Children's Home run by Active Ark Limited in Cumberland

Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 1 Registered provider: Active Ark Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It offers care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties or have 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

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. The inspector spoke with the child during the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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good

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

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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

22/07/2025 Full Good 03/09/2024 Full Good 05/09/2023 Full Good 14/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 3

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Summary of findings

Children make progress in the home and achieve good outcomes when they move on. Children are positive about their experiences and the relationships they have with staff.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand the risks children face. However, children are not routinely spoken to after incidents of them being missing from home. Furthermore, there is insufficient oversight of allegations, and serious incidents are not consistently notified to Ofsted.

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Summary of findings

Managers do not always have effective oversight of children’s care, and some recent staffing changes have affected children’s experiences. Managers build positive working relationships with external professionals and children’s family members, helping to ensure that children are well supported by key people in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported well when they move into the home. They are given opportunities to visit the home, meet staff and other children, and see their rooms before they move in. Moves follow clear plans that are agreed with children’s social workers. This ensures that children have the best possible chance of success when they arrive at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in many fun activities inside and outside the home. At home, there are books, games and arts and crafts. In the community, children go swimming and visit climbing centres. Children speak positively about staff and their experiences of living in the home. One said, ‘It’s good living here; the food is mint, and the staff are nice.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, several children have moved both into and out of the home. This has included children having planned moves to foster care and semi-independent living. These moves were well supported, with staff maintaining positive relationships with children after they have left. For example, one child returned for a planned overnight stay to celebrate another child’s birthday, demonstrating the enduring commitment staff show to children beyond their time in the home. When children have needed to move because of increasing risks, staff have responded flexibly to their changing needs and to support these moves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to achieve in their education. Staff take children to school, sometimes travelling long distances, to ensure continuity of education. Some children have experienced significant barriers to attendance. Staff have supported these children with alternative plans, including tutoring and educational activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Bedtime routines have not always been fully considered in line with children’s individual ages and needs. As a result, there has been an increase in incidents around bedtimes, and children have not always been fully consulted about decisions that affect them. Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 4

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not have an established system to record and monitor allegations and complaints. Allegations are not consistently recorded clearly. This lack of oversight could place children at risk if such concerns are missed or are not responded to appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not consistently notify Ofsted of serious incidents. This has included incidents requiring police involvement and when allegations have been made against staff. This affects Ofsted’s ability to have effective oversight of children’s care and understand the level of risk that children face.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond well when children go missing from home. They attempt to contact children, search known areas, and notify police and social workers as appropriate. However, some children’s missing-person protocols lack detail and are not kept up to date. Furthermore, children are not routinely spoken to after they have returned to the home. This limits the understanding of why children go missing and how to manage these risks effectively.

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improvement to be good

Risk assessments are detailed and kept up to date. Staff are familiar with children’s needs, including any risks they face. This ensures that when staff are working with children, they can provide safe and effective responses that reduce risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out targeted work with children. They have supported one child to recognise and manage their feelings and overall mental health. For another child, they have carried out reflective work to help the child recognise behavioural triggers. This supports children to understand their feelings and better manage their behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager was not working at the home at the time of the inspection. A temporary management arrangement is currently in place until the manager returns. There are shortfalls in managers’ oversight of children’s care. For example, children are not routinely spoken to by staff following incidents, and managers do not consistently analyse these incidents. As a result, opportunities to identify support that could help staff to respond more effectively to future incidents are sometimes missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings are not held regularly. There have been significant gaps of several months between meetings. As a result, staff have fewer opportunities to share knowledge and learn from one another’s experiences. This may hinder team development and have a negative impact on the consistency and quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some staff members have experienced extended periods without receiving formal practice-related supervision. This reduces opportunities for managers to provide Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 5 oversight of their practice, identify areas for development, and address practice issues in a timely way. Inconsistent supervision may limit staff’s ability to maintain and improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff, parents and external professionals are positive about the leadership and management of the home, as well as the care provided to children. One parent said that their child ‘loved’ living in the home. Social workers say that leaders and managers advocate for children, communicate well and go over and above in their care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have recently implemented staffing changes in response to the increasing needs of the children. Leaders and managers have redeployed more experienced staff from other homes within the organisation. However, these changes have unsettled some children due to differences in staff approaches and some changes in their routines. Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 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

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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that a system is in place to record and monitor allegations and complaints effectively. 25 September 2026

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

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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)(b)(c)(e)) 25 September 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff provide individualised care to children, specifically in relation to evening routines and bedtimes. This should take into account children’s ages and assessed needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  The registered person should ensure that, where positive relationships exist between children and staff, these are respected and maintained wherever possible when making decisions about staffing arrangements. The registered person should respond to children’s views regarding changes to staff and consider the potential impact that Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 7 such changes may have on their stability and emotional wellbeing. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.12)  The registered person should ensure that, when a child returns to the home after

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Recommendations

being missing from care or away from the home without permission, they are offered a return home interview by the responsible local authority. In addition, staff should speak with the child following their return. This will support the assessment of risk and help to ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access regular team meetings to support their development needs and the quality of care provided to children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that all staff receive regular practice-related supervision at a frequency that is consistent with the home’s stated aims. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph

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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 8

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Jon Collins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1233899 9 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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