Children's Home run by Stockton on Tees Borough Council in Stockton-on-Tees

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035222 1 SC035222 Registered provider: Stockton on Tees 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 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is currently vacant. There is an interim manager in post who has applied to be registered.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child who was living at the home was spoken with during the inspection.

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This monitoring visit

During an assurance inspection on 25 February 2026, Ofsted found serious and widespread concerns. Failures in safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home negatively affected the children’s safety and protection. In response, Ofsted issued a compliance notice under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was carried out to review the progress made by the provider to meet the steps in the compliance notice.

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This monitoring visit

Following the assurance inspection, the provider gave written assurances to Ofsted that no children would move into the home. The provider has honoured this and no children have moved into the home since the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

Weaknesses remain in the leadership and management of the home. Management oversight does not always identify shortfalls in staff practice. Senior leaders have started to implement additional processes to improve oversight. However, this is not fully embedded into practice or effective for all incidents. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035222 2 When there are concerns around exploitation, staff and managers are not always professionally curious or recognise the risk to the child. Therefore, staff do not take appropriate action to reduce the risks. Furthermore, management oversight does not always identify shortfalls in practice. This leaves children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Actions identified in the provider’s response to the concerns raised at the assurance inspection have not been completed. Leaders and managers have not provided staff with opportunities to learn from safeguarding incidents and team meetings are not used effectively. Therefore, suitable development opportunities to upskill staff have been missed.

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This monitoring visit

Not all staff receive regular support through individual supervision sessions. Some staff have not received supervision since the assurance inspection took place. When supervision does take place, there is limited focus on children’s safety. Consequently, leaders and managers are without sufficient oversight of staff’s progress or what their learning needs might be.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers accept the need for improvement. The home is currently without a registered manager. An interim manager is in post who is receiving additional guidance through regular practice-related supervision and training.

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This monitoring visit

Staff work well with multi-agency professionals. When incidents occur, staff follow this up with relevant agencies in a timely manner. Furthermore, information has been shared with Ofsted when serious incidents have occurred. This helps Ofsted maintain oversight of how managers and staff keep children safe in response to safeguarding concerns.

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This monitoring visit

The provider has not made sufficient progress to meet all the steps in the compliance notice under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard. The compliance notice has been reissued. The requirements and recommendations from the last inspection were not reviewed and have therefore been restated. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035222 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/10/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/10/2024 Full Good 06/09/2023 Full Good 05/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035222 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

*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

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;

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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 feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 7 June 2026

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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— 7 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035222 5 that staff-

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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

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

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

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(b)) 7 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

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. 7 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035222 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 7 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (2)(vii)(c)(i)) 19 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that where children are not participating in education staff work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that Staff have the relevant skills and knowledge to be able to help children understand, and where necessary work to change behaviours in key areas of health and well-being such as, mental health, sexual relationships, sexual health and the use of drugs and vapes (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’’, page 35, paragraph 7.18)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s

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Recommendations

policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035222 7 objective, recording with handwritten notes being clear and legible. In particular, staff should record information on individual children in a non- stigmatising way. In particular, children’s records must be written in a language that is kind and caring.(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC035222 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Stockton on Tees Borough Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Municipal Buildings, Church Road, Stockton on Tees TS18 1TW

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Inspector

Natalie Clark, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035222 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 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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