Children's Home run by Ar Curam Limited in South Tyneside

Inspection report for children's home: 2840440 1 Registered provider: Ar Curam Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This is a privately operated home. It provides care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The home registered with Ofsted in July 2025. The acting manager has been in place since October 2025 and has submitted an application to register.

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Information about this children's home

Four children were living at the home at the time of the inspection and all spoke with the inspector.

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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: 4 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: 2840440 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/11/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2840440 3

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Summary of findings

Children are making good progress. Although some children have only been living in the home a short time, they are gaining in confidence as a result of the stability they are being provided. When children experience barriers to school attendance, staff work with them to overcome these and promote educational progress.

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Summary of findings

Staff help children become safer. When children are missing from home, staff respond well to ensure that they are located and safe. When there are allegations made against staff, the manager investigates these appropriately but has not always notified all the appropriate professionals.

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Summary of findings

The manager has been in post since the last inspection. She has good oversight over the home and knows the children well. She supports children to give their views on the care they receive. Staff are well supported in their roles and access appropriate training and supervision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a large, well-maintained environment for children to live in. Children's bedrooms are safe and personalised to each child. Children are regularly encouraged to clean and maintain their bedrooms with staff support. On the occasions that children have caused damage, staff arrange appropriate repair work promptly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are well supported when they move into the home. Staff follow clear and child- focused plans, which are considerate of children's needs and risks. This supports well- planned moves and reduces children's anxieties about the process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities in and out of the home. They have access to a variety of games, books and computer games. They enjoy regular days out and go on longer trips in the school holidays. This provides children with fun and enjoyment and shows them that they are valued by those around them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are experiencing significant barriers to their education. Staff recognise these barriers and support children to identify strategies to overcome them. Staff work closely with education professionals to identify appropriate alternate provision so that children continue to learn. One child is currently working with animals, and another child has enrolled to begin a career in the military.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children have needed to move from the home in quite urgent circumstances. When this has happened, staff have been proactive in supporting the child throughout this process. This helps children to feel less anxious during these moves. Inspection report for children's home: 2840440 4

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

Staff know the children and their risks and regularly update children's plans when new risks emerge. Most children have recently moved in, and staff support them to get to know each other, gain confidence and improve their social relationships.

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

Staff respond well when children are missing from home and follow their individualised plans. They notify relevant people and work effectively with partner professionals. This contributes to children's safe return and has contributed to a significant reduction in incidents for some children.

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

Staff work with children to help them make positive behaviour choices. Staff reinforce positive behaviour and use appropriate consequences to support children to reflect on their actions. Staff work with children to help them to recognise the impact of their actions, understand risks and take accountability for behaviours. This helps to prevent similar behaviour reoccurring. For example, some children who were frequently misusing substances have stopped doing this.

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

Physical restraints are infrequent. Children are only held when it is necessary to ensure their or others' safety. However, some incidents in which the manager has been directly involved lack independent oversight. This reduces the ability for leaders to ensure that any restraints remain reasonable and proportionate.

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

When allegations are made against staff, the manager takes action to ensure that children are safe and completes thorough investigations. However, not all allegations have been reported to the local authority designated officer and Ofsted. This affects the wider monitoring of safeguarding risks for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in post since the last inspection. She knows the children well and is aware of the home's strengths and areas for development. The manager has effective oversight of the children's care, ensuring that she can identify when any improvements in this are necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have completed a thorough learning review, following a significant incident. This has helped to build on good practice and identify areas of learning to improve children's care. Following the review, the implementation of an improvement plan reduces the risk of similar incidents happening again.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works well with external agencies. She attends children's reviews and other key meetings, advocating where necessary on behalf of children. This ensures that children receive a multi-agency approach to their care and are able to contribute to their own care planning. Inspection report for children's home: 2840440 5 The manager ensures that children's views are known and acted upon. Children's views are gathered through daily discussions, focused key-work sessions and regular children's meetings. Staff also encourage children to share their views with independent advocates. This helps children to feel listened to.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the support they receive from leaders and managers. Staff are provided with appropriate induction and training for their roles. They attend team meetings and have regular reflective supervision sessions. This provides staff with the opportunity to develop their practice and deliver good-quality care to children. Inspection report for children's home: 2840440 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)) 11 Sept 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and proportionate. (Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 46 para 9.36)

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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'. The inspection started on 14 July 2026. An inspector returned on 22 July 2026 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. Inspection report for children's home: 2840440 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 37 - 38 Market Street, Ferryhill, Durham DL17 8JH

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Inspector

Jon Collins, Social Care Inspector Lisa Gordon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2840440 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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