Children's Home run by Witherslack Group Limited in LancashireOfsted inspection, 9 Sept 2026

Inspection report for children’s home: SC475748 1 SC475748 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

This is a private children’s home registered to care for up to 7 children.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for children who have a range of social and emotional difficulties, or special educational needs and disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in June 2014 and the manager registered in April 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 7 children living at the home at the time of this inspection. The inspectors spent time with children during the inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC475748 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/06/2025 Full Good 21/01/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/02/2024 Full Outstanding 28/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC475748 3

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Summary of findings

Children living at the home are making good progress in all areas.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand children’s individual needs. Staff provide children with consistent care. This helps to ensure that children’s needs are met.

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Summary of findings

Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved into independent living. Three children have moved into the home and settled well.

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Summary of findings

Staff help children to develop positive relationships with each other. Staff encourage children to eat meals together and enjoy activities together.

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Summary of findings

The responsible individual and registered manager are ambitious for children. They are proud of the progress that children are making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is spacious and homely. Children have space to socialise together. Children have personalised bedrooms, which are decorated to their preference. This gives children a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have positive relationships with staff. Staff are practically and emotionally available for children and respond to their individual needs. Staff work hard to build trust and help children to feel settled. This helps children to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, 3 children have moved out of the home and 3 children have moved into the home. These moves have been positive and well planned by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s individual interests and activities. This includes staff supporting children to attend dance classes, swimming, horse riding, fishing and learning to ride their bikes. These opportunities help to increase children’s confidence and social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage positive peer relationships. Children spend time together to enjoy holidays and shared activities of their choice. This has led to friendships developing between children. This supports children’s sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with essential health services. This helps to ensure that their physical health needs are consistently met. Emotional support is tailored to meet the individual needs of children with input from the provider’s psychology team. This support helps children to develop positive coping strategies. Inspection report for children’s home: SC475748 4 Staff understand the importance of education and learning for children. Children attend the provider’s school, where their attendance at school has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their family and friends in line with their wishes. This means that children can maintain a sense of identity, and it provides them with a support network outside of the home. However, the arrangements regarding one child’s time with their family are not included in the child’s plans. This has not impacted negatively on the child.

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

Children’s risks are understood and managed well by staff with specialist input from the provider’s therapy team. This supports staff’s understanding of the previous trauma that children have suffered. This helps staff to provide individualised care for children.

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

Staff respond well to children’s risks and vulnerabilities to keep children safe. There are strategies in place to reduce potential risks, for example door sensors and window restrictors. However, children are not always spoken to about strategies in place to protect them. One child’s risk assessment is not updated to include this information.

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

Staff use a range of behaviour strategies to support children when they are in crisis. Staff use physical intervention as a last resort to ensure that children and staff are safe. Staff speak to children about their behaviours and use incentives and rewards to promote positive behaviours.

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

When children make allegations, staff respond appropriately. Staff listen to children. Staff work proactively with multi-agency professionals. This helps to ensure that children are protected from harm.

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

Since the last inspection, Ofsted received a complaint in respect of managers. The responsible individual has taken prompt action to address this.

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

Recruitment procedures and practices are robust and effective. The registered manager completes all required pre-employment checks. This helps to ensure that only suitable adults are employed to care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The responsible individual, registered manager and deputy managers are ambitious for children. The registered manager is available for staff and children. Staff report that ‘they feel supported and have positive relationships with management’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and managers have strong and effective working relationships with other professionals and parents. They share information appropriately with parents, children’s social workers and school. This helps to meet children’s overall needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC475748 5 Since the last inspection, there has been some instability in the staff team, with several staff leaving. The registered manager identified this and has plans in place to address this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The current staff team provides children with consistent care. Staff are committed to improving outcomes for children. Observations between children and staff are positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are positive about the support they receive from their peers and managers. Staff describe feeling valued in their roles. Staff receive training to meet children’s individual needs. For example, staff have had training in neurodiversity, individual communication needs, sensory processing and love-led language.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive annual appraisals as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. However, the appraisals lack detail to help staff understand the effectiveness of their caring and safeguarding practices. The registered manager does not include feedback from children or professionals to help staff to continually improve their practices. Therefore, there are missed opportunities for staff to make continuous improvements to the care they provide for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management oversight of the home is impacted by the current recording systems in place. This means that the registered manager does not routinely debrief staff after a physical intervention has taken place. This is a missed opportunity for the registered manager to fully evaluate the care provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC475748 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that risk assessments are updated when new risks are identified. 9 November 2026

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that staff receive debriefs in line with regulation. 9 November 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children; 9 November 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC475748 7 so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered manager must ensure that they talk to children about the measures in place to keep them safe.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the annual appraisal of staff includes feedback from children and other professionals. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5)  The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans. This should include the identification of mainstream educational provision that would be best suited to children’s educational needs at the point of referral. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: SC475748 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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Inspectors

Chervone Collins, Social Care Inspector (Lead) Andrea Foreman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC475748 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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