Cheshire West and Chester Council children’s residential provision receives outstanding Ofsted inspection

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Pinewood Children's short breaks residential provision in Winsford has received an outstanding inspection from Ofsted.

This is the third positive inspection the Council’s children’s homes and residential provision have received in the last year, with all Cheshire West and Chester children’s homes having also received accolades for their work with children and young people through recent Ofsted inspection – all graded as Good or Outstanding by Ofsted during the last 6 months.

Pinewood has been designed to be fully accessible and provides short break care for children with additional needs.   Many children attend Pinewood from a very young age until they reach adulthood. 

Ofsted inspectors highlighted that ‘children are supported to develop stable, trusting and long-lasting relationships with staff who care about them’, and that ‘staff support children throughout their childhoods and provide consistent, high-quality care.’ These stable and consistent relationships help the children to develop life skills and to feel safe and secure. 

Leader of the Council, Councillor Louise Gittins said: “We are delighted that another of our Council-run children’s residential homes has received an outstanding Ofsted inspection.  We are incredibly proud of our Children’s Homes and delighted that their achievements have been recognised by the recent outstanding inspections.” 

“Expert staff working in our homes understand the needs of these children exceptionally well, viewing them as extended family and supporting them to feel valued and included.   Their dedication supports the children and young people in making consistent and positive progress.” 

Inspectors found that Children’s overnight stays were exceptionally well planned and praised communication with parents, one of whom described Pinewood as ‘home from home’ for her child. 

Staff from Pinewood work collaboratively with children’s education providers, families, and other professionals to develop children’s goals, assessing their progress to ensure the best outcomes for each child. As children grow up and begin to make use of adult services, staff help them to prepare for and navigate these changes. Together with families, they work with new services to support the young person, making the transition to the next stage of life as seamless as possible.

You can read all the inspection reports here: 

Ofsted website