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

Inspection report for children's home: 2857368 1 Registered provider: North Tyneside Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This multi-building children's home is run by a local authority. It provides care for up to 3 children who may have a learning disability, physical disability, sensory impairment and/or mental disorder.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the multi-building home was registered in March 2026.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living in the home, and 2 children were spoken with.

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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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2857368 2

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Summary of findings

Staff provide good care for the children, which is rooted in structured routines that help the children feel safe and settled. Children benefit from trusting relationships with staff who understand the different ways children communicate. Some relationships with families are strained, but staff are trying to improve these relationships. Safeguarding actions have increased to support 2 children who need to be cared for separately. While arrangements are warranted, they need to be reviewed to ensure that they remain appropriate.

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Summary of findings

Multi-agency working enhances the consistency children experience. Management of the home is generally effective, and staff feel valued in their roles. However, some improvement is needed to ensure that the home environment is adequately maintained and that staff consistently have discussions after restraint incidents to support reflections and learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience nurturing care that helps them to settle over time, feel comfortable and achieve stability. Staff prioritise spending time with all the children, developing close, supportive relationships. The children know the staff well and show real trust in them, relying on their attentive care throughout the day and night.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the children's individual ways of communicating. Some children can use words to share their views, wishes and feelings. Other children use signs and symbols to help them say what they want. Even when children do not use words, staff know what their mannerisms and gestures say. Staff remain curious, observing children's behaviour to ensure that the children's communication is captured consistently.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children go to school regularly and are keen to be there. Staff and school professionals maintain effective working relationships, including daily communication about children's wellbeing, successes and any emerging concerns. During challenging times, they work together, using strategies that best support each child. This maintains consistency, which is particularly important given the children's need for routine.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Health and wellbeing are prioritised for children, and staff have sought ways to improve children's health needs. Real progress has been made for one child who has put on healthy weight. Staff are helping the child to thrive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Relationships with some families are strained. The manager has a good understanding about the families' perspective and why they feel the way they do. The staff are spending time building those relationships. This includes keeping in contact regularly, Inspection report for children's home: 2857368 3 sending messages and photos to keep family members updated about their children's experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is comfortable and individualised to the children's needs. However, there is some outstanding maintenance work that needs to be done to bring all the rooms up to the same standard.

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

The staff do not use consequences to manage behaviour. Instead, they rely on their strong, trusting relationships, positive modelling and encouragement to help children make good choices. Behaviour support plans are thorough and, in some cases, developed in partnership with the community learning disability team. This ensures that staff are guided by specialist advice when children's needs increase. The support provided is tailored and responsive.

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

Staff show empathy when children are upset and use their knowledge about what children need in the moment to help them calm. As a result, children are usually able to manage their feelings without the need for restraint to keep them safe. When restraint is required to prevent harm, staff are trained and confident in its safe use. The managers maintain appropriate oversight. However, discussions with staff following incidents are not routinely recorded, causing a gap in reflective practice and learning.

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

Safeguarding arrangements have recently been changed in response to an increase in identified risks. As a result, restrictions are in place to ensure that 2 children are cared for separately while continuing to live in the same home. This includes using an internal door, which is locked and limits each child's access to other areas of the home. Although this measure is necessary to keep the children safe, the rationale and associated risks are not reflected in the children's written risk assessments. This means there is no formal review process to assess whether this arrangement remains suitable.

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

Children's risk assessments are detailed and provide staff with clear strategies to support them when they are distressed or struggling to cope with their emotions. However, for one child, some descriptions of behaviour are unhelpful. The use of professional language is not child centred or sensitive, which takes away from otherwise good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a caring, experienced manager. She is enthusiastic about what she does and holds the children's best interests at the forefront. The manager advocates strongly for children, ensuring that they have the care, support and access to services they deserve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When children experience difficulties settling in the home, staff show insightful awareness and concern for their wellbeing. They work proactively to understand the Inspection report for children's home: 2857368 4 reasons behind children's behaviour and adapt their practice to improve the children's daily experiences. When situations become unsustainable, the manager makes child ‑ centred decisions to ensure that children's best interests remain the priority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is stable, and the leadership from the management team provides clear direction and stability. Staff say that they are happy, feel valued and find their role rewarding. They work collaboratively and demonstrate a strong understanding of the children's care needs. However, for a few staff, the separate care arrangement for 2 children has created division, and this has affected team morale. The manager is working hard to rectify this situation, and this is improving.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff development is a priority. Supervision sessions and team meetings are regular and reflective and provide staff with meaningful opportunities to discuss both professional challenges and personal pressures. Managers are considerate of staff wellbeing and provide appropriate support when difficulties arise. This contributes to a culture where staff feel listened to and well supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals speak positively about the staff. They highlight effective communication and have confidence in the quality of care provided to children. Staff and managers work well with partner agencies and contribute meaningfully to multi ‑ agency planning to ensure that children's needs are met. Inspection report for children's home: 2857368 5

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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

any limitation placed on a child's privacy or access to any area of the home's premises—

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation (21) (c)(i)) 31 July 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that maintenance work is completed timely so that the environment continues to be homely and meet the children's needs. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that they review the use of restraint to identify effective practice and respond promptly where any issues or trends of concern emerge. They should ensure that debriefs with staff after all restraint incidents are completed as part of their review. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that information about children is always recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. ('Guide to the Children's Homes 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: 2857368 6

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Children's home details

Registered provider: North Tyneside Council

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 2a-2b The Silverlink North, Newcastle upon Tyne NE27 0BY

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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Jacqueline Ingram

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Children's home details

Registered manager: Claire Richards-Drysdale

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Inspectors

Miriam Dolman, Social Care Inspector (lead) Amy Groom, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2857368 7 regulates and 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. 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

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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