Children's Home run by Active Ark Limited in Cumberland

Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 1 Registered provider: Active Ark Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private provider operates the home. It provides care for up to two children who may experience emotional or behavioural difficulties, or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection and they spoke to the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 3 September 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/09/2024 Full Good 05/09/2023 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/11/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child lives in a clean and inviting home. The child’s bedroom is personalised and provides a space for them to enjoy a bedtime story with staff. Staff have worked to establish a trusting relationship with the child in a short space of time. The child’s social worker said that the child is emotionally secure living at this home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Each child has had a positive experience of moving into the home. There is a thorough plan to help them know what to expect. When plans change at short notice, staff are flexible and adapt their plan to make the child feel welcome. This helps each child to manage and feel prepared for their new living arrangements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff value the child’s education and have good relationships with education professionals. Staff make sure the child has a consistent morning and bedtime routine in preparation for the school day. The child likes school, attends well and is making progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote a healthy diet and active lifestyle through varied physical activities that appeal to each child’s interests. One child has been able to maintain a healthy weight due to the support they have received, which is significant progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support each child to know and understand their rights. Staff make sure that the children see an independent advocate and that they are supported to raise complaints if they are not happy with their care. One child successfully challenged a local authority in relation to a plan for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff capture the memories and progress that each child makes. Staff put these together in colourful child friendly newsletters and memory books. Children have these as a permanent record of the things they have done and the things they have celebrated .

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

Staff know the child well and understand their risks and vulnerabilities. Staff update the child’s risk assessments and plans regularly to ensure they remain relevant. The risk assessments are child-focused and include the child’s views. The child feels safe living in the home.

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

Staff respond quickly to meet each child’s emerging needs. When care team professionals assessed that one child needed to move to a sister home, leaders and managers decided that familiar staff would relocate with the child. This provided the child with continuity of care and prevented them from feeling rejected.

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

Staff know what to do when a child is missing from home. Staff recognise the value of making the home a warm and welcoming place to be. Staff feel that this has contributed Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 4 to there being no incidents of children going missing from home since the last inspection .

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

Staff help the child to make good behaviour choices by providing them with incentives, encouragement and praise. Staff talk to the child and help them to understand their feelings and how these are affecting their behaviour. This helps the child to learn different ways of managing their behaviour. One child’s parent commented on how well their child can manage their emotions since moving to the home .

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

When staff restrict a child’s movement, they do not consistently record it as a restraint. This means the child does not discuss how this felt. It also prevents the manager from making informed assessments of staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is qualified and experienced, and she knows each child and staff well. The staff team is permanent and largely qualified, with only one member of staff working towards the required qualification. The manager knows that staff are trained and can meet children’s needs to a high standard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides regular reflective supervision and annual appraisals. The manager has an open-door policy and is interested in the staff’s well-being. Staff are confident in asking the manager for support, which creates a positive culture toward ongoing staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are well attended. The manager uses these to hold reflective discussions to maintain a consistent approach for children. Staff feel supported and are complimentary about the manager. The staff enjoy their work and are long-serving employees. This provides consistency of care and contributes to the child’s sense of security and stability.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work effectively with other professionals. They have relationships built on respect and honest communication, and professionals say staff are strong advocates for every child. Staff recently successfully challenged a local authority decision regarding a child’s plan. This contributes to children’s ongoing progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good system of gathering and capturing each child’s views. The manager tracks these views to establish themes and patterns . Each child receives regular feedback so that they know that they are heard. However, the manager does not have an effective method of gathering professionals and family views in the same way. This limits the manager’s evaluation of the care provided to a child. Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 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 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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 (2)(g)(ii)(h)) 12 September 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all restrictions of liberty of movement should be recorded as restraint. Restraint includes restricting a child’s liberty of movement. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.41)

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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: 1233899 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Active Ark, Unit E, Baron Way, Kingmoor Business Park, Carlisle CA6 4SJ

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Inspector

Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 7 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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