Children's Home run by Woodside House Care Ltd in Blackburn with Darwen

Inspection report for children’s home: SC357455 1 SC357455 Registered provider: Woodside House Care Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately operated by a family partnership. The home provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and the manager registered with Ofsted in February 2008.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home and were spoken with by the inspector.

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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: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC357455 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2025 Full Outstanding 02/10/2023 Full Good 14/06/2022 Full Outstanding 21/09/2021 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC357455 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with the staff team members, who know them well. Children enjoy mutually respectful relationships with the staff, based on praise and humour. They say that they trust staff and enjoy spending time with them. The manager’s two dogs form an important part of the homely environment. Children enjoy walking the dogs and spending time with them. This enables children to express their affection and develop trusted relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The atmosphere in the home is warm and welcoming. Children are encouraged to personalise their own bedrooms. Communal areas are spacious and provide an area where children can relax and play games, such as pool. However, there are some areas of damage to the decoration and carpets in poor condition which need to be replaced. The manager is aware and is in the process of taking action to address this

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities, such as ice skating, going to the cinema and going on holiday. Staff ensure that memories are captured and recorded. This is important for the children and will allow them to understand their time living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving from the home into independence have been provided with excellent support. When initial plans have not been in the best interests of these children, managers and staff have challenged the placing authority and supported the children so that the right provision has been found that is specific to their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to learn how to manage their feelings safely. They are assisted to see specialists and professionals to encourage a greater understanding of themselves, to achieve more personalised care and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making positive progress in education. This is because staff support children to attend and engage in education. The manager and staff ensure that they liaise with providers about the children’s lives outside of school, so that they understand the children’s needs and how they are coping and can adapt their provision accordingly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to spend time with their family and others who are important to them. Children’s families are welcomed into the home, or staff take the children to see the people who are important to them.

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

Children benefit from effective help and protection. The well-being of children is at the forefront of staff’s practice. Staff have well-established relationships and clear communication with wider professionals to promote and ensure children’s safety. Inspection report for children’s home: SC357455 4 Clear plans identify the risks for individual children. Plans are completed with children, parents and professionals. The plans set out clear guidance for staff to work with each child effectively.

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

Staff support children to understand risks and how to keep themselves safe. When children have gone missing from the home, the manager has reviewed staff practice to minimise future risks. This has included moving staff’s sleeping accommodation closer to the children’s bedrooms. However, bedroom door sensors have been used to monitor children’s movements without individual risk assessments. The manager has turned off the bedroom door sensors and is putting in place a new procedure and training for staff on the use of door sensors.

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

The manager and staff teach children about risks, for example educating a child on the risks of fires caused by vapes and lighters. External professionals and the local fire officer have supported this work. Children have engaged in this learning, which has reduced further incidents.

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

Staff know the children well and understand their individual behaviour support and risk management plans. Plans are regularly updated and reviewed by all staff to ensure that they know how to respond to any new or emerging risks. The manager and staff are proactive in planning how to manage any concerns, seeking input from all involved professionals while ensuring that the child’s voice is heard.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager demonstrates effective leadership of the home. The manager is confident and advocates for the children in his care. He leads an enthusiastic, motivated and committed staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is child focused and ensures that children receive a model of care that meets their individual needs. The manager and the responsible individual recognise the importance of staff feeling valued, trusted and listened to. This approach helps to ensure that staff are happy in their roles and provide good-quality care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When significant incidents happen, the manager takes effective action. However, they have not always notified the regulator of these incidents, which has limited external oversight for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported by a team of staff whose members are equally dedicated and share the same values. Staff are knowledgeable. They are motivated to make a positive difference for children and work consistently to do so. Staff say that they are well supported and that there is an open and helpful culture in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a strong managerial presence in the home. Children and staff benefit from this supportive day-to-day oversight. The manager leads by example, takes on tasks and Inspection report for children’s home: SC357455 5 works directly with the children. Due to this proactive approach, staff feel supported and valued and have confidence in the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the home. Feedback is positive and indicates that the manager and staff consistently have the children’s needs and safety at the forefront of their decision-making and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager prioritises staff training and development. Staff have access to a broad range of mandatory training alongside additional training specific to the presenting needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager reviews practice in the home, and internal and external monitoring are used to continually improve staff practice to ensure that children have the best experiences possible. Inspection report for children’s home: SC357455 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, this is in relation to any incidents around fires being started in the home. 4 August 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children; it will, in most cases, be a homely, domestic environment. The registered provider should ensure that the children’s bedrooms and upstairs hallway are decorated and maintained to a good standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that any decisions to limit a child’s access to any areas of the home and to use bedroom door sensors must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded and be kept under regular review. This specifically relates to the use of bedroom door sensors and the landing doorbell to alert staff sleeping in during the night. (‘Guide to

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Recommendations

the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.10) Inspection report for children’s home: SC357455 7

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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: SC357455 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Woodside House Care Ltd

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alison Hayton-Gregg

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Inspector

Deborah Turner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC357455 9 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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