Wigan borough children’s home receives outstanding Ofsted report

BASE Outreach and Short Breaks received an Outstanding rating from Ofsted following a visit in January, improving on its Good rating in 2022.

The Wigan Council-operated children’s home, offers short breaks or shared care arrangements for children with disabilities.

An inspection report highlighted the way children staying at the home were supported to build the confidence and abilities to try new experiences and how staff had a comprehensive understanding of each individual child’s needs.

The exceptional safeguarding arrangements and high-quality care standards were also praised.

Coun Jenny Bullen, cabinet member for children and families, said:“ This is wonderful news. We’ve worked hard to make sure that our residential homes offer the right sort of support to both children and their families and foster carers, and this exceptional rating is much deserved by the staff and management team at BASE.

“An ‘Outstanding’ rating is not easy to achieve, so it’s a true testimony to their hard work and dedication.”

BASE, which specialises in care for children with diagnosed disabilities, including those on the autism spectrum with learning disabilities and children with multiple complex learning needs, was previously inspected by Ofsted in March 2022, when they awarded a ‘Good’ rating.

Coun Bullen said: “The progression from ‘Good’ to ‘Outstanding’ in just one year is fantastic and should be celebrated.

“We’ll continue to be ambitious, as we should be for all the children in our care and will work towards maintaining this optimum result in the future.”