Children's home run by Witherslack Group Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2533483 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 provider. It provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in August 2019, and the manager registered in September 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There were five children living at the home at the time of this 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 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2533483 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/08/2023 Full good 04/01/2023 Full good 15/02/2022 Full good 12/02/2020 Interim improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2533483 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living in this home. Staff work hard to build relationships with children that are based on genuine warmth and acceptance. These relationships provide the foundation for children to flourish. The commitment staff show to children continues when children move out of the home, and children choose to stay in touch with staff. This shows that staff develop meaningful relationships with the children they care for.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s experiences of moving into this home are carefully planned and assessed. This enables children to have a positive experience when they move into the home. When children move out of the home, staff prepare them for this. This supports children to settle into their new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children feel that their views are taken seriously. Children’s views are routinely sought and acted on. Staff help children to share their views and contribute to care planning meetings. As a result, children’s views inform decisions made about their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop a positive attitude to learning. The manager works closely with education staff to ensure that any barriers to children reaching their potential are resolved quickly. As a result, all the children attend school and make good academic progress. This improves children’s life opportunities and builds their confidence. For example, one child who had not attended an education setting for two years before moving into the home now has over 97% school attendance and is completing their exams. The social worker says that this child now has ambitions and plans for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. Staff work closely with health professionals to ensure that children’s health needs are met. Children have access to a therapist in their home. The therapist works closely with the staff to develop and review children’s plans. As a result, staff understand children’s needs and the steps they should take to meet children’s emotional health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s achievements are celebrated, and their certificates and medals are displayed throughout the home. Children access a wide range of activities and experiences in line with their individual interests, and they make happy memories while living at this home. Staff help children to stay connected with people who are important to them. This enables children to maintain important relationships and build on their support networks for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that some of their daily routines are predetermined because they are ‘house rules.’ For example, children’s bedtime is set by their age rather than their individual needs or circumstances. This approach does not help children to understand why decisions are made about their individual day-to-day care. Inspection report for children’s home: 2533483 4

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

Staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Children’s risks reduce because of the care they receive from staff. Children say they feel safe and that they can share any worries they have with staff.

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

Staff help children to understand their individual risks and vulnerabilities and to develop strategies to keep themselves safe. For example, staff help children to understand how to manage difficult feelings safely. This equips children with coping skills. As a result, children’s risk-taking behaviours reduce.

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

Staff provide children with consistent responses, which helps them to understand what is expected of them. Staff hold children as a last resort to keep them safe. Children who have been held by staff are given the opportunity to share their views about the hold with the manager. This helps to ensure that physical intervention practice remains safe.

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

Children who go missing from home experience coordinated responses from staff, which helps to ensure that children return home quickly and safely. This helps to keep children safe. When children return home, they are given the opportunity to speak to an independent person. The number of times children have been missing from home has reduced because of the care staff provide.

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

Staff enable children to take risks and develop their independence in line with their individual abilities. For example, some children travel independently and complete work experience in the community. This supports children to develop life skills for their future. Some children’s records do not include up-to-date information about the strategies staff use to keep them safe. This has not negatively affected children because there is an established staff team who know the children well. However, there is a risk that this would not support new staff who work in the home to keep the children safe.

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

There is a generic approach to using bedroom door sensors for children who are new to the home. This does not consider children’s individual needs and risks. Additionally, children’s views are not always considered when assessing whether the sensors should be activated. This does not demonstrate that bedroom door sensors are only used when necessary to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child-centred and leads by example. The manager is visible, and the children identify the manager as a person that they trust.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management monitoring and review systems are effective. The manager understands the care that staff provide and how this impacts on children’s experiences. The manager takes decisive action to address shortfalls in staff practice. Concerns about staff practice are shared with relevant professionals and investigated thoroughly. This ensures that staff understand what is expected of them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2533483 5 The manager creates a culture in which there is a conscientious approach to keeping children safe. Staff are given the opportunity to reflect and learn through research. Staff access regular supervision and training. This ensures that staff have the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager nurtures positive working relationships with professionals. Staff provide regular updates to key professionals about children’s progress and experiences. This creates a team around the child approach. The manager attends multi-agency planning meetings and contributes to decisions made about children’s care plans. The manager appropriately challenges other professionals when children’s needs are not met. This ensures that any delays in children’s needs being met are resolved quickly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale is high. Staff enjoy working in this home and feel supported by the manager. Staff share their views with the manager and feel that these are taken seriously. This makes staff feel valued. There have not been any agency staff used in this home; this means that children are cared for by a consistent staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not ensured that staff consistently record information about children in a way that distinguishes between fact and opinion. There is not a record of all visitors to the home. This does not ensure that there is a correct record of the adults who are in the children’s home each day. Inspection report for children’s home: 2533483 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children experience individualised care based on their assessed needs.

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Requirement Due date

This also specifically relates to ensuring that bedroom door sensors are only used when necessary to keep children safe. 23 January 2025

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that a record is maintained of all visitors to the home and the purpose of their visit. 23 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2533483 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children’s records are kept up to date. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.3 )  The registered person should ensure that staff record information about children in a way which distinguishes between fact and opinion. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 62, paragraph 14.4 )

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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: 2533483 8

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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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Inspector

Sally Griffiths, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2533483 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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