Children's Home run by Advocate Recruitment Ltd in Gateshead

Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 1 Registered provider: Advocate Recruitment Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to 3 children who may experience emotional or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, there were 2 children living in the home. The inspector met with both children.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post is vacant. A new manager is in post and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/05/2025 Full Good 24/07/2024 Full Good 26/06/2023 Full Good 12/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 3

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Summary of findings

Children are well cared for and staff excel at supporting children to express themselves. Staff have a thorough understanding of each child and have helped them to progress in confidence and independence. Staff use a range of techniques to keep children safe and are proactive at developing positive relationships with other professionals. This consistent and child-focused approach adds to a sense of safety and stability for children. Leaders and managers are committed to developing a reflective staff team. Staff feel valued and supported, which has a positive impact on the quality of the care that they provide to children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children have lived in the home for several years and are settled. The manager and staff demonstrate a thorough understanding of each child’s individual’s needs. Children have developed trusting relationships with staff. One child described staff as ‘sound’, while another child said they feel that they can talk to staff about anything. One professional said, ‘I see the interactions between staff and children, you can see the love, support and willingness to do activities.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported both children to make significant progress from their individual starting points. Each child is helped to express their emotions in ways that work for them. One child writes rap songs as a form of expression, while the other uses an emotion scaling system and code words to communicate how they feel. This personalised approach enables children to feel understood and supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop their independence skills. They are both making progress in budgeting, shopping, using public transport and attending appointments. One child is now managing their own medication following a well-planned and safe introduction to self-administration. As a result, children are better prepared for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work hard to ensure that children receive the most appropriate education that meets their individual needs. Children are introduced to their education plans at their own pace to ensure that they can manage the expectations. This helps children feel more confident to engage with education providers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff play an important role in helping children develop their relationships with family members. One family member said, ‘They look after [name of child] well. I really appreciate that they always keep in touch with me.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are well planned. New children into the home are supported to meet staff and become familiar with the home before moving in, which Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 4 helps them settle quickly. When children move on, they are well prepared for their next step. Staff celebrate children’s achievements and maintain appropriate contact afterwards, helping them adjust to their new circumstances.

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

Children’s plans are clear, detailed and easy for staff to follow. Risks are well categorised and reviewed regularly. Children also have their own child-friendly plans, written in accessible language that explains how staff will support them. This helps children understand what keeps them safe and contributes to their sense of security.

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

Since the last inspection, there have been no physical interventions despite some challenging situations. Staff use humour, redirection and de-escalation techniques effectively. Their strong understanding of each child, combined with a focus on positive relationships, enables them to prevent situations escalating. As a result, children feel safer.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff respond in a coordinated and consistent way. Staff maintain a positive working relationship with the police, and joint planning takes place when new children move into the home. For one child who recently moved on from the home, one police officer said, ‘Interactions with staff were fabulous, we agreed expectations.’

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

Staff involve children in their own safety planning. A therapeutic professional said, ‘A particular skill of staff is that staff are collaborative. The child is involved in plans for their support. Staff think of solutions for reducing self-harm. [Name of child] tells them what they think will and won’t work and staff are responsive to this.’ By involving children in these decisions, staff help them to develop skills to help them keep themselves safe while also developing meaningful and trusting relationships with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has worked in the home since August 2025, and the staff team is newly established. The manager and responsible individual have invested considerable time and effort into developing the team, which is having a positive effect. Staff report that they feel supported and the team is working increasingly well together.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager holds reflective fortnightly team meetings, where topics such as the impact of abuse, physical interventions and therapeutic language are explored. Staff describe these meetings as beneficial. They value the open forum, where they feel confident to express their views. The meetings contribute to positive team cohesion and a shared understanding of practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions are reflective, informative and supportive. Staff feel able to share their views and managers listen and respond appropriately. In addition to planned supervision sessions, post-incident discussions take place, ensuring that staff receive Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 5 timely support. Staff say that they can approach managers whenever they need to and describe them as approachable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers advocate for children effectively and challenge other agencies when necessary. One professional commented, ‘What they have done in terms of [the child’s] education is above and beyond. They kept pushing and pushing.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work proactively with other professionals, establishing positive relationships that lead to clear expectations and consistent approaches. This benefits children, who experience coordinated support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are in the process of strengthening documents and implementing improvements across the home. The manager maintains daily oversight consultation with staff and asks questions to ensure that practice is consistent. A live incident tracker is used to monitor events, enabling the manager to identify trends and patterns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is well supported by the responsible individual, who shares the same ambition for children to receive the highest standard of care and every opportunity to achieve. They meet regularly to discuss improvements and how these can be implemented. This way of working and joint approach is driving continuous positive change in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completed the quality-of-care review for the home and knows the children very well. Despite being a positive advocate for them, the children’s views were not considered. This was a missed opportunity for children’s voices to be represented formally. Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 6

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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 registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(b)) 1 August 2026

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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: 2656590 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Advocate Recruitment Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bell Anderson, Lindum, 264-266 Durham Road, Gateshead NE8 4JR

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Inspector

Karen Karlsson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 8 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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