Children's Home run by Right-Trak Limited in Newcastle upon Tyne

Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 1 SC394909 Registered provider: Right-Trak Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home provides care for up to 4 children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2024.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Three children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. All the children declined to speak with the inspectors.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2025 Full Good 24/06/2024 Full Good 30/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/11/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children are making progress from their starting points. Staff know the children well and work closely with family members and other professionals to support children’s needs. Children talk positively about living at the home and do not go missing from home.

p.3

Summary of findings

An in-house psychologist supports staff to understand children’s behaviour and how best to meet their needs. When new risks emerge, staff update and follow children’s plans to manage these effectively and keep children safe.

p.3

Summary of findings

There have been recent and substantial changes to the staff team, creating some inconsistency and instability for all. This has affected the leadership and management of the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to access their community and spend time with friends. Children experience a variety of activities, which help them to develop independence and confidence and have fun. Staff ensure that all children have a memory book, capturing their experiences of living at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to learn about individuality and how the words they say affect others. Staff challenge inappropriate comments and behaviours, supporting children to gain the knowledge they need to make informed choices. As a result, children are more accepting of difference and form positive relationships with staff and each other.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff regularly gather children’s wishes and feelings about all aspects of home life. Staff use children’s views to advocate on their behalf. Children report having good relationships with staff and that they trust staff to help them with important matters such as support with family relationships and family time.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making mixed progress in education. Staff do not consistently provide a structure or routine to support children who are out of education. This does not help prepare children to engage in ongoing learning or be ready to return to college or employment.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment of the home needs improvement. There is damage to some areas of the home, which appear tired and dated. Staff consult children about the decor; however, progress in making improvements is slow.

p.3

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

Staff regularly update children’s risk assessments and are quick to identify emerging risks. Regular reviews of children’s plans help to ensure that, where appropriate, children Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 4 continue to be safely exposed to low-level risks. This helps to develop children’s ability to make safe decisions.

p.3

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

Staff work with specialist professionals to ensure assessments and additional resources are available to support the children. The in-house psychologist provides clinical support and effective guidance for staff, alongside direct work with the children.

p.4

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

Staff understand what motivates children’s behaviour and are consistent in how they support children to manage this. Staff provide predictable outcomes and appropriate challenge, enabling children to make better behavioural choices.

p.4

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

Staff have appropriate measures in place to monitor and restrict children’s access to the internet. Prompt action is taken to reinforce these measures when increased risks to children have been identified.

p.4

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

Staff only use restraint as a last resort when needed to keep children safe. When this is necessary, there is consistent management oversight, reflection and learning to help reduce the risk of repeat incidents. Staff have a consistent threshold for police involvement and only seek assistance when it is necessary to keep children safe.

p.4

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

Staff turnover has been a significant challenge, with a period of reliance on agency staffing. Not all staff have the relevant skills, experience or qualifications to support the children or apply the home’s model of care with confidence.

p.4

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

The manager has not used the staff supervision process to address practice issues. Shortfalls have not been routinely tracked, and therefore, no formal improvement plans have been identified for staff. On one occasion, staff did not observe strict guidance around confidentiality, resulting in sensitive information about a child being overheard by one of their peers. Leaders and managers did not identify this as a significant incident, and there was no clear action taken in response to it. The child was not informed or given the opportunity to raise a complaint.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers’ decisions about some children coming to live in the home have not been child focused. There were insufficient qualified and experienced staff to meet the needs of a child with complex needs. This resulted in a short placement with an abrupt ending, which affected all children.

p.4

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

An experienced and qualified manager leads the home. They are committed to the children and embed a culture of reflection, learning from mistakes and striving for practice improvement. The manager has a plan to rectify shortfalls.

p.4

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

Leaders, managers and staff have excellent working relationships with other professionals. Communication is noted to be a particular strength of the team. This is echoed across the consistently positive professional feedback provided. Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 5

p.4

Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.5

Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 30 June 2026

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.5

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 29 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 6 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

p.6

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)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

p.6

Recommendation

 The registered provider should ensure that the home is maintained to a good standard, particularly with reference to the furnishing and carpets in the home to ensure there is a homely feel for the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

p.6

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’. The inspection started on 28 April 2026. An inspector returned on 12 May 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Winovation, Houghtons Yard, Shields Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE6 2YP

p.7

Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Melanie Spriddell

p.7

Inspectors

Shaun Martin, Social Care Inspector Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC394909 8 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.

p.7

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8