Children's Home run by Sunbridge Childcare Ltd in North Tyneside

Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 1 Registered provider: Sunbridge Childcare Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately operated. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home. The inspector spoke to all the children.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is a new manager in post. She is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 4 February 2025

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/02/2025 Full Good 07/02/2024 Full Good 14/06/2022 Full Good 01/02/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, five children have lived at the home. One child successfully moved on to supported living. One child moved into the home and recently moved out in an unplanned way. While this transition was unplanned, it was handled appropriately in response to the needs of the child.

p.3

improvement to be good

When children move into the home, assessments are undertaken to ensure that staff can meet their individual needs. However, when there are known risks or vulnerabilities, the potential impact on children already living in the home is not always fully considered. On one occasion, managers did not sufficiently evaluate how a new admission might affect existing group dynamics and relationships. As a result, the overall experiences of children in the home declined. One child became withdrawn and expressed feeling unsafe. Other children experienced an increase in going missing from home, involvement in antisocial behaviour and substance misuse. Leaders have started a ‘lessons learned’ exercise to strengthen decision-making and prevent a recurrence.

p.3

improvement to be good

There have been significant changes in the staff team over the past six months. This instability has had a negative impact on children’s overall experiences and progress. The quality of relationships between children and staff is mixed, as frequent changes have made it difficult for some children to form and sustain trusting relationships. One child expressed feeling unhappy when staff left, explaining that they no longer had familiar adults who understood them well.

p.3

improvement to be good

The home does not provide a welcoming or well-maintained environment. Several areas of the home require attention, including damaged walls and fixtures. Children’s bedrooms are personalised; however, they are not consistently well maintained. Some rooms contain broken furniture, and one has a heavily stained and odorous carpet that requires replacement. These conditions do not promote children’s well-being and do not reflect a nurturing or safe living environment. Leaders and managers recognise these shortfalls and have provided an action plan to address the necessary repairs and improvements.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to share their wishes and feelings. They have opportunities to contribute to decisions about meals, activities and the decoration of the home. However, when children express worries or ask for something to be improved, they do not always receive a response. Consequently, children are not fully supported to feel valued or listened to.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of education. They advocate strongly with schools and other professionals to ensure that appropriate education is in place. This persistence has resulted in positive outcomes for children. For example, one child who previously struggled with attendance now goes to school daily and enjoys taking part in after- Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 4 school activities. Another child has successfully reintegrated into education after a prolonged period of absence, while a further child is thriving in an apprenticeship that is helping to prepare them for future employment.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children are offered a range of activities that reflect their individual interests and help them to have fun and new experiences. Examples include go-karting, shopping trips and visits to a dog café. One child was supported to travel across the country to visit their favourite beauty store. Children have also enjoyed holidays, including a seaside break and a camping trip, which have provided opportunities for shared experiences and relationship building.

p.4

improvement to be good

Over the last six months, the dynamics in the home have changed, and relationships between some children have become strained. This has resulted in incidents of conflict and bullying among the children. Targeted bullying left one child feeling vulnerable and unsafe. These incidents negatively affected the children’s sense of security and well- being. Staff took prompt action to safeguard the child.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff are not always consistent in the use of de-escalation strategies to help children regulate their behaviour. Some incidents have escalated unnecessarily, and on some occasions, staff have been unable to respond in line with children’s plans, for example changing the person who was directly supporting the child. This has been ineffective because children were being cared for by staff unfamiliar to them.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children have been physically held when de-escalation strategies have been ineffective. Records are reviewed to ensure that the use of physical intervention is necessary and proportionate. However, there have been occasions when children in crisis could not be safely held due to staff being supported by untrained colleagues. In these situations, the police have had to be called to support the safety of children and staff.

p.4

improvement to be good

The quality of children’s individual risk assessments varies. While some documents are specific and detailed, others are inaccurate. For example, some documents lack clear strategies for staff to follow, and others do not always include the child’s current risks.

p.4

improvement to be good

When children go missing from the home, staff take effective action. They understand their roles and responsibilities, including searching for the child and alerting relevant professionals. The manager carefully reviews the action taken by staff to ensure that the correct procedures are followed.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children benefit from meaningful conversations with staff on a range of topics, including healthy relationships, racism, smoking and online safety. Suitable measures are in place to promote online safety, and staff regularly check children’s devices. These practices support children to make safer choices and maintain their well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There has been significant change across the leadership, management and staff team over the last six months. This has created instability and led to inconsistent care for children. The new manager demonstrates a clear commitment to implementing change and has a positive vision for the home’s future.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

An internal quality assurance exercise carried out by the newly appointed manager identified most of the shortfalls found during the inspection. An action plan is now in place to address these issues, with work underway to make the necessary improvements, though it is early days.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

While the provider acted promptly to recruit a new manager and ensure a thorough handover, internal staff movement caused disruption for children. Staff morale was low, and some staff resigned from their posts. The new manager has taken action to implement changes that were being initiated before this inspection.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The senior management team arranged for an experienced leader to be seconded to the home to work alongside the manager. Assurances were given that this support will remain in place until a new deputy manager is appointed and fully inducted into the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

As a result of these management changes, there were gaps in the frequency of staff practice-related supervision. Additional leadership presence in the home has supported the manager to bring supervision sessions up to date. However, casual staff who work frequently in the home do not currently receive regular supervision.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Some staff do not yet have the necessary training to fully meet children’s individual needs. The manager has started to address this by implementing targeted training to strengthen staff knowledge, although this work has only recently begun. In addition, managers do not yet have an effective system to monitor all staff training, including casual staff, which limits oversight of what has been completed. This also makes it more difficult for the manager to plan the rota to ensure that staff working in the home have the appropriate training.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has built positive relationships with external professionals and advocates on behalf of each child effectively. She continues to develop these working relationships to secure positive outcomes for children. One professional said, ‘Whilst this has been a difficult period, communication has been good. The home has considered the needs of all the children and has been trying to manage a difficult situation in the least disruptive way possible.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 6

p.5

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

p.6

Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

that the care is delivered by a person who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care. 1 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 7 (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iv)(v)(vii)(c)(i) (3)(c)(i))

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(b)(d)) 1 December 2025

p.7

Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

p.7

Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; 31 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 8 help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

p.8

Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

p.8

Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

p.8

Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

p.8

Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

p.8

Requirement Due date

understand and communicate to children that bullying is unacceptable; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv)(viii)(x)(xi)(xii)(xiii)(b))

p.8

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.8

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 31 January 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 9 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.8

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.9

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(e)(g)(ii))

p.9

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all staff working in the children’s home receive supervision of their practice. This includes casual members of staff. (Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

p.9

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: 2638322 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Sunbridge Childcare Ltd

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 3 Hedley Court, Orion Business Park, North Shields NE29 7ST

p.10

Inspector

Claire Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2638322 11 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.

p.10

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11