Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Oxfordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 1 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to 4 children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private organisation that operates several registered children’s homes, including 2 on the same site. The inspector only inspected this home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The provider operates a school on the same site as the children’s home. The inspector only inspected the social care provision during this inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since October 2025.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/08/2025 Full Good 20/11/2023 Full Good 01/11/2022 Full Good 01/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children are making progress and enjoy a wide range of activities that support their development. Three children have moved into the home since the last inspection, and they have experienced an increasing sense of stability and belonging. Staff are committed, focused and well attuned to children’s individual needs. This supports them to build positive relationships with children. The manager has implemented a range of positive changes and is supported by an equally child-centred deputy. Together, they have a shared vision of the high standards they wish to achieve in the staff team and to enable the children to thrive. There is one recommendation regarding ensuring that children are offered independent return home interviews by their placing authorities.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive highly personalised care in a nurturing environment. Staff understand children’s needs well and tailor their approach accordingly. The cohort of children has changed since the last inspection. This has led to an adjustment in the care provided, in order to meet the needs of a younger group of children. Children enjoy spending time with staff, undertaking activities inside and outside of the home. Staff seek out opportunities to provide new experiences for the children in their care.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff receive training to enable them to provide appropriate emotional support to children, and to help children to express their emotions constructively. They seek support from external professionals when necessary and access resources to enhance children’s wellbeing through a team of professionals linked to the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children have an education placement. Children have progressed from a starting point of not having an education placement to attending school on a full-time basis. Staff ensure that children have the support they need to maintain their places and overcome barriers to attendance.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move out of the home, staff seek to ensure a smooth transition. Each move is carefully planned whenever possible, with a focus on achieving positive outcomes for the child. One child’s plan when leaving the home was of a very high standard.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of the home is that every child is encouraged to pursue their own talents. Managers and staff take the time to understand what each child enjoys and they then make every effort to make suitable opportunities available to them, for example with access to drama, football, gymnastics and martial arts. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 4 External professionals are positive about the care provided. One person noted that, ‘Adults provide consistent support and nurturing relationships, helping the child to feel safe, valued and able to express their thoughts, feelings and wishes.’

p.3

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

The home is child centred, with a focus on supporting children following incidents. Staff seek to rebuild friendships and understand children’s behaviours. There is a good culture of learning from incidents and implementing changes to support the safeguarding and welfare of the children.

p.4

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

Recruitment is managed safely and in line with statutory guidance. The organisation has a good system in place to ensure that all the necessary checks are carried out before the appointment of new staff. This minimises the risks of children being exposed to unsuitable adults in the home.

p.4

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

When children go missing from home, staff work with others to locate them and ensure their safe return. Staff seek to ensure that children are offered an opportunity to speak to them about their feelings following a period of going missing. However, follow-up work with the local authority to ensure that someone independent from the home speaks to the child has not always taken place.

p.4

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

Allegations are managed effectively. The manager keeps suitable records and acts on any guidance given, such as from the local authority designated officer. Children receive feedback in a child-friendly manner.

p.4

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

Staff work with children to help them reflect on the language they use when they are angry or upset, and the impact that this can have on others, including the wider community. A network of professionals is supporting this ongoing area of work to ensure that children can understand their behaviours and learn alternative strategies when needed.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The environment is warm and welcoming. Leaders and managers demonstrate a strong empathic approach to the children in their care. They are confident and ambitious for children and seek to be influential in ensuring that children make progress and achieve good outcomes.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

While there has been a change in the children living in the home since the last inspection, the depth of transition planning has supported positive move-on plans. Alongside this, there has been detailed work to ensure that the new cohort of children has settled in well to the home and that the children have a confident and nurturing team around them. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 5 Internal monitoring and quality assurance processes are in place. These have been developed since the last inspection, with the implementation of a new recording system. This continues to be reviewed to support the senior leadership team and its oversight of the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings and reviews enable the team to focus on creating a safe and positive space in which children can flourish.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff receive regular practice-related supervision and their practice is appraised annually. This provides staff with an opportunity to reflect on their practice and discuss their professional development and wellbeing. Staff are motivated and say they are well supported and have opportunities to reflect on their practice. They are complimentary about the support they receive from managers.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

One member of staff said, ‘Management have recognised the impact that a changing group of children can have and have worked alongside staff to ensure that their views, feelings and needs remain central to planning and decision-making. This has helped provide stability and reassurance during what could have been a difficult period of adjustment.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 6

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that, after a child has been missing from care or away from the home without permission, they work with the local authority to ensure that the child is offered an independent return home interview undertaken by the local authority. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)

p.6

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: 2614937 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Lupton Tower, Lupton, Carnforth, Lancashire LA6 2PR

p.7

Inspector

Maria Calway-Kennedy, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2614937 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8