Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Wakefield

Inspection report for children’s home: 2509298 1 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited

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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 run by a private company. It offers care for up to seven children who may experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, six children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2018.

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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: 19 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2509298 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/03/2023 Full Good 18/01/2022 Full Good 28/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2509298 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in all areas of their development. This is because they benefit from good-quality care that is competently delivered by the staff team. Staff invest in spending time with children and get to know them well. As a result, children develop positive relationships with staff and have a trusted adult with whom they can share concerns and confide in. During the inspection, four children were spoken with.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s healthcare is prioritised. Staff support children to attend health appointments and access appropriate therapeutic support. In addition, staff work with the provider’s clinical team to access support and provide them with the skills to help them in meeting the individual needs of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s educational needs are met. Staff have established a learning culture in the home for the children. They encourage children to attend school daily. Some children engage better with education than they did prior to moving into the home. This greater educational engagement potentially improves children’s prospects.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of leisure activities. These activities include going camping, swimming and horse riding. These experiences are captured in personalised journals to create lasting memories of the children’s time in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transitions into and from the home are well managed. Children are supported to stay in touch with their families. Staff regularly facilitate these visits and this helps children to maintain links with people who are important to them. This ensures that children are not isolated from their families.

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

Staff are confident and have a clear understanding of what safeguarding means and the processes that need to be followed to protect children. When children leave the home without permission, staff follow the missing-from-home protocols. Risk assessments and behaviour support plans are comprehensive and thorough. These documents provide clear guidance to staff on what actions to take to keep children safe. This ensures that children are better protected from harm.

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

Children benefit from a restorative approach to help them to manage their behaviour. Staff meet regularly with children to discuss topics such as the dangers of going missing, bullying and internet safety. This means that children can recognise risks to their safety and begin to learn how to stay safe in the future.

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

On occasions when staff have physically held children to keep them and others safe, this has been necessary and used as a last resort. Staff ensure that children are spoken to after incidents and understand why they were held. Staff also reflect on alternative ways Inspection report for children’s home: 2509298 4 to help children manage their emotions. This enables staff and children to think about ways to prevent such events from happening again.

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

The manager is aware of how to deal with allegations against staff and she informs the local authority designated officer as directed by the provider’s safeguarding procedures. The manager follows safer recruitment procedures. She ensures that all staff are appropriately checked and vetted before they work with the children. All these measures promote the safety of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The management of this home is effective. The manager is supported by a deputy manager and together they have a clear vision for the home. The management team has a strong oversight of the home and has a range of monitoring tools to review staff practice and the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel valued and supported. They benefit from regular team meetings and reflective supervision. Supervision sessions consistently focus on the children’s progress and experiences, and how staff manage to support this. This provides an opportunity for staff to reflect on their practice and make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff complete various training courses, including those that cover the specific needs of the children. This training helps staff to have good knowledge of the needs of the children and the skills to meet the children’s needs so that they can provide good-quality care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager routinely seeks feedback to improve the home. This includes feedback from children, external agencies and families. This means that children benefit from an integrated approach to care planning that reflects their individual needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s case records are well written and stored securely. The manager ensures that children live in a clean and welcoming home. This helps children develop a sense of self- worth and belonging.

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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: 2509298 5

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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, Lancashire LA6 2PR

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Richard Matthews

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Inspectors

Evelyn Chafota, Social Care Inspector Gina Lightfoot, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2509298 6 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

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Inspectors

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