Children's Home run by South Tyneside Council in South Tyneside

Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 1 SC032701 Registered provider: South Tyneside Council Full inspection 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 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager. The acting manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living at the home, and one child was spoken with.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/08/2024 Full Good 14/08/2023 Full Good 30/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 3

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Summary of findings

Children enjoy living at the home and have trusting relationships with staff. However, the continued change of managers has been unsettling for staff and the children. Furthermore, the children are not engaged in education, and support for them to develop independence skills is lacking. The home environment is not well maintained throughout.

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Summary of findings

The new manager is having a positive effect, but there are gaps in monitoring and oversight. Safeguarding practice is effective and children’s risks have reduced. However, some improvement is needed in practice when children go missing from home. Training is lacking to help the deputy managers develop their managerial skills, and practice- related supervision for staff does not help them to reflect on their practice.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress is mixed. Children say they get on well with the staff and they can relax in the home. However, neither of the children is in education. For one child who has passed compulsory school age, there is little structure in place, and staff have not managed to encourage them to take part in any further education, training or work to date. One child does not attend school at all. Staff make efforts to engage them in other education activities each day, but this is not yet encouraging the children back to formal education.

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improvement to be good

One child is approaching adulthood and has not yet begun to work on independence skills in any structured way, despite them living at the home for almost a year. Staff struggle to progress their relationships with the child, who spends most of their time out of the home. The other child spends most of their time in the home and has become increasingly isolated. Staff make efforts to encourage the children to take part in activities, but this has limited success.

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improvement to be good

Staff speak warmly about the children and treat them with positive regard. The children can identify staff who they trust, and staff welcome family members and professionals into the home to spend time with the children. There is a welcoming atmosphere in the home.

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improvement to be good

The home environment is pleasant in some areas but there are aspects that are unkempt. Communal living areas are well presented, but children’s bedrooms are messy and not clean. Damage is not repaired quickly. Corridors are sparse and there are no photos of the children or staff around the home, affecting the homeliness. Furthermore, some external spaces are not well maintained. Other improvements are being made. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 4 Work is currently being completed on a new patio in the large back garden, so a larger area will be available for the children to use.

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

Restraint incidents are rare. Since the last full inspection, there has only been one incident of a child being held for their safety. Staff find alternative ways when children become upset or angry. This includes avoiding calling the police for assistance, previously, this was a regular occurrence.

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

Staff know the risks associated with each of the children. The manager has developed new risk assessments that are thorough, dynamic and useful, and he has provided staff with training specifically to address these changes. This has had a positive effect on enabling staff to understand the risks and plans for the children.

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

One child’s risks have reduced over the past few months, and they no longer misuse substances or vape. Staff have supported the child to work with a drug harm reduction service. Furthermore, staff have discussions with the children about healthy relationships, online safety, and they take informal opportunities whenever possible to increase children’s understanding of how to keep safe. Staff work well with family members and external professionals, such as the police and youth justice service, ensuring that there is a joined-up approach to safeguarding the children.

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

When children do not feel safe in the local community, staff go out with them to reduce any anxiety. This is helping to develop children’s trust in staff. Staff also support children to attend appointments with professionals who are helping them to be safer, such as youth justice workers.

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

When children go missing from home, staff make attempts to contact them and report them missing to the police when necessary. However, staff do not take their own course of action to return the children to the home when there is an opportunity to do so. Records of missing-from-home incidents do not always reflect the incident accurately, and management oversight is not always present.

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

A number of interim managers have worked at the home since the last full inspection. This has had a significant effect on the staff and consequently on the children. One child said they never knew who would be coming or going, and professionals said the instability has been challenging for the children. Staff have experienced different leadership styles and different rules and boundaries for the children, creating an unsettled feeling for everyone.

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

A new manager commenced in post in February 2026. Children and professionals say things feel more stable now that a permanent manager has been appointed. The Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 5 manager understands the needs of the children and advocates on their behalf effectively.

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

The manager is aware of the team’s strengths and areas for development and is taking steps to address these. He has high expectations of staff and is tentatively putting measures in place to address poor practice that has become embedded over a prolonged period. However, he does not always complete all intended monitoring activities or have oversight of all incidents, meaning there is not yet sufficient oversight in all areas of practice.

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

Although improvements are being made, staff are not yet fully invested in the changes. In addition, deputy managers have not received adequate management training to support them in their roles. Furthermore, staff do not always complete tasks that are set for them by managers. Practice-related supervision takes place actions are not always identified to enable staff to progress their skills.

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

The manager has not ensured that a reviewed statement of purpose has been submitted to Ofsted. Changes include information about the manager and responsible individual. This prevents the regulator from having oversight of the staffing at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 6

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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, 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.

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(c)(e)(f)) 31 July 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—

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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; 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 7 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)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to children not being supported to return home at night by staff.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(viii)) 31 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 8

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home provides children with a homely, domestic environment that is well maintained throughout. This includes ensuring that children’s bedrooms and bathrooms are clean and hygienic. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure records are kept detailing all individual incidents when children go missing from the home. Evaluation of missing incidents should be undertaken to identify any gaps in training, skills or knowledge for staff or to record and retain evidence of what worked well. This evaluation should inform the review of the quality of care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.31)

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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: SC032701 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South Tyneside Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Westoe Road, South Shields NE33 2RL

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Inspector

Amy Groom, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC032701 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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