Top Ofsted rating for Rotherham's last remaining children's home

Liberty House Children’s Home was handed the highest possible accolade by Ofsted inspectors following a review of its services at the beginning of November.

At the last full inspection this service received a judgement of ‘good’, but the latest report said: “It has since improved so significantly, it now offers an excellent service to young people helping them achieve outstanding outcomes.”

Inspectors added they were impressed with staff at the home’s ‘can do’ attitude saying that “a real strength of this service is the development of young people’s skills and confidence through the provision of a range of challenging and new experiences.”

Rotherham Council last month agreed to close both Cherry Tree House and Silverwood children’s homes as part of its move towards more family based placements. This followed closures last year of both St Edmunds and Woodview children’s homes. One of the reasons for the closures were that these homes were not providing the high standard of care now expected for children in the council’s care.

Liberty House – a short breaks centre for children with complex needs – has consistently received good and improving ratings from Ofsted over the last few years.

Ian Thomas, director of children’s services at Rotherham Council, said: “This really is a testament to the great work the team at Liberty House do with the young people who they support and is a reflection of all the hard work that goes into the running of this home and ensuring that the best possible outcomes are achieved for the young people it supports.“