Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Hartlepool

Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 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

The home is privately run. 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

There were four children living at the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke with three of the children.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024.

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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: 21 January 2025

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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: 2697992 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2025 Full Good 23/10/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is furnished and decorated to a high standard. Children’s bedrooms are personalised, enabling each child to express themselves. There are several communal areas the children use regularly. This promotes opportunities for children to socialise with staff and their peers. The home offers countryside views and a large outdoor space for children to exercise and play. There is a warm family atmosphere in the home, which helps children to feel settled.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children at the home are making good progress. This is because staff build positive relationships with children and understand their needs. Staff work with children to build children’s confidence and develop their social skills. Staff provide children with a range of positive experiences. This is corroborated by professionals who speak highly of the home and the level of care provided to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the importance of children’s education. Children have excellent attendance and are making good progress. One child achieved more than 10 GCSEs, and another child is accessing additional learning by attending college one day a week. Children have been supported to attend work experience and complete voluntary work. This helps children to aspire and improves opportunities for them as they grow.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home supports children to spend time with their families and loved ones. The staff support this time by taking children and supervising where necessary. The staff build relationships with family members to create positive experiences for children. Where there are concerns around family time, staff take the time to listen to children’s views and opinions. Staff work well with partner agencies to ensure children’s needs are being met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported by staff to share their views. This is through children’s meetings, key-working sessions, and day-to-day discussions. Children’s requests are respected, with one example including the introduction of a post box for children to share their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise children’s achievements and provide positive encouragement. This ranges from verbal praise to rewards. This helps children to feel valued and encourages them to make positive decisions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of the language used in children’s records is insensitive and not child focused. This can impact negatively on children if they choose to view their records either now or in the future.

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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 4 Children have individualised care plans that help staff to understand their needs. Risk assessments and positive behaviour support plans are completed for all children. These guide staff on how to provide effective support to children and keep them safe. These records are updated regularly, which means staff have the most up-to-date information.

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

Important and relevant information from partner agencies is kept on children’s files. When information is missing, staff follow an escalation policy to ensure these records are received. Staff work closely with agencies, including the in-house clinical team, which provides direct support to both staff and children. This helps to ensure consistency in the care children receive.

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

Staff speak with children about the future and prepare them when it is time to move on from the home. One child has successfully moved on, partly due to the support they received from staff. Children benefit from clear plans to support them in managing important changes in their lives.

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

Sometimes children need to be held by staff. When holds are used, these are proportionate and recorded clearly. Children are provided with appropriate support following incidents. The manager provides oversight of incidents to learn how future reoccurrences can be avoided.

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

When children make allegations, they are supported by leaders and managers. This helps children to feel reassured that they are believed, and it builds trust. This helps children to feel safer, and they are more likely to share any concerns they may have.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager engages well with partner agencies through sharing information and attending meetings. The manager is a strong advocate for children and will challenge decision-making when necessary. An example includes the manager challenging a partner agency around the delivery of specialist work with a child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager supports staff through regular supervision sessions and discussions when necessary. This helps staff share any concerns and ideas and talk about the children they care for. Additional supervision sessions are arranged when the manager identifies practice issues. This helps to ensure staff have the knowledge and skills they need to meet the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive training to better equip them to meet the children’s needs. This includes specialist training linked to any additional needs children have. The home benefits from the support of a clinical team that offers training and guidance. This provides a tailored and individualised approach for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are well attended. These provide an opportunity for staff to share their views and ask questions. Meetings are also used as an Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 5 opportunity for staff development, and they cover important topics relating to the care children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager generally has effective oversight of the home. They recognise the strengths and areas for development. They actively seek out external feedback. This helps to ensure there is independent scrutiny to further develop the care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Decision-making by leaders and managers has fallen short when deciding on the suitability of staff working in the home. This has impacted children’s emotional well- being, leading to children being distressed and feeling unsafe in the home. While measures were attempted to minimise the impact on children, these were unsuccessful. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 6

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Statutory requirement

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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires, and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. (Regulation 13 (1)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, decisions taken about staff working in the home must carefully consider the safety and well-being of children. 5 January 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion, and third- party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘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: 2697992 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, Lancashire LA6 2PR

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Inspector

Kerry Chater, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 8 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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