Children's Home run by HMO NE Ltd in Northumberland

Inspection report for children’s home: 2819607 1 Registered provider: HMO NE Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private organisation. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. The inspector saw and observed the child during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager is vacant. An interim 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: 2819607 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/06/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2819607 3

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Summary of findings

The child is happy in the home, and professionals are positive about the care provided and the progress they are making. Staff work hard to build positive, trusting relationships with the child and have a good understanding of the child’s individual needs and how best to meet them. The manager’s post is currently vacant, and an interim manager has been appointed alongside an entirely new staff team. Since the appointment of the interim manager and the introduction of the new staff team, there have been significant improvements in practice, recording and safeguarding. Overall, the child receives good care and is making positive progress in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making good progress in the home. They are attending school and provided with opportunities to try various new activities. Professionals report that the child is receiving good care and has settled quickly into the home. They also describe staff as ‘completely committed’ to caring for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well maintained and welcoming and feels like a family home. The child’s bedroom is decorated to reflect their interests. The home also benefits from outside space, which the child enjoys using, and communal areas that also reflect the child’s age and interests.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When the child moved into the home, they were welcomed with sensitivity and care. Staff work hard to build positive relationships with the child. As a result, the child feels comfortable in their company and seeks support when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff celebrate the child’s achievements and take pride in supporting their progress. They provide a range of activities for the child, including new experiences, which help the child to develop skills, build confidence and create lasting memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are consistent in encouraging the child’s engagement with education and in ensuring that health needs are met. This includes accompanying the child to challenging medical appointments and providing consistent support with health needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff use a therapeutic approach to care to better understand the child. They know the child well and can quickly identify patterns of behaviour and the underlying causes.

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

Staff know the child’s risks well. They understand how best to support the child and are attuned to the impact of trauma and previous experiences. Staff also have a good understanding of how to safeguard the child and promote their welfare. Inspection report for children’s home: 2819607 4 Because staff know the child so well, they can respond effectively to situations as they arise. They help the child to recognise their own behaviours and develop strategies to manage their feelings. When there was an increase in the child’s behaviours, the manager and staff responded appropriately by increasing staffing ratios to promote the safety of the child and the staff. The child’s needs are regularly reviewed to ensure that their current risks are fully understood.

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

The manager and staff demonstrate curiosity about the child and their experiences. They seek out research and learning to strengthen their understanding of how best to care for and support the child. Professionals say that the staff have a good understanding of trauma and how children’s experiences can affect their behaviour.

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

When physical intervention is used, this is as a last resort to ensure the safety of the child and others. The manager has sourced additional training to better meet the child’s individual needs and continues to explore how this can be achieved in the safest way possible. However, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of recording following these incidents and in management oversight. The interim manager recognises this as an area for development to ensure that there is greater consistency across all staff.

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

Additionally, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of recording in other areas. This has improved in recent weeks, as the interim manager is aware that this was an area for development. The interim manager has a plan in place to further strengthen the consistency of recording.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There has been a high turnover of managers in the home. An interim manager is currently in post, alongside an entirely new staff team. The interim manager knows the child very well, is ambitious for their future and has demonstrated a strong commitment to their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel supported by the manager, and they receive regular and reflective supervision. Staff development is a priority, and the manager ensures that staff have access to training and development opportunities to build their skills, particularly in areas relevant to the child’s needs. The manager has a good understanding of the child’s lived experiences from a trauma-informed perspective and uses this knowledge to develop staff skills and confidence in caring for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. She encourages staff to reflect on their daily practice and has a plan in place to improve consistency and further develop staff skills.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong and effective working relationships with other professionals involved in the child’s care. This is supported by good communication, which is a particular strength of the home. Professionals speak highly of the manager and staff. One professional described the manager as ‘one of the most committed Inspection report for children’s home: 2819607 5 people’ they had encountered and commented that they would wish for her to manage other homes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Most member of staff in the home are not qualified. Furthermore, a professional has raised concerns that staffing instability has affected the child. The interim manager is in the process of recruiting to increase the number of qualified staff and to improve stability for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2819607 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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(b) (2)(c)(e)) 17 October 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of restraint are maintained in a way that enables both the registered person and staff to review the use of control, discipline and restraint. This should support the identification of effective practice and ensure a prompt response to any issues or emerging trends of concern. In particular, the registered person should ensure consistency in recording when restraint is used. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report for children’s home: 2819607 7

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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: 2819607 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Hallgate House, 9 Grange Terrace, Sunderland SR2 7DF

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Inspector

Dawn McCluskey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2819607 9 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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