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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 1 SC032697 Registered provider: South Tyneside Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to 4 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living at the home. The inspector spoke with 2 of the children.

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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: SC032697 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/05/2025 Full Good 14/05/2024 Full Good 30/05/2023 Full Good 03/01/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 3

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Summary of findings

Children receive good care from staff who are attentive to their needs and advocate strongly on their behalf. Staff build warm and nurturing relationships with the children. Children are encouraged to attend school or work and to maintain contact with people who are important to them. When children move on from the home, transitions are well planned, and staff provide appropriate support throughout the process. Children are kept safe, and multi-agency working to manage risks is effective. The manager leads the team well, and staff enjoy working in the home. However, leaders made a poor decision to change holiday plans for some children, which had a negative impact on their experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build warm and trusting relationships with the children, and their enthusiasm for the children shines through. Children receive individualised care from staff who confidently advocate for them and put their needs first. Children’s views are sought and listened to, and staff act on them. Children say they can talk openly with staff and share their feelings and frustrations with them. Professionals speak highly of the quality of the care children receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children take part in a range of activities they enjoy. They keep records of what the children do, including numerous photos, enabling children to look back on their time living in the home and the positive experiences and special moments they have had. When children move out of the home, transitions are carefully planned, and staff provide sensitive support throughout the process. They help children maintain contact with family members where it is safe for them to do so and work collaboratively with children’s social workers to explore the possibility of returning to the family home when children express a wish for this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is prioritised by staff who do all they can to help children attend school or college or engage in training and work. One child is engaged full time at college, and another child has a full-time apprenticeship. Sometimes, staff’s attempts to encourage education are not effective; however, they are persistent and do not give up on children. Concerns about education are escalated where necessary, and there is good communication with the virtual school to keep children’s education under review.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are mostly met. Staff work to discourage children from vaping through frequent discussions about the potential impact on their health. However, this remains an ongoing challenge for some children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are skilled at supporting children’s behaviour and emotional needs and have worked tirelessly to help children through difficult times. However, despite their best efforts, all children have experienced unsettlement. Child-centred decisions have been Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 4 made when evaluating the children’s suitability to live together to ensure that they can live a safe and happy life.

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

Safety plans are thorough and regularly updated. Over recent months, incidents have escalated for some children, which staff have found difficult to manage. However, safety planning has been adaptive, and staff have intervened where necessary to keep children safe. When restraint is used, it is proportionate and necessary. The manager has analysed the increase in incidents and reflected on the underlying causes to identify ways to improve outcomes for children. Staff have carried out work with all the children to help them understand how to be safer.

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

Children rarely go missing from home. However, when they do, staff know how to respond and take appropriate action to find children and return them home. When there have been escalated concerns for children’s safety, staff have sought support from the police appropriately to keep children safe.

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

Substance misuse has been a concern for some children. Children trust staff and talk openly about their substance misuse, enabling staff to provide them with a high level of support through discussions. Children also receive more specialised support from external drug services. Staff send any suspected substances for testing to help them understand the associated risks and respond effectively when concerns increase.

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

Staff are recruited safely to the home. Thorough checks are carried out before a staff member starts to work with the children. Furthermore, any allegations or complaints are investigated thoroughly, demonstrating strong safeguarding practice and culture.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children and their needs very well and is enthusiastic about them receiving the best care. She advocates on their behalf and works well with other professionals to ensure that children receive the help they need. Professionals are complimentary of the manager and the work that she does to promote the good running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they like working in the home and that they benefit from clear direction and leadership from the manager and the deputies. Staff work well together, and there is a positive team culture that is underpinned by staff supporting one another, particularly when difficulties arise in meeting the children’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Practice-related supervision sessions offer staff a safe space for reflection. Team meetings and group supervision sessions provide further opportunities for staff to share their ideas, and external professionals are used effectively to provide advice. A wide range of training is offered in line with children’s needs. As a result, staff feel well equipped to meet children’s needs and confident in seeking support when necessary. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 5 Managers work well together and have a comprehensive overview of practice in the home. They have developed several tools to support their oversight of incidents and other important daily recordings. This enables managers to respond to any issues swiftly and effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A decision by leaders to change the type of holiday children could experience has had a negative effect on some children who had already started to plan their time away. The holiday was part of an incentive-based reward, which was subsequently changed for children by leaders because of broader organisational decision-making. This did not help children to feel valued. The manager and staff advocated strongly for the children, but this did not change the outcome. Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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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.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)) 2 July 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: SC032697 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: South Tyneside Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Town Hall, Westoe Road, South Shields NE33 2RL

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Inspector

Amy Groom, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC032697 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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