Children's Home run by Action for Children in Northumberland

Inspection report for children's home: 2726339 1 Registered provider: Action for Children Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

A private company operates this children's home. It provides care for up to 3 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection, 3 children were living at the home.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2023.

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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: 18 November 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: 2726339 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/11/2025 Full Good 12/11/2024 Full Good 05/03/2024 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2726339 3

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Summary of findings

Children are settled in the home and are making good progress. Staff have positive relationships with children and work closely with external professionals to provide good- quality care.

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Summary of findings

Children are safe in the home. Staff understand any risks children face and work well to manage these. However, the registered manager has not consistently notified Ofsted when allegations against staff are made.

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Summary of findings

Managers provide strong leadership to staff. Staff are provided with good support in terms of training and supervision, which helps ensure that they are equipped with the skills they needs for their roles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have lived in the home for a long time. They are relaxed in their environment and say that they feel happy there. Children establish strong and positive relationships with the staff. This allows children a secure emotional base that is helping them to make progress in their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is maintained to a good standard. Communal areas are clean and well presented, as well as being personalised with photos of the children. The children's bedrooms are to a similarly good standard, being clean, tidy and personalised to each child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making progress in many aspects of their lives. Staff help children to increase their emotional resilience and regulate their behaviours. Staff work with therapists to understand children's sensory needs, which helps to increase their understanding of how best to support each child. Children are also supported to maintain and strengthen their relationships with people who are important to them. This has led to a child having plans to soon start overnight stays with their family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children complete good-quality life-story work. They also work with the children's social workers and counsellors to aid this work. This supports children's emotional wellbeing by allowing them to understand their past experiences and helps staff understand how these can affect children's current needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are making good progress in their education. Staff supported one child's move to a new school. This has led to significantly fewer school exclusions and a better academic experience for the child. However, for one child attending a school residential activity, staff did not make adequate preparations for the child's attendance. This meant the child did not have all the necessary items they needed for their trip. Inspection report for children's home: 2726339 4

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

The home is a safe place for children. Children do not go missing from home, and other external risks are generally low. This is because staff have positive, trusting relationships with children, which provides children with good levels of stability. Staff know children well and have a good understanding of the risks children could face.

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

Risk assessments are kept up to date and reflect the current issues for children. They contain clear strategies for staff to manage these. Staff complete focused work with children on topics such as early life experiences, peer relationships and self-harm. This allows children to gain the knowledge and skills they need to keep themselves safe.

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

Staff implement appropriate consequences to help children to understand appropriate behaviours. These are restorative in nature, and children usually respond well. This allows children to understand the impact of their behaviours and supports them to learn more appropriate ways of managing their emotions.

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

There have been some incidents where staff have needed to use physical restraint to keep children or others safe. These are proportionate and only used as a last resort. The registered manager has good oversight of these incidents. When she identifies areas of practice that need improvement, staff are provided good advice and support.

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

Allegations against staff and complaints are appropriately investigated by the registered manager. She works with the children's social workers and the local authority designated officer to ensure that investigations are thorough and children are kept safe. However, not all allegations are notified to Ofsted, which prevents Ofsted from having sufficient oversight of them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably skilled and experienced. She knows the home well, including its strengths and areas for development. She is focused on the children and ensuring that they make the best possible progress. The manager is supported by a senior care team, and, together, they maintain good oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work well with external professionals. Managers attend all relevant meetings, advocating where necessary on behalf of children. This ensures that children's views are known and understood and that the care they receive is in line with their agreed plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers provide good support to staff. Staff feel well supported in their roles and can access a good range of relevant training. Team meetings are held regularly and offer staff the opportunity to reflect on their practice. This allows staff to share knowledge and develop the skills needed to care for children. Inspection report for children's home: 2726339 5 Supervision sessions are completed regularly and offer opportunities for staff to reflect on children's needs and their own practice. However, annual appraisals lack details in terms of clear and timely action plans. This may impact on the manager's ability to monitor staff development. Inspection report for children's home: 2726339 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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 04 September 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are adequately prepared to participate in education, including residential activities arranged through their school. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 28, paragraph 5.13)  The registered person should ensure that staff appraisals contain timely action plans to bring about improvement. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.5)

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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: 2726339 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Action for Children

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 3 The Boulevard, Ascot Road, Watford WD18 8AG

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Inspector

Jon Collins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2726339 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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