Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 1 SC359846 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to five children who may have complex needs because of childhood trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in April 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/04/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/06/2023 Full Inadequate 08/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 3

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inadequate

Leadership in relation to children’s experiences and safeguarding is inadequate, negatively impacting on their overall well-being in the home.

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inadequate

Children’s individual needs are not considered and as a result, children are not safely matched with children already living in the home. Since the last inspection, three children have moved in and three have moved out. Despite an understanding that these children exhibited similar behaviours relating to going missing from home, the associated risk was not well considered at the point of admission. As a result, children have gone missing together on multiple occasions.

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inadequate

Children do not have meaningful and positive experiences because staff do not invest the time needed to build strong relationships with the child living in the home. Staff appear hesitant to engage effectively, citing concerns about allegations being made against them despite there being no identified risks. This lack of engagement has led to children spending more time outside the home. The child who currently lives in the home spends a significant amount of time alone in their bedroom due to staff not adopting a proactive approach or showing an interest in spending time with them.

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inadequate

The home lacks a warm and welcoming environment. Maintenance issues in the bathroom and hallway have remained unresolved for a significant period. Walls have visible cracks and scuffs, alongside unsanded and unpainted surfaces. Additionally, several areas lack blinds, and there is paint on the carpets in empty children’s bedrooms. Managers and staff have not completed basic upkeep tasks, contributing to an unkempt appearance throughout the home.

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inadequate

Staff do not implement the strategies needed to work with children to improve their outcomes effectively. An in-house therapist supports the team in understanding children’s needs, but inconsistencies in staff practice have resulted in an unsatisfactory level of care.

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inadequate

The child currently living in the home has begun attending school for two hours per day. However, as they approach their GCSEs, leaders have not established a clear plan to support their academic progress.

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inadequate

No complaints have been raised, although the child is aware of who they can approach should they have concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 4

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

Leaders and staff failed to demonstrate an adequate approach to safeguarding. Regulation 12 has been a repeated recommendation for several years, yet necessary improvements have not been made.

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

Staff fail to keep children safe and do not consistently provide a satisfactory response when children go missing from home. On two occasions, staff have failed to notice when children have left the home. When staff became aware that children were missing, there were delays in notifying the police in line with risk management plans. On one occasion, staff failed to act until prompted by a social worker, several hours after the children had left.

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

During another missing-from-home incident, when one child had returned home, there was no evident attempt by staff to engage with the child or create a sense of safety and belonging. Due to this poor engagement, the child went missing again later that evening and was found a significant distance from the home. The failure to implement a robust response to missing-from-home incidents places children at risk of harm.

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

The manager has failed to address weaknesses in staff practice. During a team meeting, staff admitted they had not been vigilant during the time frame of an alleged incident between two children. There is no evidence of any managerial action taken in response to this admission, raising concerns that similar poor practice may continue, placing children at further risk.

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

Leaders and managers fail to ensure that there are swift investigations in respect of poor practice. This has resulted in poor practice being left unaddressed. Leaders have not implemented appropriate risk management measures for staff under investigation, nor have they demonstrated how they ensure that staff are safe to work with children.

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

Leaders and staff do not always share critical safeguarding concerns with relevant agencies. On one occasion, the previous responsible individual failed to report a serious concern until the following day , despite the concern being raised by multiple children earlier. Additionally, staff have failed to notify the emergency duty team following incidents. These delays prevent external agencies from promptly addressing risks and safeguarding concerns.

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

Leaders and staff do not consistently follow up on concerns raised by children. In one instance, a child disclosed involvement in an altercation outside the home. There was no evidence that leaders or staff followed up to ensure the child’s safety or assess any wider risks.

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

When children are suspected to be under the influence of substances, staff have responded appropriately. On one occasion, a child disclosed taking drugs, and staff Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 5 took prompt action by contacting health services. The child was monitored overnight to ensure their well-being.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to improve practice and meet regulation for several years. Regulation 12 and 13 has been a repeated area of concern for several years, with compliance notices served in the past. This demonstrates a continued inability to implement and sustain improvements in leadership and management within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leadership remains inconsistent and unsatisfactory. The manager, although newly registered, has been in post since September 2023. There has also been instability in the responsible individual position over the past 18 months, which has affected the level of support available to the registered manager and reduced effective oversight within the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders do not ensure that staff understand what is expected of them and adhere to the intended ethos of the home. Staff fail to engage therapeutically with children and are not proactive in their approach. They require prompting for basic tasks, including supporting children with daily routines such as preparing for school and fostering engagement within the home environment. Leaders have not successfully addressed the ingrained culture of staff apathy and disengagement towards children in their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not provided consistent supervision for staff. Many team members are newly appointed and require additional support to develop their understanding of roles and responsibilities. There has been a four-month gap between team meetings since the last inspection. This lack of structured opportunities for staff to share learning and reflect on practice has hindered professional development and team cohesion.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The recruitment of new staff has been conducted safely. Leaders have ensured that all required pre-employment checks have been completed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the environment is well maintained and homely. 10 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)) 10 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 7 In particular, ensure that staff support children to form positive relationships and routines in the home.

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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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have the skills to respond to incidents appropriately. Additionally, ensure that hazards around the home are actioned promptly. 10 June 2025

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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

promotes their welfare. 10 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 8 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’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e))

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Recommendation

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4)

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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: SC359846 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 10 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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