Our homes
Darwen House.
North West England
Ofsted registered
Darwen House
- Registered capacity
- Up to 2 children
- Support
- Social, emotional and behavioural needs; Learning, health and practical independence; Safe relationships and community activities
- Age range
- 8–17 years
Who looks after this home
A nurturing, personalised home where children are encouraged to discover new interests, overcome challenges and build confidence in their abilities. Darwen has demonstrated positive outcomes in education, health and independence, including helping a young person re-engage with learning and develop practical budgeting and shopping skills. From learning to swim and enjoying new experiences to strengthening family relationships, children benefit from thoughtful, individualised care delivered by a supportive team with strong management oversight.
Support
- Social, emotional and behavioural needs.
- Learning, health and practical independence.
- Safe relationships and community activities.
Approach
- Individual care and positive behaviour support planning.
- Restorative discussion and positive reinforcement.
- Children, families and professionals involved in reviews.
About the setting
- Two children's bedrooms, including one en-suite room.
- A living room, open-plan kitchen and dining area, and garden.
The team here
- The team covers days and waking nights.
- The house has a staff sleep-in room on the first floor.
- Supervision is fortnightly through induction, monthly for staff with between four months and two years of service, and quarterly after that, with an annual appraisal for everyone.
- Managers receive management supervision and are trained to Designated Officer level in safeguarding.
Planned matching
Planned placements only. Matching considers the child's needs and the children already living in the home. Discuss the full Statement of Purpose placement criteria and required support with the referral team before a placement is agreed. Capacity is not current availability.
Therapeutic support
Confidential sessions with a therapist are available. We work with a third-party therapist, alongside the staff team and the professionals around each child. Where appropriate, external clinical psychology, CAMHS or other specialist services may also be accessed.
Statement of Purpose
This page is the published web version of Darwen House’s Statement of Purpose. It carries what the document says about who the home supports, how it is run and the care it offers, and leaves out the home’s address so that the children living here are not identifiable.
Children living here, their parents, our staff and placing authorities can all ask for it: speak to the home’s manager or email info@guidancecare.co.uk. Only the current approved version is issued.
Who this home can support
- Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs
This home's Statement of Purpose describes the young people it supports as having social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. That wording is this home's own and is not used as a diagnosis. It does not by itself mean a referral will be accepted, and the boundaries above apply.
- Admission criteria and boundaries
Planned short-term and long-term placements for young people aged 8 to 17 with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home takes up to two young people at a time. Every referral is weighed against the needs and compatibility of the young people already living here, so a placement that would be right in isolation may still not be right for this house at this moment.
- Needs and risks outside this home’s provision
We do not accept admissions for young people with severe learning disabilities, significant alcohol or drug misuse issues, or severe mental health diagnoses that require primary clinical intervention. If a referral sits close to one of those boundaries, ask the referral team rather than assuming it either way.
- Planned and emergency admissions
Planned placements only, whether short-term or long-term. Guidance Care does not take emergency or crisis placements, and this home is no exception. Matching and introductions happen before a young person moves in.
How this home works
- Staffing, waking nights and sleep-ins
The team covers days and waking nights. The house has a staff sleep-in room on the first floor. Supervision is fortnightly through induction, monthly for staff with between four months and two years of service, and quarterly after that, with an annual appraisal for everyone. Managers receive management supervision and are trained to Designated Officer level in safeguarding.
- Education
We work with local schools, colleges and alternative providers so that a move does not interrupt learning. Each young person has an education and personal development plan, and staff attend the meetings and reviews that go with it. Where a young person is not in formal education, a structured personal, health and social education timetable is put in place rather than leaving the day empty.
- Care approach and staff training
Trauma-informed care, with an individual placement and positive behaviour support plan for each young person. Day to day that means restorative discussion, positive reinforcement and de-escalation; physical intervention is a last resort and is always recorded, reviewed and analysed. Every member of staff completes an induction covering safeguarding, Team Teach, first aid, health and safety, medication and fire safety, and all staff are trained to Team Teach Intermediate level. Beyond that, staff take enhanced courses which include trauma-informed care, therapeutic models, attachment and PACE, mental health, self-harm, substance misuse, sexual health, and diversity and inclusion.
- Accessibility of the building
A modern detached house over two floors. The living room, open-plan kitchen and dining area with patio doors to the garden, a downstairs toilet and a staff office are on the ground floor. The two young people's bedrooms, one with its own en-suite, the main bathroom, a staff sleep-in room and the manager's office are on the first floor and are reached by stairs. There is a downstairs toilet but no ground-floor bedroom or bathroom and no lift, so the house will not suit a young person who cannot manage stairs. There is a generous garden.
Clinical and therapeutic input
What is actually available at this home, rather than across the organisation.
- Available at this home
Confidential sessions with a therapist are available to every young person living here. We work with a third-party therapist rather than employing one, and they work alongside the staff team, so what comes out of those sessions informs the placement plan, behaviour support and keywork rather than sitting separately from them. Where it is needed, external clinical psychology, CAMHS or another specialist service can also be involved.
- Limitations
This is a home, not a clinical setting. It does not provide primary clinical mental health treatment, and a young person whose diagnosis requires that as the main intervention is outside what this house can offer. The therapeutic support here sits alongside care; it does not replace treatment delivered by a health service. Ask the referral team before assuming a particular clinical need can be met.
Statement of Purpose
This page is the published web version of this home’s Statement of Purpose. It carries what the document says about who the home supports, how it is run and the care it offers, and leaves out the home’s address so that the children living here are not identifiable. Children living here, their parents, our staff and placing authorities can all ask for it: speak to the home’s manager or email info@guidancecare.co.uk. Only the current approved version is issued.
Referrals for this home
- Monitored contact
- referrals@guidancecare.co.uk or 01253 530008, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Published inspection information
Good · 23 June 2026 – 24 June 2026
Ofsted URN 2860863 - Darwen House on the Ofsted website, opens in a new tab. That opens Ofsted’s own page for this home, which lists every published report, including any inspection or monitoring visit later than the one above.
Provider update
Darwen House was judged good in all three areas at its first full inspection, in June 2026, and inspectors set no statutory requirements. They made one recommendation: that where a member of staff needs additional monitoring or support, it is written down clearly, so that development plans stay consistent. That is where our work has gone since.