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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 1 SC034189 Registered provider: North Yorkshire Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a local authority using the ‘No Wrong Door’ model. It provides care for up to 6 children with social and emotional difficulties. The home can also care for a further 2 children in separate accommodation for up to 28 days.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, the home was providing care for 5 children, and 3 were spoken with as part of the inspection process.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 2025.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected, or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection requires improvement to be good

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 9 December 2025, a monitoring visit was completed following a complaint received by Ofsted. The inspector found shortfalls in the relationships between staff and children in the home, and a compliance notice was issued under Regulation 11, the positive relationships standard. A further monitoring visit was completed on 27 January 2026. Some progress was identified, but not all the steps in the compliance notice had been Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 2 met. On 17 March 2026 a further monitoring visited was completed and the remainder of the steps in the compliance notice had been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 3

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/05/2024 Full Good 12/12/2023 Full Good 07/11/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 4

p.3

Summary of findings

Shortfalls in management oversight, inconsistent staff practice and poor care planning have affected children’s safety, wellbeing and progress. Children experience restrictive and unsuitable living arrangements, unmet health and educational needs and inconsistent boundaries, and they do not always feel listened to or supported by staff.

p.4

Summary of findings

Children have not experienced safe, nurturing care. As a result, children have experienced emotional distress and reduced protection, while opportunities to reduce risk, promote wellbeing and learn from incidents have been missed.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The physical environment does not provide children with a safe and nurturing living space. Significant repairs remain outstanding, including broken windows, fire damage and graffiti. One child had a pane of glass missing from their bedroom window and their shower was leaking. In addition, there are poor standards of cleanliness throughout the home. These shortfalls do not help children to feel valued and to invest in themselves and their home environment.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff routinely restrict access to areas of the home by locking doors, meaning children do not have access to everyday resources. The bathroom and kitchen are regularly locked, and children must ask staff for basic sanitary products and bath towels. This restrictive practice does not promote children’s dignity or independence. In addition, measures are not clearly assessed or reviewed to determine if they are necessary to safeguard children.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

When children move into the home, managers do not plan for this as well as they could. Managers do not fully consider children’s needs and vulnerabilities or assess the impact of new children moving in on children already living in the home. Staff do not always receive the information and guidance they need to understand how to best care for children. This has led to potentially avoidable challenging incidents between children. Children said that they are unhappy because the home is so unsettled.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not take proactive or creative steps to help children to access education. A tutor attends the home regularly, but children do not engage in learning with them. A lack of effective support means children do not make progress, with one child’s progress declining in recent months.

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s health needs are not managed well by staff. For example, a child sustained sunburn that blistered, and the following day, staff did not ensure that sunscreen was available or used before the child spent more time in the sun. In addition, gaps in medication records do not give assurances that children are receiving the medication they need to maintain their health. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 5 An advocate attends the home regularly. Some children know how to make a complaint and others do not. One child has complained about the care they receive and the poor environment they live in. Although managers respond to complaints, they do not take action to ensure that meaningful changes are made. As a result, children do not feel listened to.

p.4

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

Children do not feel safe and are not effectively protected from harm by staff. A child said that living in the home evokes memories of past experiences, which has caused them distress.

p.5

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

Staff do not support children to develop positive relationships with one another or to understand the effect that their behaviour has on others. Consequently, incidents between children have escalated, they have harmed each other and emergency moves have been necessary to protect children. In one incident, a parent reported concerns that their child was unsafe, resulting in police intervention to keep the child and their parent safe.

p.5

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

Staff take a passive approach to children’s substance misuse and do not provide children with clear expectations and boundaries. Children drink alcohol and smoke cannabis in the home, without staff challenging this consistently. As a result, children continue to engage in harmful behaviours without effective intervention and there is no clear plan about how to address this.

p.5

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

The response to children’s emotional wellbeing and presenting behaviours is inconsistent. It is not clear if a child has had access to specialist emotional support in response to incidents when they have tried to hurt themselves. In addition, on one occasion, staff have not provided appropriate practical and emotional support following such an incident. Managers have not taken prompt action to make the environment safer in response to this risk, which has exposed the child to continued risk of harm.

