Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Bradford

Inspection report children’s home: 1259631 1 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation to meet the nurturing, management, social, emotional and moral needs of up to seven young people, irrespective of gender, who are unable to live in a family context. The manager was registered in January 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has improved effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Shortly after the last inspection, a new manager started working at the home and was registered in January 2019. She has made many improvements since her arrival and has good managerial oversight. The manager has plans to improve the home further. This involves developing an unused room as a sensory area for the children. The manager’s approachable manner and visibility in the home have helped her build relationships with the children. This gives her an excellent understanding of their needs. Staff also benefit from this open-door approach and find the manager very supportive. Two of the three children who were living at the home at the last inspection continue to make progress in all aspects of their development. The other child experienced an unplanned ending and moved to another placement. However, this was due to concerns about risk management and the staff’s ability to keep him safe. The manager’s decision

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

to end the placement was taken in the best interests of all the children and was in Inspection report children’s home: 1259631 2 response to their escalating concerns.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Three new younger children have moved in recently. They have all settled well as a result of the thorough pre-admission planning process, which includes the children meeting with the manager before they move. All these children are making good progress in all areas of their development.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

All the children benefit from excellent attendance and engagement at the school that is on the same site. They enjoy attending the school. Increased communication between the home and school staff helps with the continuity of care between the two settings. Staff reported improved relationships with the clinicians who are linked to the home and the school. For one child, the timely referral from the clinician resulted in a quick service from an external agency for specialist medical support. For another child, staff are working closely with the speech and language therapist, which has resulted in a significant improvement in his speech development.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Missing from home episodes are infrequent, and children are only missing for short periods of time. Staff follow the children and maintain them in their sight. Incidents of negative behaviour at the home have reduced, and the behaviour management system is highly effective. There is a restorative approach taken by staff, so children learn from their mistakes. The consistency of staff practice and the positive relationships between staff and children help to de-escalate situations quickly. Children also learn to regulate their behaviours.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The regular key working sessions, with the use of child-friendly workbooks, also provide children with information and advice about issues that affect them. The staff have a plethora of training available to them. This has included training about county lines and child criminal exploitation. The manager was also proactive and has sourced age- appropriate training for the children in these areas. This helps keep children safe by developing their knowledge of the potential risks to them.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The house has a homely feel, and children have highly personalised bedrooms to reflect their interests.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children Inspection report children’s home: 1259631 3 and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Witherslack Group Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lupton Tower, Lupton, Carnforth LA6 2PR

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Inspector

Tina Ruffles, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1259631 4 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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