they care for, which continues when children move out of the home. A child who recently moved out, following a difficult period, remains in daily contact with the staff and interacts with the other child and staff through playing online games with them. This demonstrates that children experience positive endings.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff work closely with education professionals to understand the best education options for the child. The child is currently being educated online. While this is progress from the child’s starting point, they do not feel that this is challenging or interesting for them. The manager has advocated for the child to be educated either in person, at school or at an alternative provision. However, the manager has not escalated this sufficiently with the local authority to avoid any further drift and delay.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage and support the child to attend routine health appointments. The manager and staff work with a therapist and external agencies to support the child’s emotional health and well-being. However, the child uses a vape outside the home and further work needs to be completed to support them to understand the impact of using vapes on their health.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support the child’s heritage and culture. Staff support the child to manage their skin and hair by taking them shopping to buy specialist products and demonstrating how to use them.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have positive relationships with the child. This means they can support, guide and advise them, to enhance their development. The child has the opportunity to share their views, wishes and feelings and to have input into decisions about their life. This supports the child to feel listened to, valued and respected.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to spend time with their family and friends. Staff have good relationships with family members, which helps the child to maintain relationships with people who are important to them.

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is decorated to a good standard throughout. The child’s bedroom is personalised with pictures of their family and friends on the walls. Inspection report for children’s home: 2796537 3

p.2

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

The child’s risks are reducing because of the care and effective safeguarding practice that they receive from staff. Staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. The child’s plan details their known needs, risks and vulnerabilities and provides staff with clear steps to take to keep the child safe.

p.3

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

Staff provide clear routines, boundaries and consistent care. This creates stability for the child and helps them to understand what is expected of them. Staff use rewards and incentives to encourage positive choices, which enables the child to take responsibility for their own behaviours.

p.3

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

Staff are trained in physical intervention and de-escalation techniques but have not had to use physical intervention to keep the child safe. This is due to the positive relationships staff have built, which allows them to successfully de-escalate situations and support the child to regulate their emotions.

p.3

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

Staff help the child to understand risks and develop strategies to manage difficult feelings safely. This teaches the child life skills for their future. The parent of the child said, ‘[Name of child] is so much calmer now, the staff are brilliant with them, they treat them like they are their own child.’

p.3

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

The home is maintained to a high standard and is a safe environment for the child to live in.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A visible and dedicated manager leads this home. A skilled and experienced staff team supports the manager. The manager has formed relationships with the child that are underpinned by trust and respect. The child said, ‘[Name of manager] will get stuff done for me, it’s all good here.’ The manager leads the staff team by example.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a detailed understanding of the care that the child receives and the impact that this has on their outcomes. Monitoring and quality assurance processes are effective. The manager takes decisive action to resolve any shortfalls in staff’s practice. Concerns about staff conduct are taken seriously, shared with relevant professionals and investigated thoroughly.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager leads a culture of learning and development. Staff access a range of training opportunities that ensure that they have the skills to meet the evolving needs of the child. Staff access regular supervision and team meetings, which provides them with opportunities to learn and develop. Research, theory and practice tools are used to inform ongoing practice developments. The manager is committed to developing practice to improve the experiences of children. Staff receive open and honest feedback Inspection report for children’s home: 2796537 4 about their performance. This helps them to understand what is expected of them and gives them the skills to meet the changing needs of the child.

p.3

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff are united, with a shared purpose and commitment to the child in their care. Staff morale is exceptionally high. Staff enjoy working in this home and feel supported by the manager. The manager recognises the importance of staff needing to feel valued, trusted and listened to. She ensures that their good practice is recognised. One staff member said, ‘[Name of manager] is extremely supportive of all staff and is aware of the importance of staff safety and happiness which in turn promotes happiness in the workplace.’

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has formed positive working relationships with other professionals. Feedback from professionals is overwhelmingly positive. The manager appropriately challenges professionals when they do not meet children’s needs. This ensures that any delays in children’s needs being met are resolved quickly. Inspection report for children’s home: 2796537 5

p.4

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff encourage children to take a proactive role in looking after their day-to-day health and well-being. Specifically, the use of vapes in and around the home should be addressed. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 33, paragraph 7.10)  The registered person should ensure that there is a clear education plan for each child when not in full-time education, and that children are supported to complete educational activities in line with this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

p.5

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: 2796537 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Westmoreland Care Group Limited

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 10 Green Bank Park, Higher Road, Longridge, Preston PR3 2XY

p.6

Inspector

Deborah Turner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2796537 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

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

p.7