Children's home run by Duty of Care Limited in County Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC476602 1 SC476602 Registered provider: Duty of Care Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately operated. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in August 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

One child has lived at the home since the last inspection. They were not spoken with during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account good

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Overall experiences and progress of

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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Overall experiences and progress of

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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Overall experiences and progress of

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

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Overall experiences and progress of

Date of last inspection: 29 October 2025

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Overall experiences and progress of

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

At the full inspection on 29 October 2025, inspectors found the home to be inadequate. Poor leadership and management of the home resulted in shortfalls in safeguarding practice that compromised the wellbeing of children. Ofsted issued compliance notices under Regulation 11 (The positive relationships standard), Regulation 12 (The protection of children standard), and Regulation 13 (The leadership and management standard). Ofsted also raised a further 6 requirements. A restriction of accommodation notice was Inspection report for children’s home: SC476602 2 also issued to prevent the provider admitting children to the home due to the serious concerns identified.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit was completed on 16 December 2025 to review the actions taken by the provider to meet the steps in the compliance notices. The inspectors found that the steps in the compliance notices had been met. Requirements around fire precautions and privacy and access were also reviewed and were found to be met. The remaining 4 requirements made at the last inspection were not reviewed and were restated.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A second monitoring visit was completed on 20 January 2026. This was to review the progress made since the last visit and assess whether the restriction of accommodation could be lifted. Sufficient progress had been made and the restriction was lifted. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476602 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/10/2025 Full Inadequate 12/11/2024 Full Good 20/10/2023 Full Good 15/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC476602 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have built a positive and trusting relationship with the child. Staff have taken time to understand the child’s individual likes, dislikes and personal preferences. Although the child has some staff that they prefer, they have formed meaningful relationships with the wider team. This has helped the child to feel settled and increasingly secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made progress with their education and is attending school for short periods. This is good progress, as they were previously not going to school at all. Staff work closely with education professionals to support the child’s continued progress, with the aim of increasing attendance. Staff have developed a carefully planned, gradual reintegration programme that is responsive to the child’s needs and reduces the risk of the child becoming overwhelmed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is currently awaiting a specialist assessment of their needs. The manager recognises the importance of this process to ensure that, if required, the child receives an accurate diagnosis and appropriate support. Staff are also sensitive to the child’s anxieties about attending dental appointments. They explore the reasons behind these worries and use strategies, including reward systems, to encourage the child to attend, including future check-ups.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrate the child’s daily achievements through ‘magic moments’. This helps the child recognise positive experiences and reflect on what they have done well. Staff actively seek the child’s views and support the child to express their feelings, particularly when the child finds this difficult. This approach has improved the child’s emotional development, self-worth and confidence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has regular time with their family, which staff support sensitively and effectively. Between visits, staff help the child to make telephone calls so they can stay connected. Staff understand the significance of these relationships and work hard to ensure that they remain positive and meaningful.

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

When the child experiences difficulties or becomes distressed, staff provide appropriate support. This has become more successful as relationships have improved and the child has become more settled. Staff recognise when the child needs space and when they are ready to talk. This sensitive approach has helped the child manage their emotions more effectively, contributing to a reduction in safeguarding risks.

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

Staff model positive behaviour and talk to the child about expectations and boundaries. A token system reinforces good choices, enabling the child to earn small rewards. This approach has contributed to improvements in the child’s engagement with school. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476602 5 Risks relating to the child going missing from home have reduced. The child can pause, reflect and seek support from staff. This is a significant improvement in helping keep the child safe. However, there has been an increase in incidents of the child going missing from school. The response from staff and school staff has been well coordinated, ensuring that the child has been located safely each time. Staff have been curious about the child’s feelings and reasons for leaving school, enabling the manager to share relevant information with education professionals and agree safeguarding strategies.

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

Staff know the child well and demonstrate a clear understanding of the child’s individual needs. However, staff are less confident in how they support the child with aspects of their identity. As the child may require support around this; managers have yet to consider how this will be managed moving forward.

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

There have been no complaints from the child. However, concerns have been raised about the conduct of a member of staff. The complaints process has not been followed effectively, resulting in delays in addressing issues and in providing feedback to those who raised the concerns.

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

A new responsible individual has recently been appointed. While they have relevant experience and are keen to support improvements, they have only been in post for a short period. As a result, changes in leadership have not been embedded or had a sustained effect on the running of the home.

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

The staff are led by an experienced registered manager. The manager continues to be registered for two homes and to cover some night shifts. Although monitoring systems are in place, management oversight has not identified some shortfalls. A recent audit by the responsible individual identified gaps that had not been picked up through routine monitoring. These include missing information, incomplete paperwork and an out-of-date locality risk assessment. Staff also could not locate important documents in files. These shortfalls meant that some paper-based records were not accurate, up to date or the right information available to staff.

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

Staffing sufficiency has been a challenge. The manager has relied heavily on staff working regular overtime to maintain safe staffing levels. Although the provider has recruited additional staff, with one new staff member due to start shortly, the remaining candidates are still going through safer recruitment checks. These staff were not in post at the time of the inspection, meaning staffing pressures persist.

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

Staff are expected to use therapeutic approaches in their practice. There are examples of this, but it is not applied consistently. There are plans to improve and embed therapeutic models, but this has not yet been achieved.

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

Case records provide an overview of the child’s daily experiences and contain enough information to help the child understand their journey in care. However, language is Inspection report for children’s home: SC476602 6 variable and inconsistent. Some entries are written using formal professional language that is not child-friendly and does not reflect the therapeutic model staff strive for.

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

Leaders and managers have not rushed to move any more children in, recognising decisions need to take account of the needs of the child already living in the home. They have taken time to develop the process for new admissions further, working closely with the local authority to ensure that this is successful in the future.

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

Staff work proactively with multi-agency professionals to support positive outcomes. This includes regular consultation with a psychologist, who helps staff reflect on their practice and consider alternative approaches. This is having a positive effect on staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476602 7

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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

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must review the complaints procedure to ensure that it is consistently applied and used effectively. 16 April 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

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h)) 16 April 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that care meets each child’s needs and promotes their welfare, taking into account of the child’s gender, religion, ethnicity, cultural background, sexual identity, mental health, any their assessed needs, previous Inspection report for children’s home: SC476602 8 experiences and any relevant plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, so they provide care for children consistently in accordance with the provider’s chosen model of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)  The registered person should ensure that information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes

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Recommendations

Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC476602 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Duty of Care Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 13 Front Street, Staindrop, Darlington, County Durham DL2 3LZ

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Inspector

Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC476602 10 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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