Children's Home run by Collaborative Care Services Limited in Swindon

Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 1 Registered provider: Collaborative Care Services Ltd

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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 provider and is registered to provide care for up to two children. One child lived in the home between November 2024 and March 2025. At the time of the inspection, no children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since February 2025 and has submitted their application 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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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good

Date of last inspection: 11 February 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Compliance notices were issued under Regulation 12 and Regulation 13 following a full inspection on 11 February 2025. Both compliance notices were reissued after a monitoring visit on 18 March 2025. Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/02/2025 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 3

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improvement to be good

One child has lived in the home since it was registered with Ofsted. During this child’s time at the home, staff did not have the necessary skills or experience to meet their needs. As a result, this child’s experiences were negatively impacted on, and they made little progress during their time living here.

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improvement to be good

Before living at this home, the child had not attended school for a significant period of time. During their time at this home, a tutor was put in place, and with support from staff, the child started to meet more consistently with the tutor in the last few weeks of their time living here. However, these sessions did not involve formal education or learning, and the child left the home before further structure or planning could be introduced around their education.

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improvement to be good

Following the previous inspection, staff and managers attempted to introduce clearer structures and routines for the child. This included clear activity planners that were personalised in line with the child’s interests. However, these were not effective overall, and during their time at the home, the child did not take part in activities regularly. When activities did take place, many involved purchasing unhealthy food and drinks. Managers acknowledge this is an area of learning for them and something they would look to improve on for the next child who lives in the home.

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improvement to be good

Managers and staff acknowledge a need for a more detailed and robust process of gathering information before children move into the home. Managers have reviewed and updated their process and documentation, although this has not been fully tested as another child has not yet moved into the home. Several members of staff were recently involved in the process of one child moving into another home within the same organisation. This was reportedly a helpful learning experience for them.

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improvement to be good

The move out of the home for the child was well planned. Staff and managers worked to develop child-friendly information, summarising plans for the move and worked well with other professionals to ensure the child had a positive experience as far as possible.

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improvement to be good

At the previous inspection, there were significant shortfalls identified in how well children are helped and protected. Leaders and managers recognised they were not able to meet the needs of the child living at the home and keep them safe. As a result, the decision was made for the child to move out. Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 4 Some staff had positive relationships with the child who lived here. These staff spoke to the child about keeping themselves safe in the community. However, ultimately, these conversations were not effective in helping the child become safer over time or the risks for them reducing significantly.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing, staff take appropriate action. They search for them and report them as missing to the police. Children’s care and support plans provide guidance to staff on what action to take to safeguard children. However, these are not always specific enough, for example in terms of timescales for reporting children as missing to the police or what actions should be taken when they return home.

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improvement to be good

When children raise concerns about staff practice or actions, managers broadly follow appropriate safeguarding procedures. However, investigations are not completed or recorded fully and clearly. Opportunities to identify learning and provide staff with additional training and support if needed have been missed. It is not clear if feedback is given to children about actions taken and the outcome when they raise concerns.

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good

Leaders and managers have taken some action to address shortfalls identified at the previous inspection. An appropriate action plan is in place; however, both the manager and responsible individual acknowledge the effectiveness of these measures has not yet been tested due to no child living in the home.

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good

Staff have completed additional training to improve their practice and build staff confidence. Team meetings are used effectively to share learning and good practice and for managers to reinforce expectations. Following the end of one child’s time at this home, staff have been supported during team meetings to reflect on their own practice, what they would do differently and what factors contributed to the end of this child’s time at the home.

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good

Staff and managers have demonstrated some insight into the previous shortfalls. Staff report that they currently feel positive about the future of the home and that they feel well supported by approachable and visible managers.

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good

Appropriate monitoring systems are in place for maintaining oversight of day-to-day practice. The responsible individual advised that he is currently developing a system to support better oversight of themes, patterns and trends following incidents and to better identify learning. This had not yet been fully embedded at the time of the inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 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 quality 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 the children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets the 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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised plans that meet each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the child’s day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

This directly relates to the registered person ensuring that carers have clear direction and strategies to ensure that the child develops positive daily routines.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that robust plans are in place for carers to fully understand the child’s gaming and social media use so that they remain safe online. 24 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 6 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 (1) 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

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child overcome such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing local authority to support the child’s education and training to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a timetable of educational activities is implemented during the school day while the child is out of education.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should challenge services effectively to ensure that the child returns to school as soon as possible. 24 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

The health is wellbeing standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-needs of the children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice; services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and 24 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 7 children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This directly relates to the registered person ensuring the child is supported to receive support for their individual health needs.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should implement a plan to increase variety and healthier choices into the child’s diet and structuring mealtimes.

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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 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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) 24 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 8 The registered person must take urgent action to work with the child and the local authority to understand and mitigate the risks to the child.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must review the safety plan to ensure that staff understand what action they must take when the child is missing from home.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must make clear and effective plans for returning the child to the home, which must be agreed with the local authority.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must take immediate action to understand the child’s location choice when missing and what action staff must take to disrupt unplanned visits and keep the child safe. If the safety plan is not being followed by all agencies, this must be escalated.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must ensure that fire safety practice safeguards all staff and children and ensures that they know what to do in the event of a fire.

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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

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; 24 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 9 demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; 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)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must take immediate action to ensure that leaders and managers are in day-to-day control of the home and are present to support the staff to understand the needs of the child in their care.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person must take immediate action to ensure that staff have the skills to understand why the child is going missing from home and how this can be disrupted effectively.

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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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard at 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any admission of a child to the home is done with careful planning and an understanding of how the home and staff can meet their needs effectively. 24 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 10

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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 he 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’.

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Information about this inspection

The inspection started on 21 May 2025. An inspector returned on 12 June 2025 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy. Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Collaborative Care Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 25 Pure Offices, Kembrey Park, Swindon, Wiltshire SN2 8BW

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Inspectors

Gary Turney, Social Care Inspector Janet Jauregui, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2786775 12 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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