Children's Home run by Area Camden Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 1 Registered provider: Area Camden 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 is a privately owned home providing care for up to four children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/03/2025 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Four children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. All four children contributed to the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are happy living in the home. Children know how to make complaints, and the manager actively supports them to do so when necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is careful planning in relation to children moving into the home. The manager ensures that they have all the information that is available at the point of referral. The manager carefully assesses the staff’s ability to meet the needs of children and requests further information when necessary. Other children living in the home are consulted for their views and are kept up to date about any potential new children moving in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are welcomed with care and compassion. Consideration is given as to how to make difficult moves for children as positive as possible. One child told the inspector that moving into the home ‘was a dream come true’.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home promotes routines that support education. When there have been gaps in children’s education provision, children are helped to engage in activities in and out of the home that encourage informal learning. The manager challenges the relevant authorities to ensure that children have access to education. These approaches have helped two children to return to mainstream school after a significant period of time out of education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Routines in the home support children and staff to enjoy each other’s company. Children eat meals together, spend time relaxing in communal areas together, and the home is full of laughter and chatting. Children have been on holiday and one child has been supported to be able to manage birthday celebrations for the first time.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home values children’s friendships, and children can have their friends visit the home. Children have sleepovers with their friends and children’s friends knock on the front door to visit.

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

Staff and managers talk to children openly when they have worries about their safety. Managers write letters to children for them to be able to read and digest at a pace that is right for them.

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

Children are involved in developing their safety plans. These plans include the strategies that children say will help support them in a crisis. While safety plans have the involvement of professionals, the manager recognises the importance of these being documents that children can own and develop. Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 4 For one child, there has been a significant decrease in incidents and episodes of being missing from the home. The child is supported to have free time in the community in a way which is safer for them and is in line with their wishes and feelings. Professionals attribute this decrease in incidents for the child to the stability offered at the home.

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

The child spoke about how staff look for them and encourage them to come home when they are missing. The child said that staff always made sure that they were safe. They said staff welcome them back by ensuring that they have eaten and cooking them food that they like.

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

Children are supported to learn about healthy relationships. Behaviour management strategies are, where appropriate, based on children being able to take age-appropriate risks. When incidents occur that cause worry about children’s safety in the community, strategies are put into place that allow children as much freedom as possible while balancing the need to keep children safe.

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

Children earn regular rewards through targets that are individual and achievable for them. Even when things have been very difficult for children, targets are designed so that children are always able to earn rewards and receive positive praise, contributing to a sense of achievement.

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

Two children have moved on from the home in an unplanned way since the previous inspection. For one child, this was a longer period of transition that was in line with the child’s wishes and feelings. For another child, this was immediate due to a significant safeguarding incident. For both children, there was an escalation of risk that could not be foreseen and limited the provider’s ability to keep the children safe.

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

When significant worries arise about children’s safety, the manager shares information promptly and transparently with the local authorities, police and relevant agencies. The manager works closely with other services to try to support the children to remain in the home, while also recognising when this is no longer in the children’s best interests.

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

Children have been supported sensitively through some extremely challenging situations. For one child who struggled to communicate verbally during times of distress, the home developed a method of nonverbal communication with the child to allow them to indicate when they needed support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitability qualified and experienced registered manager. The manager is ambitious for the home and the children and shows a sense of pride in the children’s achievements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring and review systems in place. Records in the home are being consistently reviewed by the management team. Reviews of incidents consider staff practice and whether any changes need to be made to children’s care plans. The Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 5 manager actively seeks the involvement of the local authority and external agencies when there are concerns about children’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Care plans and behaviour management plans are clear and up to date and they contain clear strategies for staff to follow. This helps ensure consistency for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a low staff turnover and there have been no changes in leadership and management since the last inspection, meaning children experience good-quality care provided by staff who are experienced and know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals is consistently positive. Professionals said that they felt that the home manages risks for children well, and that when boundaries are put into place, these were clear for children and followed by children and staff. Professionals said that communication with the home is good and that the manager ensures professionals are up to date with any incidents. Professionals said that they felt that children were able to learn the skills needed to keep themselves safe in relationships and the community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations were raised at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 6

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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: 2798426 7

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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

Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 8 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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