Children's home run by North Yorkshire Council

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1256500 1 Registered provider: North Yorkshire Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a local authority. It provides a short-break service for up to six children with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and sensory impairments. The service offers care packages for 14 children. Two children are receiving shared care arrangements, and one child is living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The appointed manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Inspection date: 20 June 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At these inspections, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. The inspector has looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1256500 2

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Findings from the inspection

An assurance inspection took place on 20 June 2025 to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted.

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Findings from the inspection

We identified the following serious concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Findings from the inspection

 Staff do not have clear guidance on how to keep children safe who access the service.  Staff do not have clear guidance to help manage relationships between children to prevent them from hurting each other.  Managers do not take effective action when there are serious concerns about a child’s welfare.

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Findings from the inspection

There are significant shortfalls in the safety of children and staff. Staff have recorded, after an incident in the home, that they are unable to keep children and staff safe. Leaders and managers are aware of this information and try to find strategies to reduce the risks of children and staff being hurt. However, the safe arrangements for caring for all children who live at or visit the service are not always achieved, despite staff’s best efforts.

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Findings from the inspection

Relationships between children are not always managed effectively to prevent vulnerable children from being placed at risk of harm. One child has been assessed as presenting a risk to the other vulnerable children who visit the service. The staff are not always able to protect children from hearing or seeing behaviours that may cause them to feel upset or scared.

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Findings from the inspection

Some children and staff have been physically hurt during an incident when staff are supporting children with unpredictable behaviours. The manager and staff accept that this impacts children’s emotional well-being and experiences when they visit the service. Due to this, the manager has raised concerns with senior managers in the placing authority, though significant changes have not been achieved.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not taken action to understand how the quality of care provided affects each child. Staff have voiced their concerns in children’s records, team meetings and supervision about the safety of children and staff who work in the home. Leaders and managers identify strategies to reduce risks by making arrangements for one or more children to have some time out of the main building. However, the arrangements so far have not prevented children from being reported to be wary of another child when incidents escalate in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

The managers do not ensure that lone working arrangements are risk assessed. This is despite staff being required at times to work in a separate building with a child in isolation. Although staff are provided with a walkie-talkie as a means of alerting Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1256500 3 other staff that they need support, the arrangements are not risk assessed to ensure the safety of children and staff.

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Findings from the inspection

The service continues to offer valuable support to children and their families. Although there are shortfalls in the safety of children, managers continue to work well with parents, communicating any worries or concerns.

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Findings from the inspection

As a result of the shortfalls identified, a case review was held on 24 June 2025, and a decision was made to issue a compliance notice under regulation 12. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1256500 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2025 Full Good 21/11/2023 Full Good 02/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/11/2021 Full Outstanding Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1256500 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(vi)) 10 August 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children’s home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate 30 September Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1256500 6 qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that, where records are kept electronically, this information can be easily accessed by staff, in particular children’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2) Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1256500 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Yorkshire Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Racecourse Lane, Northallerton DL7 8AD

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Inspector

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1256500 8 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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