Pinewood Children’s Home graded as Outstanding by inspectors

Pinewood Children’s Home in West Cheshire has been graded as Outstanding across the board following a recent Ofsted inspection.

The Council-run children’s home provides high quality respite provision for children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEND) across the borough, offering short breaks for up to three disabled children at a time.

Short breaks are services that can help families with a disabled child. They give disabled children the chance to have time away from their families, make new friends and most importantly have fun.

The home was inspected in January 2022 on the overall experiences and progress of children and young people, how well children and young people are helped and protected and the effectiveness of leaders and managers.

Ofsted has now published their formal report concluding that the children’s home is Outstanding; it provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care. Children are at the heart of practice and their views are valued and contribute to the development of the service.

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said: “Pinewood Children’s Home has continued to improve since its ‘Good’ rating in May 2019 and I am absolutely delighted that the hard work of the staff has been recognised in the recently achieved Outstanding rating. The care and support that they provide for children and young people with SEND is vital and helps to set them up to get the best start in life.

“The past few years have been a difficult time for Children’s Services across the country, the team at Pinewood has gone above and beyond to ensure that alternative support was offered to families when needed.”

The published report states that the staff team has excelled in safeguarding children throughout recent periods of lockdown, in consultation with parents, and that staff are creative and have continued to find new ideas to improve experiences for children with the most complex needs so that they make sustained progress through innovative approaches.

The report also notes that feedback from professionals and parents is highly positive about the opportunities that children can access as part of their short breaks and the benefits they offer them.

Councillor Gittins continues: “The team has worked extremely hard to provide the best support possible to our children and young people with SEND, ensuring that all feedback is listened to and acted upon.

“A huge thanks must go to the staff at Pinewood for their hard work and dedication, I am extremely proud of what they have achieved.”