Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Oxfordshire

Inspection report for children's home: 1244160 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 run by a private organisation that operates several children's homes. The home is registered to provide care for up to 8 children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, 5 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

The provider also operates a school that is linked to the home. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision.

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Information about this children's home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2025.

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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 outstanding

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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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1244160 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/06/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/12/2023 Full Good 10/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1244160 3

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Summary of findings

In this home, there is a warm, caring and fun atmosphere. The leaders and staff demonstrate a genuine commitment to children, enabling them to make good progress and have positive experiences.

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Summary of findings

Children feel safe and have developed trusting relationships with the staff, who they believe they can talk to for support and guidance. This promotes their ability to understand their own feelings and emotions.

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Summary of findings

Managers and staff value education. They work closely with education professionals to ensure that children receive education and have positive experiences. This helps to maintain consistency of care between home and education.

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Summary of findings

The home is led by a manager who is committed to providing high-quality care and ensuring that children enjoy their childhoods. She focuses on helping children make progress and unlock their potential. She has created a culture of high aspirations and positivity. This inspires the staff team to adopt the same beliefs, which in turn has improved outcomes for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, significant improvements have been made to the home, which is comfortable and welcoming. Shared spaces are colourful and inviting, with space for children to play or have quiet time. Children's bedrooms have been personalised to their individual preferences. Children are actively involved in decisions regarding their home and have been part of developing the gaming room and gym.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living in the home. They receive nurturing care from dedicated staff who are committed to helping them grow and enhance their experiences and outcomes. The managers and staff exhibit a natural, calm and caring demeanour in all their interactions with the children, and they take pride in discussing the children's progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children with complex life experiences are supported to build trusting relationships with staff. This helps them feel safe enough to engage positively with boundaries and routines, explore their community with friends and prepare for the next stage in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inclusive practice is central to the way that staff work to support the children. This support encourages children to explore their identities, promotes inclusivity and allows them to express themselves freely. As a result, children feel safe discussing any concerns or questions about their identities with staff, who help them understand their emotions. Inspection report for children's home: 1244160 4 Communication between home and school is excellent, with regular updates to ensure consistency for the children. Attendance and progress are good, and staff understand the support needed for effective engagement. Well-planned transitions create positive educational experiences, helping previously reluctant children enjoy learning and attend full time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy spending time with their families, and the staff actively promote family interactions, creating positive experiences for everyone involved. A strength is staff's ability to support children in maintaining family connections, even in difficult situations. This includes helping children attend family gatherings and inviting relatives for visits and meals, while keeping families well informed. As one family member said, 'It's like having a news channel; I'm always kept up to date.'

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

Children feel safe and are safer as a result of the care they receive. They know who to approach if they are worried or upset and easily share their concerns. The staff are attentive to their emotional wellbeing and offer support when needed.

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

The manager and staff are committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children. They reflect on the reasons behind children's behaviours and continuously monitor them to gain a deeper understanding of each child. This understanding informs adjustments in their approach, ultimately improving outcomes for the children. The staff maintain close collaboration with partner agencies, promptly reporting and addressing any concerns that arise.

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

Staff have a strong and balanced approach to help children understand and manage risks. They are skilled at identifying and addressing risk-related behaviours, ensuring that children remain safe without imposing unnecessary restrictions. Importantly, their approach is not overly cautious. If children go missing from home, the staff proactively follow up, maintain contact and encourage them to return. Children have expressed that they feel safe and trust the staff to support them, even when they make mistakes.

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

Children engage with staff in meaningful discussions and reflective work following incidents or risk-related situations. One-to-one and group conversations take place about risks, and children have engaged well in discussions about going missing from home, substance misuse and vaping. This has resulted in reduced risks. This helps children to understand consequences, make informed choices and build their awareness of personal safety.

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

The manager ensures that children's concerns or allegations are thoroughly investigated and addressed.

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

Staff receive good-quality training in all aspects of safeguarding. Their knowledge is regularly updated through refresher courses, discussions during child-focused meetings Inspection report for children's home: 1244160 5 and supervision sessions. As a result, staff show appropriate professional curiosity and consistently take actions to ensure that children remain safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a reflective leader who understands the children and staff. Her enthusiasm is a fundamental part of the environment, influencing how the staff interact with and care for the children. She and the deputy manager have a culture that sets high aspirations for each child, helping them to fully enjoy their childhood. This ethos is embraced by all the staff, who work together to enable children to achieve excellent outcomes. As a result, the children feel valued and cared for, leading to improved outcomes for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

There is a stable and effective management structure in place. Managers and staff know children very well and speak about them with care and pride. Regular meetings focus on understanding children's experiences, behaviours, feelings and needs. This means that time is taken to analyse and reflect on the support being provided and how this could be changed to help each child further. For example, staff think about how children's needs can be met based on new or changing behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Managers place a strong emphasis on staff's wellbeing, providing strong support for professional development and career growth. They recognise individual potential and encourage them to grow and develop. New staff receive comprehensive support to help them connect with the children they work with. This creates a valued and cohesive team, ultimately benefiting the children. One staff member said, 'Managers' support is incredible and I am proud to be part of such an amazing team of people and working with the young people to help them thrive.'

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A comprehensive training programme underpins staff's practice. Managers are proactive in identifying training for staff in response to children's emerging needs. This ensures that experienced and well-informed staff consistently care for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is forward-thinking and collaborates with professionals in health, education, social care and therapy to address the diverse needs of children. Positive feedback has been received from external professionals, as well as from the education and clinical teams, highlighting that staff communicate regularly and provide strong support for the children. One professional said, 'The staff team always have the children in mind.'

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The responsible individual visits the home regularly and has a strong understanding of each child's individual support needs. The children know her by name, and she enjoys spending time around them. This approach reflects strong leadership and conveys positive messages to children and staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has comprehensive oversight of the home through effective monitoring systems. Records are clear and capture details of children's engagement, experiences and achievements. Children's progress is monitored effectively through regular reviews Inspection report for children's home: 1244160 6 of plans and targets. Social workers are positive about children's progress and the approach that staff use to support them. The use of child-centred language in all plans and records means that staff think carefully about what they write and make sure that children's views are captured.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

No requirements or recommendations were made during this inspection. Inspection report for children's home: 1244160 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: 1244160 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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Children's home details

Registered manager: Emily Wallis Mandache

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Inspectors

Sharron Dormand, Social Care Inspector Ken Bedwell, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1244160 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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