Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1258091 1 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

The home is owned by a private organisation. It provides care for up to five children between the ages of six and 15 years who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since March 2024 and is registered 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 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: 1258091 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/04/2024 Full Good 27/09/2023 Full Good 20/04/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/11/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1258091 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, all five children living in the home were present. Each child briefly engaged with the inspector at different points during the visit and described feeling ‘happy and ‘fine’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to supporting children in achieving positive outcomes. They invest time in understanding each child’s individual needs, which enables them to provide tailored and effective care. This contributes to the development of strong, trusting relationships between staff and children. As a result, children feel safe, secure, and comfortable in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff place a strong emphasis on education. One child, who previously struggled to attend school, is now attending five days a week. This progress has been achieved through consistent routines in the home and a period of home-based learning that helped the child transition gradually into full-time education. Another child has successfully secured a place at their chosen college, supported by the encouragement and structure provided by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to be active members of the community. They regularly participate in events such as Christmas concerts, charitable initiatives, and community awards evenings. These experiences promote a sense of pride, belonging and personal achievement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are well understood and managed effectively. When new health concerns arise, leaders ensure that staff receive appropriate training and guidance. The manager has implemented robust safety plans tailored to individual health conditions, which ensures that children’s medical needs are monitored and responded to safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is welcoming and child focused. Children’s achievements are celebrated, with certificates and photos proudly displayed throughout the home. Staff mark key events throughout the year, including Pride Month, Easter, and seasonal celebrations, such as a summer tree. Children are actively involved in decorating the home and designing their bedrooms, which helps them feel a sense of ownership and pride in where they live.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and staff support children in maintaining relationships with those who are important to them. Staff maintain regular communication with families, which facilitates the smooth organisation of family time and helps children sustain meaningful connections. Inspection report for children’s home: 1258091 4

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

Staff help children to develop a strong understanding of online safety. Regular key-work sessions are held to teach children how to identify and avoid risky situations online. This consistent and proactive approach has helped children feel confident in raising any online concerns with staff.

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

Consequences used in the home are generally fair and effective. Managers review all consequences promptly to ensure that they are proportionate and appropriate. Where the consequences have not aligned with the behaviour displayed, the manager has taken corrective action. This reflective approach promotes positive behaviour and helps children learn from incidents.

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

Physical intervention is used safely and only when necessary. When used, the least restrictive option is applied for the shortest length of time necessary. Leaders and staff prioritise the maintenance of positive relationships with children, ensuring that children have the opportunity to reflect on incidents. This approach contributes to a calm and supportive environment that promotes positive behaviour.

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

Risk management plans are clear and guide staff effectively. Leaders work in partnership with external professionals, including a behaviour therapist, to develop tailored safety plans. This collaborative approach has led to a reduction in incidents for one child, both at home and in school. Education professionals have praised the home’s contribution to this progress.

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

Notifications of significant incidents have been submitted to Ofsted in a timely manner since the last inspection. The manager has embedded this into the home’s safeguarding processes to ensure regulatory compliance.

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

The manager’s oversight of incidents and consequences has improved since the last inspection. Reviews are now carried out more promptly and are more reflective of staff practice. This has enabled earlier identification of areas for staff development.

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

However, staff do not always follow children’s missing-from-care plans. On three occasions, a child went missing from the home, and on two of those occasions, the child should have been receiving one-to-one supervision. Leaders have initiated a review of staff practice to identify learning and improve future responses.

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

The recording of incidents requires improvement. Some reports lack sufficient detail, making it difficult to fully understand the actions taken. This limits the effectiveness of monitoring and reflective learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to ensuring that children receive a high standard of care. She has developed positive relationships with each child and is well regarded by the staff, who feel supported in their roles. The manager is further supported by an experienced Inspection report for children’s home: 1258091 5 responsible individual who maintains active involvement in the home. This has contributed to strong and effective leadership.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring systems are well established and effective. The responsible individual and manager recently carried out a review of the admission process and identified areas for development. As a result, the admission of the most recent child was approached with greater rigour, providing leaders with increased assurance that the placement was appropriate to the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing levels in the home have improved following a recent recruitment drive, resulting in the addition of new team members. This has strengthened the stability and consistency of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment processes are safe and robust. Leaders ensure that all necessary checks are carried out before staff commence their roles. This provides assurance that staff are suitable to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is held regularly and covers relevant topics. Staff say that they feel confident approaching leaders with any concerns. One staff member told the inspector, ‘I have a lot of things which I compare to previous work. I found this is the best I’ve had it. [Name of manager] is nurturing, and kids come first, but she’s supportive for us.’ Inspection report for children’s home: 1258091 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

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, the registered person must ensure that staff work in line with children’s missing-from-care safety plans. 23 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1258091 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: 1258091 8

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Deborah Robertson-Kesterton

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Inspector

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1258091 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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