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

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 1 Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Ltd

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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 with Ofsted in January 2024, alongside the registered manager.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were no children living in the home.

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This monitoring visit

This home was judged inadequate on 13 May 2025. Inspectors identified that managers had failed to adequately assess risk and poor staff practice had led to children being unnecessarily exposed to harm.

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This monitoring visit

Following the inspection, compliance notices under Regulation 12 (the protection of children standard), Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard), Regulation 14 (the care planning standard) and Regulation 40 (notification of a serious event) were issued.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was carried out on 9 July 2025. The purpose of this visit was to review the action taken by the provider to meet the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Following the inadequate judgement, the provider developed an action plan to highlight the areas of concern in current practices and to identify opportunities for improvement. Although refresher safeguarding training was delivered to staff, it did not enable staff to gain a clear understanding of their individual roles and responsibilities in protecting children or identify the specific actions that they must take when a child is at risk of harm. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 2 As part of the staff development programme, tailored workbooks were introduced to strengthen knowledge in areas such as safeguarding, managing allegations, going missing from care, and reporting and recording. However, a review showed that some staff had copied content from online sources, with several identical entries. These issues were not identified by managers, reflecting a missed opportunity for

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This monitoring visit

oversight and support. Despite good intentions, the exercise revealed ongoing gaps in staff’s understanding of child protection responsibilities and failed to bring about meaningful improvements in practice.

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This monitoring visit

Although immediate action was taken after the inspection to improve the knowledge and skills of the staff team, limited opportunities were provided for the registered manager to reflect on the concerns raised during the inspection, particularly those relating to weaknesses in his leadership and management. The missed opportunity to engage in meaningful reflection has prevented the registered manager from stepping back to assess his leadership critically. As a result, he has missed opportunities for personal growth and professional development to strengthen his leadership and manage the home effectively going forward.

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This monitoring visit

Following the inspection, four children moved on from the home. Each move was reported to be positive, with transitions carefully planned. Staff were reported to have worked together to ensure that the children experienced a supportive ending to their time in the home. However, the registered manager confirmed that the records did not reflect all of the work completed. This was a missed opportunity to document the positive experience and support that staff provide to children.

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This monitoring visit

Prior to children moving on from the home, several serious incidents occurred within the home. These incidents raised additional concerns regarding staff’s safeguarding practices. Inadequate risk management contributed to one child going missing while visiting their local area. In another incident, a child gained access to online shopping platforms using a staff member’s unattended laptop and was able to order vapes. Upon delivery of the parcel, staff failed to demonstrate professional curiosity and handed the package to the child without checking its contents. These actions do not reflect effective safeguarding practices, nor do they suggest that lessons have been learned from previous events.

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This monitoring visit

On occasions, police intervention was needed due to incidents involving children going missing from care. Although staff were reported to have handled the situations appropriately, the incident records raised further concerns about the measures taken to safeguard the children. Leaders and the registered manager had not identified these gaps in documentation.

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This monitoring visit

Notifications were submitted to the regulator following serious incidents. However, at times the registered manager reported that these were delayed due to internal auditing processes. The quality of the information provided was inconsistent and Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 3 sometimes lacked sufficient detail to show what actions had been taken to protect the children from harm. The registered manager acknowledged that this area of practice requires further improvement.

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This monitoring visit

The environment, in some of the houses, has not been maintained to a good standard and does not fully reflect a nurturing and child-centred approach. The director responded promptly by initiating the necessary repairs and remedial actions.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has made the decision to close the home. A cancellation of registration voluntary form was submitted. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/05/2025 Full Inadequate 30/09/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they complete a robust assessment of the child’s care needs and risks and the ability of the staff team to meet these effectively. 8 August 2025

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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; 8 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 6 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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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 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)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

risk assessments are detailed and up to date and that staff understand them. This includes ensuring that assessments around the activities for children consider the risks in the context of their background and previous behaviours;

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Requirement Due date

children are supervised in line with their care needs and risk assessments. This includes staff carrying out the strategies to mitigate risk effectively;

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Requirement Due date

arrangements for the management of keys and access to staff offices and sleep rooms are effective;

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Requirement Due date

staff take effective action to remove items that present a risk to children or others;

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Requirement Due date

the administration of medication is robust and well recorded, with any unnecessary medication being disposed of appropriately;

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Requirement Due date

hazards around the home are made safe; and Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 7 fire extinguishers are stored in line with fire risk assessments.

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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

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

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

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)(a)(b)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

there is robust review of incidents involving input from other professionals, such as therapists or safeguarding leads, where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

there is learning from incidents, with clear plans as to how this will be implemented and monitored; 8 August 2025 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 8 there are clear arrangements in place for the presence of leaders and managers in the home to ensure appropriate oversight and support.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all notifiable incidents are notified to His Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI) and done so without delay. 8 August 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide a nurturing environment that is welcoming and supportive and seek to meet the child’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, understanding that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been consistently met. Doing so is an important aspect of demonstrating that the staff care for the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.7) Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 9

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 10

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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

Michelle Edge, Senior His Majesty’s Inspector Suzanne Birchall, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 2778885 11 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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