Kyloe House

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035409 1 Kyloe House

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Registered provider: Northumberland County Council

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Provider address: County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 6DE

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this secure children’s home

This home is operated by a local authority and is approved by the Secretary of State to restrict children’s liberty.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The home provides care for up to 15 children aged between 10 and 17 years under Section 25 of the Children Act 1989 who are placed by local authorities.

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Information about this secure children’s home

There were 11 children living in the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The admission of any child under Section 25 of the Children Act 1989 who is under 13 years of age requires the approval of the Secretary of State.

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Information about this secure children’s home

The commissioning of health services in this home is the statutory responsibility of NHS England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Education is provided on site in dedicated facilities. The manager registered with Ofsted on 30 January 2012.

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Information about this secure children’s home

Date of last inspection: 25 November 2025

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Information about this secure children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035409 2  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035409 3

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The home is clean and tidy and the children said that they like living at home, and that they get on well with staff. They said they enjoy playing football, badminton and going to the gym. No children shared any concerns, and they appeared happy and comfortable in the home, and in the company of staff. The staff interact in a nurturing way with children. This helps them to sustain trusting relationships with the children.

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Findings from the inspection

Children have access to independent advocacy services to ensure that their voices are heard. While some children choose not to use these services, they know the support is available if needed. To strengthen this, children regularly share their views, wishes and feelings with staff during ‘house meetings’, as well as during statutory meetings with their social workers and other professionals. These avenues help to ensure that children’s views and opinions are central to the service and to the care that they receive.

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Findings from the inspection

When children go missing, these incidents are managed effectively. On their return, the child is spoken with independently to gather their views. To mitigate future risks, the manager attends a multi-agency meeting to identify key lessons learned. The manager avoids a risk-averse reaction and will not restrict children’s time out in the community, but rather adapt their risk plans to better safeguard their needs when they are outside of the home. This approach helps to prepare children for when they move on from this home.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff know the children well and frequently use verbal redirection to de-escalate incidents. The use of restraint, single separation, and occasions when children are ‘managed away’ from their peers remains low. Incidents are clearly documented, and these measures are only used to ensure the safety of the children and others. Written records align accurately with CCTV footage. Managers review each incident to verify that staff actions were necessary and proportionate. Staff debrief with the child to gather feedback and promote reflection, which helps create a more personalised care approach. A multidisciplinary team supports this process, ensuring that healthcare professionals promptly assess the child’s health and wellbeing. Leaders and managers also use their oversight and lessons learned from these events to develop staff skills and continuously improve daily practice.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers maintain a high-quality environment through continuous monitoring and a clear strategic development plan. They regularly review children’s documents and feedback to ensure that care needs are consistently met. This ongoing evaluation helps leaders identify issues early and celebrate success. To drive the home forward, managers at all levels use a development plan that outlines clear goals and improves staff training. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035409 4 Staff said that they feel well supported by managers. They work effectively as a team and enjoy their roles. Staff said they have regular supervision sessions that help them to reflect on their practice and children’s needs, experiences and progress, while training successfully enhances their daily work.

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Findings from the inspection

The requirement made at the last full inspection relating to education was not reviewed during this visit. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035409 5

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/11/2025 Full Good 24/09/2024 Full Good 28/11/2023 Full Good 01/11/2022 Full Outstanding Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035409 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (8) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ix)(x)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers’ implementation of formal systematic quality assurance to monitor and consistently improve teaching, learning and assessment and ensuring that staff implement and maintain a formal, systematic tracking system that monitors each child’s progress from their starting points, identifies gaps in learning and supports children in achieving their educational and training targets. In addition, managers must ensure a sustained and appropriate staffing structure of teaching staff who hold relevant subject and vocational qualifications. 27 February 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035409 7

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider: Northumberland County Council

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Secure children’s home details

Registered provider address: County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 2EF

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Inspectors

Gemma McDonnell, Social Care Inspector Dave Carrigan, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC035409 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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