Children's Home run by We Care Bespoke Ltd in Durham

Inspection report for children's home: 2650092 1 Registered provider: We Care Bespoke 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

This home is privately operated. It provides care for one child with a learning disability, mental disorder and/or sensory needs.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 27 July 2025.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of inspection, there was one child living in the home, who was spoken with during the inspection.

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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: 1 December 2025

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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: 2650092 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/12/2025 Full Good 03/12/2024 Full Good 12/12/2023 Full Good 10/05/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2650092 3

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Summary of findings

The child is receiving good, consistent care from staff who are nurturing and knowledgeable about the child's needs. Staff utilise their skills effectively to help the child communicate their wishes and feelings. Staff make sure that the child can participate in activities that they enjoy and spend time with their family.

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Summary of findings

Safeguarding practice is effective. The child's needs are well understood by staff, who are effective in helping the child to calm when upset. The manager's leadership of the team supports staff to be effective in their roles. However, there are some areas for improvement by leaders, such as ensuring that repairs are completed in a timely manner, and the manager has regular support through practice-related supervision. Additionally, vacancies in the team are putting extra demands on the manager's capacity to fulfil their role.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is making progress in all areas of their life. Professionals and the child's family members speak highly of the care given to the child. They emphasise the excellent communication between professionals, the manager and the staff, and note that this has helped the child to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take the child to school every day. They work closely with school staff to ensure that the child's needs are met consistently and that the helpful routines and boundaries in place are shared between home and school. Both sets of staff use a communication book to share information. The manager speaks with the child's class teacher regularly to have more in-depth discussions about the child's needs to help maintain continuity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child's communication skills are continually improving. Staff support them by helping the child to make use of a variety of communication tools. The child, who is non- speaking, can make their wishes known easily because staff understand them well and take time to help them express themself. Staff model good behaviour and the child follows their lead. When the child is distressed, staff manage this well. The manager and staff try to identify triggers so that these can be avoided.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff take the child to spend time with their family regularly, and some family members also come to the home. Parents are kept up to date with the child's progress and staff ensure that parents are involved as much as possible in the child's life. Staff have supported one parent to be able to better use communication tools with the child, which has helped to improve their relationship.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the child eats well and that the child contributes to choosing their meals. The child's health needs are well met. When medical treatment is needed, staff ensure that the child is taken to all necessary appointments. Furthermore, staff support Inspection report for children's home: 2650092 4 the child with their independence skills, and the child is making good progress with their personal care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child takes part in activities that they choose, such as going to trampoline parks and shopping, which they enjoy. Staff take the child on trips and away on holidays. The child enjoys looking at photographs of things that they have done on their trips with the staff. This enriches the child's memories of the enjoyable experiences they have had with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The environment is homely and meets the child's needs well. The child is comfortable in the home and enjoys spending time there with the staff. There are photographs of the child and their family around the home, adding to the family feel. However, sometimes, repairs are not completed promptly when the manager is absent, which has had an effect on the child. On one occasion, the boiler was not fixed promptly, leaving the home without heating or hot water for a number of days.

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

Staff help the child to understand when there are aspects of the child's behaviour that may have a negative effect on others. They do this sensitively and with care through social stories, role modelling and talking to the child. The child is supported by staff to make choices about what they want to do. Helpful rules and boundaries contribute to helping the child to make positive choices about how they spend their time.

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

Staff are recruited safely to the home and complete an induction before they work with the child to ensure that they will be safe. Risk assessments identify the vulnerabilities of the child and provide staff with strategies to mitigate these risks. Staff demonstrate that they understand the risks the child faces and they adhere to the measures in place to protect the child.

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

There are increased risks for the child when they go out in the community. However, staff are skilled at helping the child to be safe and feel safe when they are out and about. Staff know what to do to help the child when they are emotionally overwhelmed and act promptly. Restraint holds to keep the child safe are infrequent and only happen when necessary, with the lowest level of intervention for the shortest time. The manager has clear oversight and staff work with the child to help them understand what has happened and why.

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

There has been one error with medication. The child was not harmed. This was fully investigated by the manager, and prompt action was taken to rectify it with the staff involved. There have been no further errors since.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably skilled and experienced. She is enthusiastic about the child receiving good care. The manager successfully advocates for the child when necessary. They are proactive in ensuring that the child gets what they need, such as by making referrals promptly to the right professionals and working closely with the wider care Inspection report for children's home: 2650092 5 team. Professionals speak highly of the manager and the work that she has put in to ensure that the child has their needs met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported in their roles and say they enjoy working in the home. Any issues with staff practice are addressed promptly and thoroughly. However, there are staff vacancies in the team. Recruitment is ongoing but there have been difficulties in finding new staff. Staffing shortages have affected the team's function. The manager has filled the gaps by completing tasks such as taking the child to school where necessary, although this has added additional pressure for the manager. Some new staff have very recently been recruited and are going through their induction.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, improvements have been made with the manager's monitoring systems. Oversight of incidents and other documents is now more effective. The manager tracks activities in the home and the child's outcomes every month to ensure that she has a sound understanding and overview of what is happening. As a result, the manager knows what is working well and what improvements need to be made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and are utilised to share important information, with any issues in the home that effect on the child being addressed. However, there are significant gaps in practice-related supervision sessions for staff, most notably for the manager. This has not helped the manager to fulfil their role, limiting opportunities for personal reflection and support. Inspection report for children's home: 2650092 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that repairs are completed promptly and effectively, ensuring that the child is not affected. 30 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 30 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: 2650092 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: We Care Bespoke Ltd

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 164A Front Street, Chester Le Street, County Durham DH3 3AZ

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Inspector

Amy Groom, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2650092 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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