p.5

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

Staff do not consistently prevent, manage or de-escalate incidents that place children at risk. Incidents occur frequently and increase in intensity without effective intervention. Staff have relied on police support to manage behaviour, including at times, more than once in a single day. This level of external intervention demonstrates that staff responses and behaviour management strategies are not effective in maintaining children’s safety.

p.5

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

Leaders respond appropriately to allegations made against staff and seek advice from safeguarding professionals when required. However, when children make allegations against one another, records do not clearly demonstrate how concerns have been investigated, who was spoken to or how decisions were reached.

p.5

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

Records relating to incidents when staff have had to restrain children to keep them safe are not always clear. Key information such as the time, duration and location of Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 6 incidents, as well as who was present, is not consistently recorded. In addition, staff involved in incidents are not always spoken to. As a result, it is difficult to understand how managers reviewing incidents are assured that restraint is used proportionately and conducted safely.

p.5

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

The fire service visited the home during the inspection and was satisfied with the fire safety arrangements in place. Given that there have been some incidents involving fire- setting, this is reassuring. Work is ongoing to increase children’s awareness of the importance of fire safety.

p.6

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

Staff respond effectively when children go missing from home. Staff attempt to locate children, maintain contact where possible and communicate well with external professionals to support the children’s safe return.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not demonstrate sufficient understanding of the home’s model of care as outlined in the statement of purpose. Furthermore, the absence of regular high-quality supervision limits opportunities for staff to develop and sustain effective practice. Staff do not feel supported, and their skills, confidence and ability to respond effectively to children’s needs are compromised. As a result, children do not receive the support they require, which affects their overall outcomes and experiences.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not taken sufficient action to address the cumulative effect of prolonged and serious incidents on staff wellbeing and workforce stability. Staff have experienced incidents of assault, threats of violence and racial abuse. This has negatively affected morale and resilience across the team.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not provide effective oversight of staff practice. They have not consistently identified when staff responses and decision-making during incidents have increased risks to children or not protected them. Managers do not always reflect on incidents to understand underlying causes or evaluate the wider impact on children’s safety, well- being and lived experiences. As a result, opportunities to improve practice and reduce risk have been missed.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and staff do not consistently use language that reflects a caring, respectful and trauma-informed approach. Records and discussions about children occasionally use language that attributes blame to children rather than demonstrating curiosity and understanding of their experiences and behaviour. This approach risks stigmatising children and reducing opportunities to understand and respond effectively to their underlying needs.

p.6

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Professionals and some family members speak positively about communication with staff. Children can identify at least one member of staff they can go to when they need support. This demonstrates that some staff build positive connections when practice is child focused. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 7

p.6

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 must comply within the given timescales.

p.7

Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

p.7

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.7

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

p.7

Requirement Due date

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;

p.7

Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 12 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 8 *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.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

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.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

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.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h)) 12 July 2026

p.8

Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— 12 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 9 the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

p.8

Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

p.9

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

p.9

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iii)(iv)(b)(i))

p.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

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;

p.9

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)) 31 July 2026

p.9

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.9

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

p.9

Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being.

p.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

Requirement Due date

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 10 understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being;

p.9

Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(c))

p.10

Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

p.10

Requirement Due date

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

p.10

Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

p.10

Requirement Due date

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

p.10

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.10

Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

p.10

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.

p.10

Requirement Due date

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

p.10

Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv)) 31 July 2026

p.10

Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 11

p.10

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff carry out and record conversations with children following incidents that could be seen as serious. In particular, staff should have conversations with children around risks associated with fire-setting. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 16, paragraph 3.14)  The registered person should ensure that records of the administration of all medication, which includes occasions when prescribed medication is refused, are accurate. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)

p.11

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: SC034189 12

p.11

Children’s home details

Registered provider: North Yorkshire Council

p.12

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: North Yorkshire County Council, County Hall, Racecourse Lane, Northallerton DL7 8AD

p.12

Inspectors

Laura Roberts, Social Care Inspector (lead) Cat Makel, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC034189 13 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.

p.12

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.13

Inspectors

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

p.13

Inspectors

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

p.13