Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Bradford

Inspection report for children’s home: 1259631 1 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited 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 private company. It provides care for up to seven children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since July 2022 and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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: 28 February 2022

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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: 1259631 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2022 Full Good 14/01/2020 Full Good 06/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 02/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1259631 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good relationships with the staff. The staff take time to listen to children’s wishes and feelings, which helps them know what the children like and dislike. The staff then plan activities, events and daily routines around the children’s wishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities. These activities enhance the children’s life experiences. The support that children receive helps them to feel confident to try new activities for the first time. They enjoy experiences such as holidays and horse riding. The staff make annual celebrations special for children. They put a lot of thought into making sure that children have fun, which helps children to make special memories of their time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from the on-site school. Good relationships between the school staff and the home staff ensure that they share information effectively to help the children learn. Children’s learning is reinforced through shared themes that are delivered between the school and the home. These themes include bullying and religious celebrations.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from emotional support from the company’s therapy service. This tailored support meets individual children’s needs. Children access the help through group or personalised sessions. The therapists also provide advice to staff to help them support the children’s emotional well-being. In addition, for children who need other specialist support, external services are sourced to provide this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help the children to stay healthy. They encourage them to stay physically fit by making the most of their own multi-sports pitch. The children also stay active by going swimming and attending local football and cricket clubs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a consistent focus on tolerance, respect and inclusion. The children learn about the importance of respecting differences. They take part in events that help them to understand the impact of racism, and they participate in activities to explore other cultures and religions.

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

The staff know the risks to the children. The children’s risk assessments are updated after significant incidents. This ensures that staff know the most relevant risks for each child. However, the wording in some children’s risk assessments could be confusing for staff. For example, one risk assessment does not fully detail the specific actions that staff need to take to keep the child safe. This is a recording issue and does not affect the safety of children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1259631 4 Physical restraint is only used as a last resort. The staff use a range of strategies to try and de-escalate challenging behaviour. As a result, the use of physical restraint is reducing. The manager introduces effective reward systems that are based on children’s ideas. Children are motivated by these reward systems. They are proud of their efforts, and they are ambitious to achieve their goals.

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

The children rarely go missing from the home. When the children do go missing, the staff take immediate action to follow them and get them back home quickly. When children go out of sight, the staff continue searching for them. The staff follow missing-from-home protocols and work with the local police to help to return children safely.

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

The children learn about dangers. They engage with a range of topics to help them identify risks. Their learning equips them with skills to help keep themselves safe. The risks that children learn about include county lines, staying safe online and bullying.

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

The children’s safety is a priority. The staff feel able to share any concerns with the manager, and they follow safeguarding procedures. Staff training is regularly updated to help them recognise the signs of risk and to give them knowledge of how to keep the children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has recently had her interview with Ofsted, and she is awaiting a decision for her registration. She has been in post since July 2022. Before the manager came to the home, there were changes to the management of the home. The current manager has brought stability to the team. She leads by example. The staff have embraced changes and new ways of working. This is providing consistency and good experiences for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff feel well supported by the manager, and they have regular supervision sessions. The staff also have recorded reflective discussions. The supervision sessions and discussions provide opportunities for staff to talk about their work and reflect on their care practices.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that children participate in all aspects of the running of the home. She also makes sure that their views are central to their care planning. The manager listens to the children’s voice in a variety of ways. For example, she gathers children’s views through meetings, a comments box and in individual sessions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the strengths of the service. She knows where she would like to make further improvement. She has a focused action plan and uses her six- monthly review of the quality of care to help focus on the next steps to progress the care and experiences for the children. Inspection report for children’s home: 1259631 5 The staff receive a range of training that helps them to understand the children’s needs. The manager sources additional training when necessary to help staff gain further understanding of any additional needs that some children have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with a range of professionals. She is a strong advocate for the children. The manager challenges others when necessary to make sure the children can access the services that they need. Inspection report for children’s home: 1259631 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are able to identify signs that children may be at risk and support children with strategies to manage and reduce any risks. In particular, children’s risk assessments should be clear for staff to follow. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)

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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: 1259631 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Jamie Richardson, Social Care Inspector Gina Lightfoot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1259631 8 regulates and inspects 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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