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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2731613 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 is a local authority home that is registered to provide short breaks for up to six children who may have learning disabilities and/or physical disabilities and/or sensory impairment.

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Information about this children’s home

This home and manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

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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: 20 February 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2731613 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2731613 3

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improvement to be good

The overall experience and progress of children is compromised by shortfalls identified in safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy spending time with each other and enjoy a range of activities, including completing jigsaw, visits to the cinema and sleep overs. They have access to various resources, including a new outdoor sensory garden, an indoor sensory light room and other specialised equipment. One child used sign language to say that they like to see their ‘friends’. Another child said that the staff are ‘great and we are going to a disco tonight and do dancing’.

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improvement to be good

Parents provided positive feedback about the home. One parent said that their child enjoys visiting the home and that the staff are like family to them. Another parent said, ‘The staff have been a godsend to me, and I can spend time with my younger child too, which we couldn’t do without them.’ One grandparent stated that they have been supported through a very complex and difficult family arrangement, which they would not have been able to do without support from the staff.

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improvement to be good

Children’s views, wishes and feelings are considered using a variety of forums. This includes children helping to interview new staff and holding youth groups, where they create newsletters for the children. There is evidence that leaders and managers ensure that children have all the specially adapted resources they need, such as picture exchange communication books. However, some of the language used in the children’s files can be outdated and not child friendly.

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improvement to be good

The staff are caring and passionate about their role and the care they provide to children. Some staff have been working at the home for a considerable length of time. Therefore, the children have built significant relationships with staff over the many years they have used the service. However, some of the language used in documents could be more child focused and strength based.

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improvement to be good

Safeguarding processes are not always followed correctly. On one occasion, a safeguarding incident was not sufficiently escalated to ensure that a full and through investigation was carried out. This compromises safeguarding practice. One child arrived with an injury consistent with potential safeguarding concerns. While the staff did share this information with the placing authority, the registered manager failed to ensure that this was effectively investigated and concluded. This is a significant shortfall that could compromise the safety and welfare of the children. Subsequent safeguarding concerns have been addressed effectively by the staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2731613 4 Staff only use physical intervention as a last resort to keep children safe after all de- escalation and distraction methods have been explored. Positive behaviour support plans support this approach demonstrate that and ethos of the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff access a good level of training to ensure that they are suitably trained to meet the needs of the children in their care. This also helps to ensure consistency in staff practice.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are followed, which means that staff are recruited safely. Safer recruitment checks ensure that only suitable staff are employed to work with children in the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff use positive behaviour approaches, supported by therapeutic training. This avoids any use of negative or punitive measures to manage children’s behaviour.

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

Staff say that they value supervision and appraisals. Most supervision takes place on a regular basis. However, some new staff do not have their supervisions in line with the timeframe set out in the workforce development plan. Staff supervision is brief and does not routinely evaluate the experience of the children and the impact of their behaviour on staff. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that children’s development and progress are monitored, and any issues are identified and addressed in a timely way.

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

The six-monthly quality of care review does not include the feedback and opinions of children, parents, staff or key stakeholders. The report does not always fully evaluate the impact of the care provided on children. This is a missed opportunity for the manager to evaluate the care provided to children effectively.

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

There is a lack of monitoring and review of case files, which has resulted in shortfalls relating to evidencing the progress made by children being missed. Furthermore, action is not always taken in response to the shortfalls identified in records or by the independent person to ensure that improvement is made.

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

Risk assessments are confusing and contain some out of date information. Medical consent is not routinely gained from parents who hold parental responsibility, when children do not live in their care.

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

Staff know the children well and work hard to create a warm and homely environment for them to stay in. The leaders and managers work hard to create a space for children to socialise and develop their interpersonal skills.

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

External professionals provided positive feedback about the care that children receive. One social worker said that the staff are supportive of the children and flexible when meeting children’s needs. Staff attend children’s local authority review meetings and ensure that they provide a written report. Children are supported to attend their review meetings if they wish to. Inspection report for children’s home: 2731613 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that when safeguarding incidents are raised that the safeguarding policy is followed and concerns are investigated thoroughly. 2 April 2025

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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.

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Requirement Due date

if the child dies before attaining the age of 18, for 15 years from 2 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2731613 6 the date of the child’s death;

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Requirement Due date

in cases not falling within sub-paragraph (a), for 75 years from the child’s date of birth;

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there; and

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Requirement Due date

in a secure place after the child has ceased to be accommodated in the home. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the children’s files are reviewed regularly to ensure the records are up to date.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction; ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation; and

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The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (1)(b) (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive regular supervision and appraisals to ensure that there are opportunities for reflection and development, including probation reviews for inexperienced staff.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 2 April 2025

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; 2 April 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2731613 7 and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report").

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (5))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the terminology staff use is caring and compassionate. Phrases that contribute to further discrimination should be challenged and an evaluation of ‘language that cares’ should be considered. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 21, paragraph 4.3)

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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: 2731613 8

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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: Westmorland and Furness Council, Town Hall, Duke Street, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria LA14 2LD

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Inspector

James Meeks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2731613 9 regulates 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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Inspector

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