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

Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 1 Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care for up to six children in up to four houses under a single registration. The home offers short-term intensive stays, typically lasting for 17 weeks, for children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered in January 2024. There is a manager in post who is not yet registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not safeguarded and their welfare is not promoted.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/04/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children have had varied experiences living in the home, which have impacted on their progress and overall well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The manager has not thoroughly assessed the needs of children moving into the home alongside the capabilities of the staff team. In one instance, known risks were not properly evaluated and appropriate safeguards were not implemented, leaving a child vulnerable to harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children do not have unrestricted access to communal spaces, including laundry facilities, which are essential for developing life skills that support their transition to adulthood. One laundry area, which also houses the boiler and electrical systems, has not been appropriately managed and poses a safety concern to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The condition of the home requires significant improvement. Two children’s bedrooms were poorly maintained, carpets in communal areas were dirty and one property had overflowing bins outside, resulting in rubbish accumulating. Unsecured outhouses contained inappropriate items, such as a container of cigarette ends. This is not an acceptable environment for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children engage in education once they have settled into the home, although placements are often short, which limits children’s opportunities to make academic progress. Staff do provide informal learning experiences through activities, which are well documented.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support children’s engagement with healthcare professionals. For one child, staff collaborated to find a solution to improve sleep quality. However, despite healthcare advice and the positive work of some staff, the child’s sleep patterns were not supported by structured daytime routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are helped to maintain relationships with people who are important to them. Staff have worked with a wide range of professionals to help children visit family members when safe plans are in place, despite the distance.

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

Safeguarding practice in the home is reactive and not robust. Measures which could reduce the risk of harm for children were not prioritised by managers and not put in place until after incidents had occurred.

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

The protocols in place to keep children safe are not consistently followed by staff. During an incident when a child went missing, staff operated separately, leaving one member of Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 4 staff alone at the home. This led to an incident where both the member of staff and child were put at significant risk of harm.

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

Problems with the phone signal at the home and in the local area mean that staff who are out looking for children have no effective means to communicate with children, colleagues or professionals. This is an unassessed risk that fails to protect all involved in incidents.

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

Behaviour management practices are not robust. Staff do not feel confident to manage children’s challenging behaviours. This has resulted in rules and boundaries not being followed and on occasions staff have locked themselves in a room. One child has no limitations around their use of a games console and has been allowed to play games which are not appropriate for their age. These practices have put children at an increased risk of harm.

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

The police have been called to manage behaviours as staff have been unable to de- escalate incidents successfully. This does not prevent children from being criminalised. Furthermore, staff have not carried out direct work with children to help them understand the risks they may face when their behaviours become unmanageable. This does not enable children to learn and reflect on incidents. Managers have also not done work with the staff team to help them to manage behaviours in line with care plans to keep children safe.

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

On occasions, the use of physical intervention has not been appropriate. A member of staff used an unapproved hold during an incident, which was not recorded. In relation to another incident, a child said a staff member hurt them while holding them too tightly. The child was asked if they wished to make a complaint. Despite this being an allegation, managers failed to follow the safeguarding polices and did not refer the incident to all relevant safeguarding professionals, including Ofsted.

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

Consequences are used in a punitive way to manage children’s behaviours. Details of the measures put in place by staff are not properly recorded and are therefore not reviewed by managers. The inappropriate actions of staff have therefore not been challenged or addressed by managers.

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

Fire safety is not prioritised. Fire extinguishers have been locked away, despite some children having known risks relating to fire. This is a safeguarding concern for all involved.

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

The home has not been appropriately assessed as a suitable location for all children. This has led to significant incidents involving children which have been poorly managed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The management of the home is ineffective. Following a recent visit, the independent visitor shared concerning feedback with managers based on discussions with staff. Some staff said they felt unsupported by the manager, describing the manager as Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 5 unapproachable and largely absent from the home. In response, managers met with senior staff to discuss these concerns and developed a plan to address them. However, feedback during this inspection echoed these concerns, highlighting ongoing issues that have accumulated over time. Some staff say they feel excluded from discussions about referrals for new children and say they are unprepared to meet the children’s complex needs. This does not demonstrate learning in practice to stabilise the home and support the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite these challenges, the home has a stable staff team. Although some staff feel undervalued by managers, there is a strong team spirit, with senior staff offering consistent support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Oversight of the home is not robust. Although the proposed responsible individual and manager review incidents involving children, they have overlooked crucial feedback from the children about their care. As a result, an allegation of harm and a complaint were missed, with no investigations conducted into the concerns raised about staff practice. The local authority designated officer was not informed, and serious incident notifications to Ofsted have been inconsistent, with some lacking detail or not being reported at all.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Regular staff supervision has not been maintained. Records show gaps where sessions were not scheduled or completed, a concern echoed by staff. This does not give staff the time and opportunity to reflect on their practice and goes against the company’s own policies and procedures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The system for monitoring staff training is inadequate. It relies on a central team to maintain records, which do not include relevant updates, revealing significant shortfalls in staff training necessary to meet the needs of the children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The internal and external quality assurance processes do not support the managers to monitor the quality of care for children or identify and address shortfalls in care practices. Despite repeated reassurance in previous inspections, quality assurance and safeguarding systems in place, do not to keep children safe are still ineffective. Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 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 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded;

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that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 7 *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

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 work as a team where appropriate;

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

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feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 13 July 2025

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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. 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 8 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;

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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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that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

the child is, or has been, persistently absent from the home without permission. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(e)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that staff—

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seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)) 13 July 2025

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children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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is necessary and proportionate; 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 9 is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 10 Specifically, the registered person must ensure that all physical interventions and consequences are recorded in line with regulation 35.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 13 July 2025

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The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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A notification made under this regulation—

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the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 11 any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2778925 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Stoneybeck, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 8RP

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Inspectors

Andrea Foreman, Social Care Inspector Julie Elder, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2778925 13 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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

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