Children's Home run by Darlington Borough Council in Darlington

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC037861 1 SC037861

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Registered provider: Darlington Borough 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 operated by a local authority. It provides a short break service for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2025.

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Information about this children’s home

At the home of the visit, there was one child living at the home and no children accessing services. The inspector spoke with the child.

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This monitoring visit

Following an assurance inspection on 20 November 2025, compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. A monitoring visit took place on 22 December 2025 to monitor the provider’s response to the compliance notices. Leaders had taken action to address the steps in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s plans have been renewed and the quality and content has improved. The child’s risks and vulnerabilities are clear in their plans. Strategies for staff to support the children when in need of additional support are detailed to ensure that the child receives consistent responses from staff.

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This monitoring visit

Staff follow the child’s safety plan when they are missing from the home. Staff are proactive in their endeavours to locate the child and help them return to the home safely. Missing-from-home procedures are followed to ensure that all agencies, including the police are updated about concerns for the child’s safety. The child receives a warm and welcoming return back to the home. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC037861 2 Appropriate notifications have been received by the regulator from the managers when there has been an incident considered to be serious.

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This monitoring visit

The oversight of children’s records and practice within the home has improved. At the time of the inspection, an interim manager and service manager have put systems in place to monitor and review the quality of care in the home. This ensures that all incidents involving the child have been considered by a manager. Incident reports are reviewed and evaluated to help learn and improve how best to support the child.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of the improvements made since the last inspection, it was decided that both compliance notices have been met. Not all requirements raised at the last inspection have been reviewed during this visit. For this reason, they are restated. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC037861 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/12/2024 Full Inadequate 05/12/2023 Full Good 20/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC037861 4

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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 with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(c)) 20 February 2026

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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; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the 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

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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 qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained— 20 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC037861 5 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)(a)(b) 3(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a))

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC037861 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Darlington Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Darlington Borough Council, Town Hall, Feethams, Darlington DL1 5QT

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Christopher Bell

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Inspector

Joanne Wallis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC037861 7 regulates and inspects 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 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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