Children's home run by Outdoor Care Limited Assurance visit report: 2587132 4

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2587132 1 Registered provider: Outdoor Care Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private organisation. It provides care for up to two children who may have social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities. The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

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. Inspectors have 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: 2587132 2

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Findings from the inspection

Ofsted identified serious and widespread concerns at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are not effectively safeguarded by staff. This is because staff do not always take necessary steps to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing when children go missing from home. For example, staff do not always look for children when they go missing from home or try to contact them. Managers have not identified these shortfalls in staff practice and so have not taken action to address them.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff lack professional curiosity in relation to potential risks and vulnerabilities to children. For example, they do not seek to understand more about who children spend their time with. On one occasion, a visitor who attended the home, known by a child but unknown to staff, was able to leave the home with the child. The child then stayed out overnight. This lack of curiosity leaves children at risk of harm.

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Findings from the inspection

Two children moved into the home within a short space of time. Although managers undertook assessments, these were not robust and did not fully consider the children’s suitability to live together. Risks to children subsequently increased, resulting in children going missing together. Some of these incidents may have been avoided had more thorough consideration been given to these risks initially.

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Findings from the inspection

When risks are identified, these are not well managed. One child was identified as being at risk of online exploitation. The response to this was to provide the child with a copy of the home’s e-safety policy. No additional work was undertaken with the child to help them understand this risk and stay safe, and no checks were put in place to ensure the child’s safety when online.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff do not respond to children’s behaviour effectively. They do not de-escalate incidents of complex behaviour to minimise risks to children and others. Furthermore, staff do not help children understand and manage their feelings appropriately. For one child, managers made the decision to end their placement immediately. This was after some incidents of complex behaviour that the staff did not manage well. The manager took the action they did in relation to the child, without first thinking about how the staff could support the child better.

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Findings from the inspection

On occasions when children have experienced distress, they have tried to hurt themselves. Staff do not offer good care or advice to children relating to their emotional well-being or seek specialist support for them. This means that they are not doing all they can to support children's emotional wellbeing and help them to be safer.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not taken action to meet all the requirements raised at the last inspection. Shortfalls in care planning, the help and protection of children and in leadership and management remain. As a result, improvements needed to the quality of care have not been made and further shortfalls have occurred. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2587132 3 Children’s records are not up to date and do not contain the correct information about their needs. The manager does not identify inaccurate information or take action to address this. As a result, current information is not available to staff to help them care for children and keep them safe.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are not helped to develop the necessary skills to prepare them to move onto adulthood. One child, who has now moved on from the home, had not been provided with adequate help to prepare them to live more independently.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers and staff do not always fully consider and respond to children’s views. There are occasions when children have shared their views on what they would like their care to look like, and staff have not acted on this. As a result, children do not feel listened to.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager completes a six-monthly review of the quality of care provided to the children. However, this does not consider improvements that need to be made and there is no clear plan for the development of the home over the next six months. This limits the effectiveness of the review.

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Findings from the inspection

Following the last inspection managers have met one requirement and two recommendations that were raised. The manager has worked more effectively with professionals. For example, they escalated their concern about a chid not having a social worker for some time. Staff are now receiving supervision where more meaningful discussions take place about their development. Improvements have also been made to the home environment. Staff have re-decorated, and children’s bedrooms are clean and free from rubbish. This provides a more comfortable home for children to live in.

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Findings from the inspection

A notice restricting accommodation was issued following this inspection and two compliance notices to help the provider bring about the necessary improvements. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2587132 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/09/2024 Full Good 13/06/2023 Full Good 13/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2587132 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, 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is been restated. 1 March 2026

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and 1 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2587132 6 promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated. 1 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 30 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2587132 7 that arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and has been restated. The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; (Regulation 7 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(ii)(vi)) 1 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure the quality-of-care review enables them to identify areas of strength and possible weakness in the home’s care, which will be captured in the written report. The report should clearly identify any actions required for the next 6 months of delivery within the home and how those actions will be addressed. The whole review process and the resulting report should be used as a tool for continuous improvement in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.4) Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2587132 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Outdoor Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 16 Bondgate Without, Alnwick, Northumberland NE66 1PP

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Inspector

Laura Roberts, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2587132 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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