Children's home run by A Wilderness Way Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2830299 1 Registered provider: A Wilderness Way Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately operated. It provides short-term care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child had recently moved into the home, and one child had moved out. Both children were spoken with.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2025.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2830299 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive experiences of living at the home as they are supported by nurturing staff. Children understand that the home will not be their permanent home but still build trusting relationships with staff quickly. They say that they like living at the home and that they feel they are ‘cared for.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s views about the home are listened to and acted on, for example about changing the layout of the kitchen and decor. Children’s involvement in the decisions that are made at the home helps to create a sense of belonging. Additionally, children feel able to tell staff about their worries and speak about personal and sensitive matters. In response, staff provide care that is supportive and non-judgemental. This gives children a solid foundation from which they can make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is promoted at the home. One child who previously had poor or non- attendance at school, re-engaged with learning opportunities. Staff helped the child to complete homework tasks to improve their literacy and numeracy. The child gained knowledge about life skills, such as budgeting, cleaning, and cooking. As a result, the child was more prepared to move to their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A therapeutic approach is imbedded at the home. Children benefit from the support of the health and well-being team, which includes therapists, senior therapists, and well- being practitioners. The organisation’s own therapeutic team engages in regular conversations, which helps children to understand their emotions. Meetings between staff, the well-being team and education professionals monitor children’s progress and identify strategies that are helpful to children. Individualised assessments of a child’s needs identify if the child needs more specialist support. This multi-layered approach is successful in ensuring that children receive appropriate support quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand that time with family and friends is important to children and help them build support networks outside of the home. Staff support children to travel to their home area so that they can maintain relationships. Staff stay in the area and are available to help the child and family. One parent said that this approach provided reassurances and enabled them to enjoy family time. Additionally, staff supported one child to develop relationships with their parent so they could enjoy a family holiday.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are a wide range of activities and outdoor pursuits that children can take part in for social development and to have fun. Staff showed enthusiasm about one child’s hobby and consistently supported them to travel to various parts of the country to practice. This improved the child’s self-esteem and confidence in their abilities to enter competitions. Inspection report for children’s home: 2830299 3 The child currently living at the home moved in quickly with little notice. Staff prepared as much as possible and engaged with the child to provide a warm welcome. However, the child said they were not aware of the children’s guide or how to make a complaint if they chose to. The manager took action to address this during the inspection.

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

The child said that they feel safe living at the home. The child who has moved out also said they felt safe living at the home. Both children identified staff who they feel able to speak to and seek support from.

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

Risks to the child living at the home have reduced, helping them to be increasingly safer. The child has individual plans that identify their needs and vulnerabilities. Staff follow these plans and update them regularly when risks reduce. Staff engage the child in conversations for example on online safety, sexual health, relationships, and vaping, so that the child understands potential dangers and how to be safer.

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

Staff help the child to develop an awareness of age-appropriate risks in line with their increasing independence, for example independent travel and developing friendships with children who share the same interests. This enables the child to enjoy being part of their community with the knowledge that staff are looking out for them and are promoting their safety.

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

Staff consistently promote positive behaviour at the home and avoid the use of any negative consequences. They use their respectful relationships with children to communicate and help children to express their feelings. As a result, children have not been held by staff. However, staff are trained in the appropriate use of physical intervention and understand procedures should this be necessary.

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

Safer recruitment processes ensure that staff who come to work at the home have had all the necessary checks before they start. Staff complete an induction and the provider’s mandatory training. This means children are cared for by adults who have the appropriate safeguarding knowledge and skills to keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring systems enable effective scrutiny and oversight of the home. The manager knows each child well and is enthusiastic about their progress. She has high expectations of staff and leads by example. Staff recognise this, which is evidenced in how enthusiastically they speak about the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they feel supported and motivated in their role. They feel listened to and valued and describe the manager as ‘excellent, reliable and present.’ Although the members of the staff team are new to working together, they work cohesively to provide a welcoming atmosphere. This positive staff morale inspires a friendly atmosphere, which benefits children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2830299 4 Staff take on responsibilities linked to their interests and skills, for example developing recording systems, and share this information with colleagues. This gives staff opportunities for professional development and has improved recording systems at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff embrace learning and training opportunities. Most of the staff are working towards the relevant qualification. The manager monitors their progress and ensures that staff have support and time to complete the required evidence. One member of staff has completed their qualification ahead of time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Practice-related supervision sessions take place regularly and include discussions about staff well-being and about the child’s care. The manager holds regular team meetings and uses these as a learning platform for staff. For example, she provides safeguarding scenarios and tests staff knowledge. She regularly shares resources that develop staff skills and understanding of the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff develop good working relationships with the child’s family and professionals involved in their care. The manager is a strong advocate and appropriately challenges professionals, when necessary, for example when there are delays in a child’s permanence plan. However, the manager has not ensured that the correct delegated authority is in place from the child’s placing authority. As a result, the manager cannot be reassured that staff are following the child’s most up-to-date plan. Inspection report for children’s home: 2830299 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that each child’s placement plan includes permissions that their placing authority has delegated to the registered person. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 30, paragraph 6.2)  The registered person should ensure that children receive the children’s guide when they arrive at the home and that it is explained to each child to make sure, they understand it. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 24, paragraph 4.21)

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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: 2830299 6

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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, Bowscar, Penrith CA11 8RP

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Inspector

Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2830299 7 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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