Children's home run by Highfield North East Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2835817 1 Registered provider: Highfield North East Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private provider. It offers short- and long-term care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, five children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home and manager registered with Ofsted in February 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2835817 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spoke with two of the children during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good care from staff. They report feeling happy living at the home and say that they are supported well. The staff are proud of the children and celebrate all their achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build strong relationships with children by using humour in their interactions, which the children respond well to. The staff team is stable, which allows children to build long- lasting relationships with staff. This stability and consistency help promote children’s sense of permanence and belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently undergone high-quality renovations, giving it a homely and welcoming feel. Children’s bedrooms are personalised according to their tastes and interests, and the children are proud of the home, with one child saying it feels like a family home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s views are well represented and respected. Children say they feel heard and that their views are acted on. Children are involved in their care planning and encouraged to attend meetings that are about them. This helps children feel empowered and have influence over their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well prepared for moving into the home and receive a warm welcome from staff. Children can visit the home for meals and stay overnight, getting to know the other children and staff before they move in. This has resulted in children having a positive start and feeling settled very quickly in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported in managing their health needs as they grow older. Staff help children overcome barriers to attending appointments. This helps to meet the children’s health needs and prepares them for independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make variable progress in their education. While the staff encourage school attendance, some children do not attend. Staff advocate for children to attend education that best meets their needs, including more specialist provisions.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children feel safe and are safeguarded in the home. Professionals are positive about the staff’s ability to keep children safe and say that they are open and reflective about whether they can meet children’s needs. This transparency enables the most effective decisions to be made to keep children safe. Inspection report for children’s home: 2835817 3 Children rarely go missing from the home. When a child goes missing, staff understand the procedures to follow and are proactive in searching for children and ensuring that family members and professionals are fully updated. Staff know the children well and usually have a good understanding of where they may be or who they might be with. This knowledge helps reduce the length of children’s missing-from-home episodes.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff promote positive behaviours and use a therapeutic model of care. They are consistently positive about this approach, which has resulted in there being no restraints or consequences used in the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Some of the recording is inconsistent and lacks management oversight. This limits the ability of managers to track whether children are making progress. Risk assessments do not clearly stipulate when actions are updated, meaning it is not possible to see when a risk has changed or if any actions have been addressed. More detailed risk assessments would provide a deeper risk analysis and understanding of patterns in behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and deputy are committed and focused on achieving good outcomes for all the children in the home. The manager is experienced and provides the home with stability and continuity. The management team’s support has consistently received positive feedback from the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The stable staff team is enthusiastic and motivated to provide the children with good standards of care. Staff morale is high in the home, and other professionals have noticed this and said they feel it is a warm and welcoming environment, which is down to the staff and manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of each child’s individual needs and starting points. Professionals have spoken about how well the manager knows the children and her ability to advocate for them. The manager is effective in challenging decisions that are not believed to be in children’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to various training and development opportunities. The manager focuses on specific areas, such as autism, and tailors the training to the needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows and understands the home’s strengths and areas for development. The manager has a good understanding of the ethos of the home and promotes this with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of professional relationships is strong. Professionals speak highly of the manager and deputy and their tenacity in advocating for children. Several professionals identified the communication and relationship-building skills of the staff and manager as being particular strengths. Inspection report for children’s home: 2835817 4

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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 registered person must maintain records (‘‘case records’’) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 20 December 2025

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the social care common inspection framework. This 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’. Inspection report for children’s home: 2835817 5

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Highfield North East Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 37 Emerald Street, Saltburn-by-the-Sea TS12 1EE

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Inspector

Dawn McCluskey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2835817 6 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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