Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2709816 1 Registered provider: Witherslack Group Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a large private company. It is registered to provide care for up to 5 children with complex needs who may also experience a range of social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a school and 2 other homes on the same site that were not part of this inspection. The inspector only inspected the social care provision on this site.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since the home opened in January 2023.

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Information about this children’s home

There are 5 children living in the home, of whom 3 spoke with the inspector.

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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: 12 November 2024

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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: 2709816 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/11/2024 Full Good 12/07/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2709816 3

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Summary of findings

Children are experiencing stability. They have previously experienced several moves but are now settled and making good progress in several areas of their lives.

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Summary of findings

Staff turnover is minimal. A consistent, well-trained staff team cares for children. This enables children to enjoy positive relationships through which they are well supported to make progress.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding incidents have been rare; despite this, staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe.

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Summary of findings

The number of times restraint is used on children has reduced, and management oversight has improved. While there have been some issues with staff practice, these have been identified by leaders and addressed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is beautifully presented. It provides children with large, well-decorated and thoughtfully furnished spaces to relax and enjoy themselves. Children’s bedrooms are highly personalised, reflecting their individual tastes and interests. Photos throughout the home, celebrating children’s experiences, contribute to a homely atmosphere. Because of this, children like living in the home and score it highly, with 3 children giving it 10 out of 10.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are experiencing stability. Many children in the home have lived there for several years. One child who is new to the home has previously experienced multiple moves. The stability provided has allowed the child to form trusting relationships and make progress in their education and other areas of their life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience consistency of care. There are good structures in place to facilitate partnership working and a consistent approach to meeting children’s needs. Staff are well supported by the home’s therapeutic lead to understand children’s needs and how best to meet them. The consistency and stability children experience are allowing them to feel safe and make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy positive relationships with staff, whom they trust. Staff regularly speak to children about important topics. These conversations focus on helping children to be safer and healthier and support them in learning new skills. These conversations support children’s progress. Children who were previously not in education are now in school full time. All children are improving their ability to emotionally regulate, and have experienced improvements in their confidence, self-esteem and personal hygiene. Inspection report for children’s home: 2709816 4 Children are exceptionally well supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Staff and managers are proactive at identifying children’s important relationships and ensuring they are maintained and developed. Similarly, staff ensure that children have opportunities to enjoy their religious and cultural backgrounds. They support children to learn about themselves, building children’s sense of identity and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities of their choosing. They are supported to try new things, learn new skills and make memories. Those memories are carefully recorded and beautifully presented in memory books and boxes, ensuring that children can remember key moments in their lives.

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

Safeguarding incidents are infrequent. Because children feel safe and enjoy living in the home, there have not been any incidents of children going missing from home. Despite the infrequent nature of safeguarding incidents, staff have a good understanding of how to keep children safe.

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

The use of restraint in the home has reduced. When children are restrained, it is only for the purposes of keeping them or others safe. Management oversight has improved; it focuses on identifying learning and improving children’s experiences. Managers have been quick to identify and address poor practice.

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

Children know how to complain, but have not felt the need to because staff listen to them and act to improve things if children are unhappy.

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

Consequences are rarely used. When they are used, they are natural consequences and restorative in nature, supporting children to learn and repair relationships. Children’s progress is supported through regular use of rewards, including treats and verbal praise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are aspirational for the children in their care and confidently advocate for them. Excellent communication and effective partnership working ensure that children receive the support they need quickly. Because of this, children receive care that is well planned. Feedback from children’s professionals is exclusively positive. They describe the manager as insightful, reflective and always able to make time for everyone.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have created a positive environment in the home. Staff feel well supported and enjoy working in the home. As a result, staff turnover has been minimal, and children have benefited from a consistent team of adults caring for them. When staff have left, the manager has ensured that these endings are managed well. This means that children have experienced positive endings, rather than further loss. Inspection report for children’s home: 2709816 5 Leaders and managers have embedded a learning culture in the home. They ensure that staff receive training relevant to children’s individual needs and that staff regularly have opportunities to reflect on the care children receive. Because of this, children are cared for by staff who are knowledgeable and understand them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations were made at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2709816 6

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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: 2709816 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

John Tomlinson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2709816 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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