Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2718968 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

A private company owns this home. It is registered to provide care for up to 5 children with complex needs who may experience a range of difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

This home is located on the same site as a school, which children living at the home attend. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living in the home, all of whom were present during the inspection. All children were given the opportunity to speak to an inspector.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager for this home is currently on maternity leave; the post is being covered by an interim manager who has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 26 January 2026

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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: 2718968 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/01/2026 Full Good 23/04/2024 Full Good 15/05/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2718968 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making good progress from their starting points and enjoy positive relationships with staff.

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Summary of findings

Children are well supported with their health and education, and in their relationships with family members.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding incidents in this home are rare, and staff follow children's plans to keep them safe.

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Summary of findings

Some aspects of management oversight, such as the oversight of restraint or missing incidents, do not identify opportunities to improve children's experiences. Similarly, leaders and managers do not always give adequate consideration to staff welfare or the impact of staffing arrangements on staff and children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children live in a home that has spacious, welcoming and well-maintained environments. Communal areas offer plenty of room for relaxation and play, and children's bedrooms are personalised to reflect their individual interests. This helps children to feel valued and at home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy living in the home and benefit from warm, trusting relationships with staff. These positive connections help children to feel safe and understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making meaningful progress from their starting points. Those who were previously out of education are now attending school full time and are engaging well. Children's health outcomes have improved, including one child who has achieved a healthy weight through a balanced diet and regular exercise.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children who have experienced multiple placement moves are now settled. One professional said of the child they work with, 'They [staff] are not giving up on him. They are giving him stability. They really meet his needs. He is the most settled I have ever seen him.'

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported in their education. All children are in full-time education and are making progress. Good partnership working between the home, school and therapeutic team ensures that children receive consistent, well-coordinated support. Staff understand children's needs and work collaboratively to remove barriers to learning. Inspection report for children's home: 2718968 4 Children's physical and emotional health needs are well met. They benefit from regular sessions with the home's therapist, who also provides guidance to staff. This ensures that children receive therapeutically informed and consistent care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are also supported to develop the skills they need for later life. Staff hold regular, purposeful conversations with children to understand their wishes and feelings and to help them make safer, healthier and more informed choices. This prepares them well for future independence.

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

Children feel safe living in the home. When safeguarding incidents occur, staff support children to reflect on what happened and consider alternative ways in which they might respond in the future. These restorative conversations help children to learn from their experiences and contribute to their progress.

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

The use of restraint by staff has been high but is reducing. When restraint is used, it is proportionate and focused on keeping children and others safe. When children are held, they are offered opportunities to talk about their experiences afterwards, helping them to process events and feel heard.

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

Children rarely go missing. When they do, staff follow children's individual plans, ensuring that they return safely.

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

Allegations made by children are taken seriously. Managers act promptly to ensure the safety of both children and staff. They notify the appropriate professionals and carry out internal investigations where required. Children are kept informed of decisions and outcomes, helping them to feel respected and reassured.

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

Consequences used in the home are natural and proportionate. Staff complete reflective work with children to support their understanding and learning. Children's achievements and progress are recognised and celebrated through the use of rewards.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers are ambitious for the children in their care and use a range of tools to oversee practice. However, oversight is not consistently robust. The monitoring of restraint has not always identified missed opportunities to de-escalate situations or challenged poor-quality recording. This has weakened leaders' understanding of incidents and reduced their ability to drive improvements in children's experiences. As a result, opportunities for learning have been missed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Similarly, oversight of missing-from-home incidents has lacked sufficient scrutiny. Leaders have not consistently identified patterns or learning that could strengthen staff responses and reduce risks to children. Inspection report for children's home: 2718968 5 Staff welfare is not always given appropriate consideration. On one occasion, when a member of staff sustained a head injury, the on-call manager did not give adequate attention to their wellbeing. In addition, there have been occasions when staff have worked through the night and continued working the following day, with no clear evidence of attempts to relieve them. This has the potential to compromise both staff welfare and the quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Despite these shortfalls, staff report that they enjoy working in the home and feel well supported. They describe managers as approachable and available. Supervision takes place regularly and provides staff with opportunities to reflect on children's care and their own experiences. Team meetings are well attended and offer space for staff to consider children's progress and needs. Because staff feel supported, children benefit from a stable and consistent staff team. Inspection report for children's home: 2718968 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 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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that their oversight of safeguarding incidents or the use of restraint is robust and identifies opportunities to improve children's experiences. 31 August 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 54, paragraph 10.15) Inspection report for children's home: 2718968 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: 2718968 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: Kate Whitehouse Charmaine Lewcock

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Inspector

John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2718968 9 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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