Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456330 1 SC456330 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare 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 owned. It 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, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in September 2024. A manager joined the home and left after a short period. A new manager was appointed in 2025, and they have applied to register with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC456330 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/08/2024 Full Good 11/09/2023 Full Good 03/08/2022 Full Good 10/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC456330 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, three children have moved out of the home and two children have moved in. One child moved into the home a week before this inspection. Three children were seen during the inspection. Two children wished to share their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The three children who moved out of the home experienced an unsettled period lasting three months. This was during a time of significant leadership and management changes. These children had mixed experiences, having previously receiving good care. During this period of change, leaders, managers and staff struggled to support these children with peer relationships and living together at the home. These shortfalls meant that for a period, children were frequently missing from home and engaged in substance misuse. As a result of the actions taken by the new manager, the children who have since moved into the home have experienced good care. The new manager has worked hard to improve outcomes for all children. This has allowed children to plan to move out from the home in considered ways.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are well planned. The manager speaks to relevant professionals and helps to create a timeline for the move that aligns with their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child is in full-time education and accessing a bespoke education package to meet their needs. They have good attendance, and their school reports that they are making progress. Staff are helping one child to apply to colleges in their local area. This is in line with their plan to move closer to their family and to a semi-independent home. One child who has just moved in is not accessing any education. The manager has planned an education meeting within two weeks of the child moving in to ensure that their learning opportunities can be explored swiftly with relevant professionals. However, the children who previously lived at the home were not always consistently accessing education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to spend time with their families. Staff support children who live far from home in travelling to see friends and family. This helps children maintain important relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children explore their emotional well-being and support them in speaking to relevant professionals. Staff are supporting one child’s attendance at specialist appointments in their local area. This has allowed continuity of this specialist support. This will help ensure that they can continue to access this service when they move back to their local area later this year.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s achievements are celebrated, and the manager has good oversight of these records. However, one child said they are not yet receiving enough support from staff to prepare them effectively for independence. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456330 4 The new manager has made the home environment more welcoming. Children now have access to more homely social spaces. The new manager has taken steps to ensure that repairs are addressed without delay.

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improvement to be good

Children have had mixed experiences living at the home. Changes in leadership and management resulted in instability at the home, which caused children to experience poorer outcomes for a period of three months. Children experienced changes in staff, who lacked the necessary skills and experience to meet some of their complex needs.

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improvement to be good

During this time, staff did not feel confident, and morale was low. Staff were not working together to help support children with consistent boundaries and routines. Staff struggled to manage escalating incidents between children, and this contributed to significant damage in the home and incidents of bullying. In addition, staff frequently used the police to manage incidents. This did not help children to feel safe at home or reduce their risk of criminalisation.

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improvement to be good

Staff did not receive effective support and guidance to help them manage challenging incidents during this period. On two occasions, staff used restrictive practices with children which were not necessary, proportionate or in line with agreed safety plans for children. These instances were reported to the local authority designated officer and suitably reviewed to ensure that staff learned from this poor practice.

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improvement to be good

Feedback from s social worker was negative about how staff failed to help keep the child safe. This led to the child moving out of the home at the request of their social worker. The social worker said that the changes in leadership and staff affected the child’s experiences and staff lacked insight into their child’s needs. Another social worker said that although their child had a short period of poor experiences, they have since been supported to settle at the home and have positive experiences. This social worker said the new manager has supported change and therefore they do not have concerns about the child living at the home.

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improvement to be good

For a period, three children were regularly going missing from care, and as part of this, they were experiencing harm through substance misuse and making unsafe choices in the community. Staff looked for children and followed missing-from-home protocols when they were away from home. The new manager has worked with staff to help them support children better. This has meant that there has been a reduction in the frequency of missing-from-home episodes for children currently living at the home.

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improvement to be good

Children currently living at the home say they have a positive relationship with the manager. Children are getting to know new staff and can identify those they would talk to if they had worries. Relationships between children and staff in the home are improving. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456330 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager left the home in September 2024, alongside the deputy manager and one other established member of staff. A new manager was appointed, but they left the home in January 2025 after a period of significant challenge. In January 2025, during a period of instability in the home, the responsible individual also left. The responsible individual has since changed a further two times. In January 2025, the home promptly appointed a new manager, who applied to register with Ofsted within a suitable time frame.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager has made significant improvements to the home in the time since she has been appointed. They are ambitious for children and realistic about their recent experiences. They have already taken swift and effective action to address several of the shortfalls identified. As a result, the staff and children are now experiencing good management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager is clear in her expectations of staff and the experiences children should have at the home. She uses effective monitoring tools to help her understand the progress children have made over time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said since the new manager started, they have noticed a significant change at the home, and they feel well supported. One member of staff said, ‘She is a very good manager, she is great with the kids, the house is looking more friendly, and I feel very listened to.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager immediately identified gaps in staff’s knowledge and experience and ensured that all staff have now completed the home’s mandatory training. In addition, the manager has requested additional training to support staff’s wider learning on training specific to the needs of the child who has recently moved in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The new manager ensures that all staff now receive regular supervision. Staff who undertake supervision sessions with other staff have now received additional training on reflective practice. The manager monitors supervision effectively for all staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been staff changes since the last inspection, with seven members of staff, including two managers, leaving the home. Most new staff are inexperienced and do not hold a relevant qualification. One member of staff has not achieved a relevant qualification within the required time frame. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456330 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 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;

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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)) 30 June 2025

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b) (2)) 5 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 1 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456330 7 ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)) 1 December 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should collaborate with the local police force to establish procedures and guidance that prevent unnecessary police involvement in behaviour management and criminalisation at the home. Children should not be charged with offences resulting from behaviour in a children’s home that would not result in police intervention in a family home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 47, paragraph 9.40)  The registered person should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or living independently. This includes helping the child develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the support of the home, as well as teaching practical skills, such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal Inspection report for children’s home: SC456330 8

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Recommendations

self-care when the child is moving to live independently. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)  The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff receive supervision, allowing them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: SC456330 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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Inspectors

Rebecca Hannell, Social Care Inspector Priscilla Koroka, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456330 10 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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