Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Oxfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 1 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children aged between 10 and 17. According to the home’s statement of purpose, it offers residential care with therapeutic emphasis and multi-agency involvement, to help children to recover from experiences which have rendered them vulnerable and disrupted their primary relationships. There are currently three children living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 24 February 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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: this is the home’s first inspection

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children are making progress in this home. The staff team knows the children well and children are building trusting relationships with staff. The children confide in staff knowing that they will be listened to. Consequently, children have shared information about their lived experiences which has enabled appropriate support and care to be given to them. This means that robust care planning has taken place to ensure that the welfare of children is promoted.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All the children attend education and are making progress. Some children who were not in education before living in this home are now achieving 100% attendance. As a result, children are developing their readiness for adulthood and learning new skills, such as playing musical instruments, bushcraft and developing friendships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children know how to complain and have access to information that will provide them with support and guidance. Children’s concerns are taken seriously and acted on by the staff and managers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The kitchen is the heart of the home. Children enjoy baking and enjoy shared mealtimes with staff and each other. Children have personalised their bedrooms and made the space their own. This has given them a sense of permanence and belonging. However, other areas of the home are sparse and do not have the same atmosphere as elsewhere in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since living in this home, children have learned skills to support their independence, for example personal care, budgeting and understanding what constitutes a healthy relationship. Staff encourage children to celebrate their individuality and offer practical and emotional support. As a result, the children are more confident and relationships continue to flourish, with a significant reduction in incidents for one child. This means that children live in a more settled and calmer environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The care plan for one child does not contain sufficient detail to enable the staff to fully meet his emotional needs. Nonetheless, managers are very proactive in advocating for the child, although managers have not escalated their concerns to senior professionals. As a result, this could potentially delay the specialist support provided by the professionals in the home. On a more positive note, this child has been invited to sit on the children in care council as an active member and has regularly taken part in his recent care planning meetings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The ethos of the home’s statement of purpose is reflected in the care given by the confident and committed staff team, whose members work closely with professionals who provide specialist support. Children receive consistent and therapeutic-based care from staff who fully meet their needs. This enables them to achieve their goals and aspirations. Specifically, for one child who has thrived since Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 3 living at this home, his anxiety and health issues have reduced and as a result he is more confident in the company of others.

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

Staff promote children’s safety. Staff are alert to potential risks and ensure that urgent action is taken when new behaviours are identified that may place children at risk of harm to themselves. Risk assessments for children are clear, updated regularly and shared with the whole staff team. This ensures that there is consistent care and support given to the children.

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

Staff know the children well. There has been delay on occasions in sharing information internally and staff not being clear on the reporting process. As a result, there is the potential for the level of response from professionals to be insufficient or delayed. However, this has not occurred in practice and multi-agency working arrangements are good.

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

Communication between professionals and staff is good. Professionals say that the staff encourage children to engage in social opportunities and individual interests. The registered manager and staff team have good oversight and input to the matching process. All children who currently live in the home are considered alongside any new child coming to live in the home. This ensures that there is a focus on safe matches and minimal disruption to the children’s care.

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

There has been a significant reduction in the use of physical intervention. This is because the children are being nurtured and reassured by staff. However, there is not always a discussion with the child following the use of physical intervention. As a result, children’s views are not always captured and any potential concerns are not therefore explored.

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

Health and safety in the home is managed and recorded well. Fire safety risks are well managed, with each child completing a fire evacuation drill when coming to live at the home. Children live in an environment where their health, safety and welfare are promoted.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they are supported and valued by senior leaders and managers. The acting manager is new to her role and currently in the process of registering with Ofsted. The current registered manager will be undertaking another role within the organisation. However, there is a planned transition shared throughout the whole staff team. This will ensure stability and continuity for the children. The managers and senior leaders have high aspirations for the children and the staff that care for them. The staff team is relatively new, and not all staff have received regular supervision. The recording of this is also inconsistent. Nonetheless, managers have ensured that there is a good induction for staff, supported at times by more experienced staff. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 4 All staff receive mandatory training. Bespoke training from different professionals is also sourced to ensure that staff can support the unique needs of the children. As a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

result, children are cared for by knowledgeable and informed staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders and managers have a good understanding of the home’s action plan and know the strengths and weaknesses of staff and practice. There are assurance tools and monitoring systems which provide oversight of the home by senior managers. However, these are not yet strong enough to identify shortfalls, for example gaps in supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The continuity of a permanent staff team is not yet fully embedded in the home. As a result, the children are not yet receiving care from a stable and consistent staff team. However, senior managers have been proactive and successful in recruiting staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Senior leaders are available and visible to the staff, children and their families. Leaders and managers work collaboratively with staff and others to build effective working relationships. Consistent and well-informed care planning ensures that the ongoing needs of the children are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is regularly reviewed by an independent visitor, which provides an additional layer of scrutiny and oversight. Swift action is taken by managers to address any recommendations. Learning is shared through team meetings and group supervision. As a result, staff have a sense of shared ownership and continue to develop their practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 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, 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

The standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(viii)) 28 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

The standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should escalate concerns about children’s safety and welfare to senior managers in local authorities to ensure full transparency in the care and support given to a child. 28 February 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive regular practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 28 February 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.1)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home provides a nurturing and supportive environment that meet the needs of the children. The home should offer a homely, domestic environment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations, including the quality standards, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2614937 7

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Marcia McLoughlin

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Inspector

Jill Sephton-Wright, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 8 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 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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