Children's Home run by Advocate Recruitment Ltd in GatesheadOfsted inspection, 8 Sept 2026

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 1 Registered provider: Advocate Recruitment Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is run by a private provider. It offers 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 this inspection, 3 children were living in the home. The inspectors met with all 3 children.

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Information about this children’s home

The post for a registered manager is vacant.

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Inspection date: 8 September 2026

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  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: 2656590 2

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Findings from the inspection

We identified serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

A full inspection took place on 6 May 2026. At the time of the inspection, 2 children were living in the home. However, since the inspection, several staff have left. Despite the shortage in staffing, a decision was made to admit another child into the home.

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Findings from the inspection

Ofsted received 2 whistleblowing complaints that raised concerns about staffing levels in the home. Ofsted found that there were not enough staff to safely care for the 3 children living in the home. Staffing shortfalls have reduced the home’s capacity to respond effectively to children’s needs, manage risks and provide the individualised support necessary to help children remain safe and make progress.

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Findings from the inspection

Staffing levels are insufficient to consistently meet children’s needs. There are often only 2 members of staff on duty to care for 3 children, and staff have reported that, on some occasions, only one member of staff has been available. This limits staff’s capacity to support children to attend education, health appointments, family time and participate in new and enriching activities. During this period of inadequate staffing, one child has experienced an increase in incidents.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff reported that staffing shortfalls also reduce their ability to carry out meaningful direct work with children and spend quality one-to-one time with them, affecting children’s progress, relationships and overall experiences of care. There are also concerns about the compatibility of the 3 children living in the home and the impact they have on one another.

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Findings from the inspection

There is a significant reliance on newly recruited, inexperienced staff and agency staff to care for children, which contributes to instability. Children reported that they are reluctant to build relationships with staff because they believe staff will leave due to the frequent changes and high turnover.

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Findings from the inspection

New staff with no previous experience working in residential care are immediately assigned to night shifts because of staffing shortages. Staff described feeling overwhelmed and inadequately prepared for the demands of the role, increasing the risk of inconsistent care and ineffective responses to children’s needs.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are experiencing the adverse effects of inconsistent care and support due to the high turnover of staff and reliance on unfamiliar workers. One child reported that the lack of consistency has had a significant negative impact on their mental health, contributing to a deterioration in their emotional wellbeing and a recent incident of self-harm. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 3 Although staffing rotas indicate that there are sufficient staff on each shift to meet children’s needs, all staff spoken to stated that this does not accurately reflect staffing arrangements in practice. Staff consistently reported that staffing levels are insufficient to safely meet children’s needs.

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Findings from the inspection

There is a lack of day-to-day management oversight in the home, as both the manager and deputy manager are on sick leave. As a result, staff do not have access to daily management support and oversight.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff consistently report feeling exhausted, stressed and overwhelmed by the demands placed upon them. Several staff members stated that when concerns about staffing levels, workload and the impact on children are raised with senior leaders, they do not feel listened to and believe that insufficient action is taken to address these concerns. They describe having limited autonomy to make decisions in children’s best interests and feel that their professional judgement is not always recognised or respected. This has had a negative impact on staff morale and, in turn, the quality of care provided to children.

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Findings from the inspection

The responsible individual and staff do not consistently sign in and out of the home, meaning there is no accurate record of who is present in the home at any given time. This significantly limits leaders’ ability to monitor staffing arrangements and demonstrate that children are cared for safely.

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Findings from the inspection

One member of staff raised concerns that some individuals working in the home may not have a valid Disclosure and Barring Service check in place. The responsible individual was unaware of this concern and provided assurances that it would be investigated. If accurate, this would indicate significant shortfalls in safer recruitment practice. Failure to carry out and maintain robust recruitment checks exposes children to the risk of harm. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/05/2026 Full Good 13/05/2025 Full Good 24/07/2024 Full Good 26/06/2023 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 5

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iv)(b)) 8 November 2026

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; 8 November 2026 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 6 ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h)) Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Advocate Recruitment Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Bell Anderson, Lindum, 264 to 266 Durham Road, Gateshead NE8 4JR

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Inspectors

Paula Shepherd, Regulatory Inspection Manager Karen Karlsson, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2656590 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 looked-after children, 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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