Children's home run by Darlington Borough Council

Assurance inspection for report for children’s home: 2723795 1 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 care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The appointed manager has made an application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living in the home. None of the children were in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Inspection date: 22 January 2026

Date of last inspection: 14 October 2025

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Inspection date: 22 January 2026

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, 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: 2723795 2

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Outcome from the inspection

During the inspection, Ofsted identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children:

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Outcome from the inspection

 Leaders and managers have failed to make arrangements to safeguard children when serious incidents take place, to ensure that staff know what action to take in future.  Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that staffing levels are reviewed when a serious incident takes place in the home, to ensure that all children are supported.  Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that the manager has systems in place to have oversight of children’s safety plans and incidents of concern.  Senior leaders and managers have failed to identify shortfalls in the management of the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are not always safeguarded, and they do not always have support in place from staff to feel safe in the home. This has an impact on children’s wellbeing and on their experience of living in the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Sometimes, there are not enough staff to support all children as needed. On one occasion, two children were left to support each other while staff responded to a child in crisis. On this occasion, a child was so frightened that they contacted the police and their social worker for support and asked to be moved immediately. Managers have failed to review the staffing arrangements to ensure that all children in the home are well supported by staff.

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Findings from the inspection

One child’s safety was compromised when they physically intervened during an incident with another child to protect staff. Although staff are trained to support children who are struggling with their emotions, the child was concerned for the staff member. Children are witness to and have been involved in upsetting incidents, which does not protect and promote their welfare and safety.

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Findings from the inspection

A child’s safety plan does not hold enough information about their known risks and vulnerabilities. Strategies for staff to follow to help them to respond to the child safely and consistently are not detailed in their plans. Managers are not providing the guidance staff need to respond as well as they can to help children in distress.

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Findings from the inspection

When physical interventions take place, managers do not assure themselves about the techniques used to by staff. On two occasions, staff have used a blanket to wrap a child in to manage risks. The manager was unsure whether this is an approved hold that staff have been trained to do. The use of a blanket is not included in the child’s plan. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723795 3 The recording of physical interventions is poor. Staff do not routinely record how long they hold a child for or what part of the child’s body they have held. The manager’s evaluation of the effectiveness of the physical intervention does not identify shortfalls in recording to be able to bring about improvement.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager does not have clear systems in place to review and monitor children’s experiences of living in the home and the progress they make. There is limited oversight and evaluation of children’s experiences to determine what needs to change to make improvements to the quality-of-care children receive.

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Findings from the inspection

Despite managers being aware of one child’s particular needs, there has been a slow response by managers to secure the training staff need to respond to the child. When risks have increased, escalation to senior managers has been ineffective.

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Findings from the inspection

At the time of the inspection, two children were having a break from the home with staff. Due to the serious and widespread concerns identified, leaders have responded with a safety plan to reduce the risks involved. This provides children with safer arrangements for their care while plans for each child are fully reviewed.

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Findings from the inspection

Following a case review on 26 January 2026, which confirmed there are serious and widespread concerns at the home, three compliance notices under Regulation 12 (The protection of children standard) and Regulation 13 (The leadership management standard) and Regulation 35 (The behaviour management standard) were made.

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Findings from the inspection

Requirements and recommendations raised at the full inspection in October 2025 have not been reviewed and therefore will be restated. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723795 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/10/2025 Full Good 21/01/2025 Full Good 23/01/2024 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723795 5

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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 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;

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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

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)(iv)(vi)(b)) 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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 1 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723795 6 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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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)(b) (2)(b)(c)(d)(h))

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Requirement Due date

* The registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii)) 1 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire;

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Requirement Due date

make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire.

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Requirement Due date

In this regulation, "the fire and rescue authority" means the fire and rescue authority under the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004(2) for the area in which the home is located. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d) (3)) 1 March 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723795 7 In particular, the registered person must ensure that a fire risk assessment is updated so that this accurately reflects how the home is used.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must take actions identified in the fire risk assessment to ensure that internal doors provide the protection required.

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 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 that there are systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. In addition, an accurate record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that all children’s case records are kept up to date and stored securely while children remain in the home. Case records should be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure that there is a system in place so that all

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Recommendations

serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. (‘Guide to Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723795 8 the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723795 9

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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 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2723795 10 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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