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

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 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.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager in post. A new manager has been recruited and planned to register with Ofsted.

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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 16 April 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) and Regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard) were issued. A restriction of accommodation notice was also issued.

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This monitoring visit

A monitoring visit was carried out on 15 July 2025. The purpose of this visit was to review the action taken by the provider to meet the compliance notices and ensure that the conditions of the restriction notice were followed.

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This monitoring visit

Following the inadequate judgement, the provider developed an action plan to address concerns in care practices and improve management oversight. An independent organisational survey was commissioned to obtain honest feedback Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2778925 2 from staff on the home’s operations, including management oversight and to identify areas of improvement.

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This monitoring visit

The survey outcomes informed a discussion with the manager, focusing on the findings, which highlighted that staff had experienced limited opportunities for reflective practice, and that the absence of formal support structures had contributed to low morale and inconsistencies in safeguarding responses. Although the actions taken initially resulted in improvements in practice, they were not sustained due to ongoing shortfalls in the manager’s oversight and their capacity to sustain change.

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This monitoring visit

In response to these management gaps, the director, and another manager from within the organisation stepped in to stabilise the home. Their daily presence provided guidance to staff to ensure that safeguarding procedures were embedded into daily practice. A safety plan was developed alongside the staff team to support and protect the children in care, offering both structure and clarity.

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This monitoring visit

Staff team meetings and supervision sessions were reintroduced to provide opportunities to reflect on practice, focus on safeguarding and discuss the implementation of age-appropriate boundaries and routines for children. Work was also undertaken to help the staff to develop their skills and confidence to manage children’s complex behaviours.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders responded appropriately and implemented measures to safeguard children from identified risks. The roles and responsibilities of staff and managers were reinforced, and each staff team was involved in the care planning process to reduce the risks specific to each child in their care. Staff received refresher training, and key information regarding children missing from care was regularly shared through team meetings, briefings, and daily updates.

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This monitoring visit

These measures supported improvements in practice, with staff consistently following the procedures in place and managing missing-from-care incidents and allegations well. To further support the staff team, the provider ensured that additional staff were deployed during critical times of the day to assist one child and promote staff well-being. Mobile phones were provided to ensure that all staff had access to guidance and resources when out in the community.

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This monitoring visit

Since the full inspection, the four children living in the homes were moved to new homes. Clear plans were implemented in collaboration with the placing local authorities, ensuring that each transition was managed safely and in line with each child’s needs. This ensured that each child had a positive ending to their time living in the homes. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2778925 3 The provider has taken action to meet the compliance notices and abide with the conditions of the restriction notice. The provider has since made the decision to close the home. A cancellation of registration voluntary form was submitted. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2778925 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/05/2025 Full Inadequate 06/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/04/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2778925 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 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;

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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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Requirement Due date

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)) 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2778925 6 In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

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)) 13 July 2025

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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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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used; 13 July 2025 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2778925 7 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

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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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

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))

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Requirement Due date

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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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. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 13 July 2025

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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: 2778925 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Michelle Edge, Senior His Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2778925 9 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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