Children's Home run by Area Camden Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home: 2813153 1 Registered provider: Area Camden Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately run and provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted when the home opened in December 2024.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children’s home: 2813153 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, the inspector spoke with both children. The children are positive about the home and the support they receive from staff. The staff know the children well and have positive relationships with them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s education. One child attends school. Before moving to the home, they had been out of school for a long time. Staff support the other child’s access to online learning. Staff also help children to develop their independence skills. This helps children to develop life skills when they are not in full-time education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children maintain friendships. They take children to meet their friends. Staff consider the risks and balance these with giving children the opportunity to earn trust and make choices about where they spend their time. Children participate in various activities, including go-karting, cooking and going on trips to the seaside.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children’s physical and mental health. Referrals to external agencies help support children’s emotional well-being. This means that children have access to specialist support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is welcoming and homely. Children are involved in choosing how their bedrooms are decorated. Staff encourage children to be involved with developing the home’s garden. The children seem comfortable spending time at the home with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The assessments for new children who move to the home are not robust. Conversations take place with the child’s social worker. However, the risks associated with the new child are not considered alongside those of the children already living at the home. The manager has not shown enough curiosity to properly explore the referral information.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child experienced an unplanned ending to their time at the home. The child moved out of the home due to concerns about the other children. This decision was made in the best interests of the children. However, the manager has not carried out a review about this to formally identify any lessons learned.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s positive achievements are not clearly recorded. Staff give children rewards and praise. However, the rewards book was unable to be located during inspection. This means that children’s successes may not always be celebrated, and areas of progress may not be clear to identify.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s plans are unclear regarding their cultural needs. They do not detail the child’s cultural background or identify what staff can do to support the child’s identity. The staff identify local services that can support with hair care. Children receive support to fulfil their cultural needs. However, staff are not guided by care plans that detail relevant and specific information. Inspection report for children’s home: 2813153 3

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

Staff understand the processes to follow when children go missing from home. Staff search the local area to try and locate children and make frequent attempts to contact them. Staff work with the child’s family members if they do not know a child’s whereabouts.

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

Incidents are infrequent. Staff use de-escalation skills during incidents. They take time to understand children’s triggers and behaviours.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed for new members of staff, and there is a clear induction programme in place. The manager occasionally uses temporary staff, making sure to use the same individuals each time. This ensures that children are cared for by people they know and who know their needs.

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

Staff understand children’s risks. Children’s care plans and risk assessments provide strategies for staff to support children. However, some known risks are not fully detailed in children’s behaviour management plans. Staff do not regularly talk to children about their risks.

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

There has been one serious safeguarding incident. A child was able to access medication from the staff office. Immediate action was taken to seek medical attention for the child and relocate the medication cabinet. However, a referral to the local authority designated officer (LADO) was not considered. The investigation into this incident is ongoing. The delay in this investigation means that any actions or learning have not been implemented in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and suitably qualified. The manager is aware of the areas of development for the home. The manager and staff are aspirational for the children. The manager is proud of the children and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Professionals are positive about the support provided. The manager works closely with external professionals. There are strong links with the local police. The manager consults the police and holds regular meetings. This ensures that professionals are working with staff to keep children safe and remain aware of any current risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager holds regular meetings with professionals. Weekly meetings take place for one child. The manager ensures that information is shared during these meetings. These meetings help professionals to be aware of any current risks and discuss strategies to support these. This means that risks are managed and supported consistently by all professionals involved. Inspection report for children’s home: 2813153 4 Team meetings take place regularly. These provide a forum for staff to discuss the children and raise awareness of any changes or upcoming events that could affect children. These meetings encourage consistency across the whole team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel supported by managers. Supervision sessions are detailed and offer staff the opportunity to discuss a range of topics. However, staff supervision sessions do not always take place in line with the home’s policy.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager does not always ensure that she is up to date with all relevant health and safety information. There was a delay in the manager receiving the fire risk assessment. The manager did not challenge this delay. When the manager received the assessment, two actions were overdue. This delay could have led to health and safety implications at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2813153 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

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; 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)(i)(ii)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

any allegations are reported to the LADO;

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Requirement Due date

investigations into concerns are carried out without delay;

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Requirement Due date

children’s risk assessments clearly describe their risks;

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Requirement Due date

staff talk to children about their risks. 18 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and 31 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2813153 6 have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that clear assessments are carried out when considering new children and that any learning from unplanned endings is identified.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home complies with relevant health and safety legislation, that they have copies of the fire risk assessment, and that the actions are completed as per the time frames. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that children are supported in maintaining and developing their cultural identity. Children’s plans should detail their cultural identity and how staff can support this. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.22)  The registered person should ensure that there is a system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviours, as well as recognising when children have handled situations well. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.39)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there are systems in place so that all staff receive supervision of their practice that allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. The frequency of supervision should be in line with company policy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report for children’s home: 2813153 7

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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: 2813153 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Area Camden Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Polaris, Malvern View, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 4AD

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Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2813153 9 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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