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 operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties, have learning disabilities and/or mental health challenges.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 3 children were living at the home. All 3 children spoke with the inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2024. They were absent from work at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be 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

06/10/2025 Full Good 21/01/2025 Full Good 23/10/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 3

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Summary of findings

Children make some progress in different areas of their lives. However, this progress is undermined by some staff responses that do not always meet children’s needs and by staff not always communicating effectively with children.

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Summary of findings

While staff have a good understanding of how to respond to some of the risks that children face, there are shortfalls in the response to some safeguarding concerns. Appropriate action has not always been taken in response to allegations made against staff.

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Summary of findings

The leadership and management of the home are ineffective. Managers have failed to maintain effective oversight of children’s care, resulting in shortfalls in staff practice not always being identified and addressed. Children and staff do not always feel that their views are appropriately responded to, and staff are not always provided with the necessary support to fully understand children’s needs. These shortfalls negatively affect the quality of care that children receive.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always communicate effectively with children when they initially move into the home. Children are unaware of the reasons why some decisions about their care are made. One child was unaware of the reasons why they had been unable to see their family since moving into the home. While this decision was made by key professionals involved in the child’s care, the child’s lack of understanding has left them feeling anxious.

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improvement to be good

Children are provided with some opportunities to share their views. However, they do not feel that staff and managers always act on these. This has led to children feeling unable to raise their views, or that doing so fails to bring about change in how they are cared for.

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improvement to be good

The children live in a warm and welcoming home that is decorated to a high standard. They have spacious and personalised bedrooms with en-suite facilities, providing privacy and personal space. Large communal areas offer ample opportunities for children to spend time together or engage in direct work with their key workers and the therapeutic care team.

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improvement to be good

All children are making progress in their education. They all attend the on-site school, and 2 children have completed their GCSEs and are awaiting their results. Children’s school attendance has improved, with some children who were out of education now attending daily. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 4 Children take part in a range of activities, such as horse riding, fishing and cadets. This provides opportunities for them to try new things and to have a sense of achievement. Children have also enjoyed an end-of-year school prom, ensuring that they experience similar opportunities as their peers who attend mainstream schools.

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improvement to be good

Allegations made against staff are not always responded to effectively. In one instance, an allegation was not reported to the relevant professionals, including the local authority designated officer, and no action was taken in response. On another occasion, senior managers did not carry out a full and impartial assessment of risk following an allegation made by external professionals. Consequently, it is not clear that initial safeguarding decisions were adequate.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently follow the home’s behaviour management policy. Not all staff understand children’s triggers, and the threat of punitive consequences has, at times, contributed to incidents escalating. This has included the prospect of restricting children’s contact with family members as a consequence of their behaviour. This does not help children to remain calm or develop strategies to manage their emotions and behaviour effectively.

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improvement to be good

Staff know what to do when children are missing from home. They follow children’s plans and work with partner agencies to ensure children’s safe return home. Children are nurtured on their return and have the opportunity to speak to someone independent of the home. Staff are curious about children’s experiences and ensure that they have access to specialist services to support them when appropriate.

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improvement to be good

Staff generally know the children well and understand how changes in their behaviour may indicate an increased level of risk. They use this understanding to determine whether room searches may be necessary to help keep children safe. Any harmful items found are removed from children’s rooms to safeguard them. Children understand why searches take place, and direct work is carried out with them to help them understand and manage associated risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff benefit from the advice and guidance of an in-house therapeutic team. This support helps most staff to better understand children’s experiences and how these may affect their behaviour. Staff use this understanding to support children in making safer decisions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not responded to previously identified shortfalls, resulting in a lack of improvement in children’s care. Some monitoring and review systems are in place; however, not all of them are effective. Incidents of self-harm are not always categorised accurately, which affects the manager’s ability to evaluate significant Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 5 incidents and recognise patterns in behaviour. When managers do provide oversight of incidents, they do not always identify concerning staff practice and comments.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not consistently promote a culture that supports staff to understand children’s needs and the underlying reasons for their behaviour. While there are clear expectations for staff regarding boundaries for children, insufficient consideration is given to the factors that may contribute to their behaviour. Managers have failed to ensure that staff use appropriate, child-friendly language when supporting children and recording information in their records. Some of the language used about children does not demonstrate a good understanding of their needs and behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not always escalated concerns relating to external professionals appropriately. When one child’s social worker cancelled visits to see the child, the manager challenged this appropriately. However, they failed to escalate the concerns when they continued, resulting in the issue remaining unresolved for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not always provided adequate support to staff in their roles. Although regular supervision sessions take place that include some reflection on the care provided to children, staff do not always receive the support they need to develop their understanding of children’s needs. Furthermore, some staff members report that, when they have raised concerns about the care children receive, managers have not taken action in response. Consequently, managers have failed to create a supportive environment in which learning and reflection help to drive improvements in children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Senior managers have taken action in response to some shortfalls. Steps are now being taken to address concerns about staff practice. Managers have also identified the need for a review of the service to ensure that necessary improvements are identified and made. Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(a)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 1 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. 1 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)) 1 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child.

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Requirement Due date

The following measures may not be used to discipline any child—

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Requirement Due date

any restriction, other than one imposed by a court or in accordance with regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), on—

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Requirement Due date

a child’s contact with parents, relatives or friends;

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Requirement Due date

visits to the child by the child’s parents, relatives or friends. (Regulation 19 (1) (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 1 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff— 1 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 8 if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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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 9

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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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Inspectors

Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Joe Matkar-Cox, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2697992 10 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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