Cambridge Care Company

Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Cambridge Care Company 1 Cambridge Care Company Registered provider: Cambridge Care Company Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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provider

A private provider operates this service.

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provider

The service offers accommodation for up to 168 children in 34 premises, including one single occupancy, eight properties limited to accommodating looked-after children and 25 that are not ring fenced. These properties are located over three locations in Newmarket, Peterborough and Liverpool.

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provider

At the time of the inspection, this service was providing supported accommodation for 66 children aged 16 or 17 who were looked-after children or care leavers.

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provider

The registered service manager, who is also the nominated individual, registered at the same time as the organisation in December 2023.

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provider

Inspection dates: The inspection was announced on 28 July 2025 and started that day. The inspectors were on site from 30 July to 1 August 2025.

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Outcome

Inconsistent quality of service delivery adversely affects some children’s experiences, and this may limit their progress. Leaders and managers must make improvements.

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Outcome

The next inspection will be within approximately 18 months of this inspection.

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Summary of findings

Children shared positive experiences about living in their homes and the support they receive from staff. Staff know the children well and support them to live independently. Efforts are made to make children’s accommodation homely, but this was not consistent across the service. Most children are involved in education, training or employment. When children are not, staff are proactive in encouraging them to engage in education or productive activities. Learners who speak English as an additional language are supported to Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Cambridge Care Company 2 engage in opportunities to improve their language skills and make local connections. Staff follow procedures to ensure that children are kept safe and liaise with other professionals when serious incidents occur.

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Summary of findings

The service covers three geographical areas, leading to variations in service delivery. Gaps were noted in safer recruitment checks. The frequency and quality of supervision records were not consistent across the service. Children’s plans and risk assessments sampled were brief and did not consistently address key concerns. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Cambridge Care Company 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children say they feel safe in their home and local community. Properties are in areas that are well connected to local amenities and within close walking or cycling distance to colleges.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children know and understand the expectations of living in their home. They are reassured that there are house rules in place to keep them safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

While some of the properties felt homely, this was not consistent across the service, with some properties requiring renovation and repair. A new maintenance tracking system has been introduced but this is not yet implemented consistently. While staff are expected to report concerns, this does not always happen, and in one home, several children complained about their bedding, which was not of an adequate standard. This impacts on children’s comfort within the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children report having trusting and meaningful relationships with their key workers. Staff respond quickly and compassionately when children need emergency support or guidance. Professionals describe staff as caring and encouraging of children’s independence. Social workers commented they see ‘notable progress’ in children’s emotional development and engagement with education. Social workers reported receiving regular and prompt responses to queries, but monthly progress reports were irregular and brief.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children said their health needs were met and staff encouraged and accompanied them to medical and therapeutic appointments. Staff had knowledge of children’s specific personalities and needs, which helped tailor the staff’s delivery of support. This is not always reflected in the children’s support plans and risk assessments, which limits staff’s ability to monitor progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Children living in Newmarket have an array of offers, including youth club and breakfast and brunch clubs. Staff in other regions encourage children to attend local clubs and amenities to support with socialisation. Staff have expressed a desire to engage children in more activities but have not been able to achieve this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Staff signpost children to areas of cultural significance and places of worship, which promotes acceptance and a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

In Liverpool in particular, a specialism among staff has developed while working with children with asylum barriers who speak English as an additional language. Staff are supportive of children’s legal appointments in these matters. These children are offered opportunities to enrol into an appropriate education provision in line with their language and academic abilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children

Where appropriate, staff make positive efforts to ensure that children stay connected to their family and friends. One child praised staff for helping her feel connected to her sibling and helping to coordinate important planning meetings with her social worker. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Cambridge Care Company 4

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff support with children’s well-being and behavioural needs in a balanced, child- focused way. From talking to social workers, staff adopt a multi-agency approach when dealing with incidents and are encouraging of children engaging with specialist services. Managers are kept informed of major incidents and follow their own protocol, ensuring that children remain safe and keeping the local authority informed.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children are offered support and mediation to address incidents within the homes. When incidents occur, children are offered the opportunity to meet with staff afterwards to address any concerns they may have. Managers provide effective oversight of significant incidents.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children’s risk assessments are brief and inconsistent and prevent staff from monitoring progress. In some reports, risks to children were not up to date or were incomplete, making it difficult for staff to understand children’s vulnerabilities and support them to reduce risk.

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How well children are helped and protected

Children reported knowing the house rules and how to contact staff outside of normal working hours. This knowledge was consistent for children who speak English as a first language and children who speak English as an additional language. Some children mentioned they had been taught what to do in emergency scenarios, which helped build their independence and helps them to feel safe.

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How well children are helped and protected

Staff were knowledgeable about exploitation and risk factors for children. They have attended training to enhance their knowledge and practice in these areas. Police intervention is not accurately recorded in children’s records, leaving gaps in oversight and progress tracking.

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How well children are helped and protected

Leaders and managers do not always complete safer recruitment checks for new staff before they join the service. This means managers cannot be assured that children are supported by staff who are suitable and safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders spoke passionately about the children they support and plans to develop the service. Managers showed willingness to improve on processes and systems they felt directly benefited children’s outcomes, including the way they accept children into their service and how they settle them in.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

A complaints procedure is in place which shows that incidents are documented and action is taken to ensure children are kept safe. Managers have addressed complaints with children in a prompt manner, and appropriate actions have been taken to address these concerns. Managers are aware of staffing pressures and keep staff up to date at team meetings. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Cambridge Care Company 5 Managers use the permanent staff team to cover staff shortages. This ensures that children are supported by a consistent staff team that understands their risks and needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff generally said managers are approachable, knowledgeable and willing to offer support and guidance where needed. Staff were recruited with good transferable skills and relevant experience in mind. Leaders and managers do not always provide regular, good-quality supervision for staff. The supervision of new staff members does not demonstrate that support is tailored to their specific experience or needs during their induction process.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Training is offered to staff, covering key safeguarding topics and more specialist training once staff have completed the induction. The provider has implemented a new system to monitor and track staff training and development effectively. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Cambridge Care Company 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the ‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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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

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 1. (Regulation 17 (1) (3)(d)) 26 September 2025

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Requirement Due date

The support standard is that children receive individual and tailored support that meets their needs.

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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

keep the child’s support under review, taking into consideration the plans for support, and relevant plans, to ensure that the child’s needs continue to be met and that the child is kept safe. (Regulation 7 (1) (2)(c)) 26 September 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the supported accommodation settings are nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of young people. They should always be homely and welcoming environments. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 29)  The registered person should be accountable for the provider’s supported accommodation service, inclusive of all settings. In particular, leaders and managers need to ensure that there is consistency across the service. (‘Guide to the Supported Accommodation Regulations, including Quality Standards’, page 49) Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Cambridge Care Company 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children 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 Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Cambridge Care Company 8

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider: Cambridge Care Company Limited

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered provider address: Pheasant House, Mill Road, Great Barton, Bury St. Edmund IP31 2QQ

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Supported accommodation provider details

Registered service manager: Penny Stapleton

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Supported accommodation provider details

Email address: penny@cambridgecarecompany.com

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Inspectors

Chris Jay, Social Care Inspector Leah Stannard, Social Care Inspector Sue Garner, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for supported accommodation provider: Cambridge Care Company 9 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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