Children's Home run by Westmorland and Furness Council in Westmorland and Furness

Inspection report for children's home: 2732129 1 Registered provider: Westmorland and Furness Council

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been registered with Ofsted since 1 April 2023. The manager registered with Ofsted on 4 March 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were 4 children living at the home. Inspectors were able to speak to all 4 children.

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 13 January 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2732129 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/01/2025 Full Good 17/10/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2732129 3

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improvement to be good

Children have made progress from their starting points. One child has moved in since the last inspection and one child is due to move out. Moves in and out of the home have been well managed. However, some incidents have not been managed as well as they could to ensure that there are no delays in keeping children safe.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to develop their independence skills. However, specific plans around independence for one child who is due to move on from the home are unclear. There is a lack of clear information around the support they have received, barriers to their progress, their achievements and continuing needs.

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improvement to be good

One child is due to move out to the care of their parent. Staff work closely with the child’s family and professionals to ensure that this is a positive experience. Staff plan to continue to support the child following the move, demonstrating their commitment to children. Staff create meaningful memory books to remind children of their experiences.

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improvement to be good

Children are in good health. The in-house therapist provides regular support and has positive relationships with the children. Staff use therapeutic models of care that benefit the children’s emotional welfare and resilience.

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improvement to be good

All children are in full-time education. Staff communicate effectively with school staff and professionals to promote children’s progress. Staff also support children to attend work experience and arrange trial days at college.

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improvement to be good

Children’s rights are respected and promoted. Children know how to complain and have regular access to advocates. Children feel listened to and valued by staff. Managers review the work that staff complete with children to consider the impact. However, managers do not identify actions for staff to follow up on or areas that need further work. This means that opportunities for staff to support children’s needs are missed.

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improvement to be good

The home is warm and welcoming, with personalised bedrooms for children. Children’s individuality is encouraged through their specific interests and their achievements are celebrated.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to attend clubs and activities on a regular basis, such as attending church, concerts, outdoor activities, holidays and the theatre. Children take part in planning activities with staff. This promotes a sense of belonging, security and purpose for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2732129 4

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks to children. However, s taff do not always respond in a timely way to keep children safe and have not checked on a child’s welfare in line with their needs. In addition, staff do not always demonstrate that they understand their role in keeping children safe and instead have called the police to manage an incident, unnecessarily.

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improvement to be good

There are inconsistencies in the recording of an incident where physical intervention was used for a child. The manager notified Ofsted and other professionals as a potential allegation from the child. Records clearly identify that an intervention was used; however, the manager’s debrief is not robust. This resulted in a lack of challenge around staff practice by the manager.

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improvement to be good

There is a well-coordinated response from staff when children go missing from the home. Staff follow the missing-from-home protocols when necessary. This means that children come home more quickly. However, there was an occasion where the manager did not notify the regulator of police involvement.

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improvement to be good

Staff provide good routines and boundaries to support children’s development. They help children to consider their own behaviours and understand how to keep themselves safe.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the risks that using the internet may pose for children. Well-developed strategies are in place to keep children safe and to support them to learn how to keep themselves safe. Regular checks of children’s devices are completed to identify any concerns, and discussions are held with children.

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improvement to be good

Positive behaviour is consistently promoted. Children are supported to take risks appropriate for their age or level of understanding to develop their independence and confidence.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The home is managed by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager who is supported by 2 deputy managers. The manager implements a culture in the home that is characterised by high expectations for all the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Managers monitor all incident records involving children. However, there is a lack of robust oversight around the quality of staff practice and the care provided to children. The quality of discussions with staff and children after incidents is poor. On two occasions a de-brief was completed with staff together. Shortfalls in staff practice are not always identified and there are missed opportunities for learning. Inspection report for children's home: 2732129 5 Managers have positive working relationships with external professionals and children’s parents. Their effective joint working helps to secure positive outcomes for children. Feedback from professionals and parents is positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

There is a stable, qualified team in place who know the children well. Safer recruitment practices are followed to ensure that those who care for children are safe to do so. Staff complete specific training to help them to meet children’s individual needs. There is a team of in-house therapists, who also attend team meetings to provide support and guidance to staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Managers and staff receive regular supervision sessions that are reflective and focus on children’s experiences and needs. The manager also collects feedback from professionals and children about staff practice. However, this is not incorporated into annual staff appraisals. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that feedback supports staff learning and development. Inspection report for children's home: 2732129 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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that staff are clear about their responsibilities in reducing the risks to children in a timely way. 30 April 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 30 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2732129 7 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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that there are clear plans in place to prepare children for independence. This must include information on the support that has been provided any barriers to a child’s progress, their achievements and continuing needs.

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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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helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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

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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

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; 30 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2732129 8 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)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that they have robust oversight to ensure that shortfalls in staff practice are highlighted, improvements or further actions are identified and there are opportunities for learning.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(b)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 30 April 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2732129 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that annual appraisals of staff take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5). This recommendation is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should oversee the welfare of the children in their care through observation and engagement with each child and staff. There should be robust follow up with children and staff after any incidents to understand what has happened, to implement lessons learned and to sustain good practice. (‘Guide to Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.23)

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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: 2732129 10

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Children ’ s home details

Registered provider address: Westmorland and Furness Council, Town Hall, Duke Street, Barrow in Furness, Cumbria LA14 2LD

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Children ’ s home details

Responsible individual: Elizabeth Curtis

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Inspectors

Andrea Foreman, Social Care Inspector Joy Viles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2732129 11 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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