Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2808791 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

This home is privately owned. It provides care for up to five children with ongoing mental health difficulties who may not be able to live in the community without continued support.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2025, when the home opened.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a separately registered school on site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report for children's home: 2808791 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children felt comfortable enough to participate in the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are positive about living at the home. They are making progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are attending school in ways that are right for them. One child has achieved full attendance and recently sat exams. They are proud of their achievements and said they care about their future and want to succeed. This demonstrates that staff are providing a safe environment that allows children to have aspirations and goals for their future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with opportunities to participate in meaningful activities. Children often go to their favourite park, where they love the swings. Children also have opportunities to go horse riding and boxing. One child went to a festival. The child said, ‘That was the best day of my life.’ These experiences give children meaningful memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s talents are celebrated. Both children are very creative. Their artwork is displayed around the home and in their bedrooms. They enjoy showing the artwork off and talking about what they have created. Staff ensure that children have high-quality art supplies. One child has painted a mural on the site. This approach to the children’s talents boosts their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s bedrooms are an extension of their personalities. They are filled with personal memorabilia, pictures they have crated and meaningful items. One child described their bedroom as their ‘sanctuary’. One child has moved rooms three times to find the right space for them. Both children have small pets in their rooms. This gives them a sense of responsibility, which they enjoy. A previous complaint about a child’s bedroom has been investigated, and the manager took immediate steps to prevent a reoccurrence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Both children have diagnoses of neurodiversity and complex needs, which are described in detail in their referral documents and associated reports. Insufficient consideration has been given to how these diagnoses affect the children's daily lives. This information has not been assimilated into care plans. This means that staff do not have instructions on how to communicate with children effectively. This is evident in a range of records, such as daily logs, where there is a higher expectation for children to meet neurotypical expectations. At times, this has left children feeling misunderstood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are several mental health experts from various disciplines working on the wider site. The individual experts spend time with the children and undertake specialist mental health reports that contain individual goals and strategies. The care provided by staff does not yet fully reflect this specialist mental health work. Inspection report for children's home: 2808791 3 One child has preferred pronouns. Staff address the child using these in person. However, these pronouns are not used exclusively in reports and records. This does not promote the child’s identity.

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

Both children have extremely complicated needs. Several high-risk incidents have included assaults on staff. Despite this, the team remains committed to providing the children with permanence. This contributes to stability and reduced risk. Children’s risks remain high; however, the number of incidents for each child is reducing each month. This demonstrates that children are feeling more able to cope with difficult emotions and manage their stress.

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

Each child has a level of emotional awareness, and they can articulate their needs. Children and managers have co-produced support plans that advise staff on the steps to take when children experience strong emotions. Staff understand these plans and follow them well.

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

Staff respond appropriately during incidents to prevent children from seriously hurting themselves. Children are at high risk of self-harm. Staff use physical intervention to prevent children from engaging in this behaviour. Staff are trained in holding children to keep them safe. The rationale for physical intervention is evident in reports.

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

Children have court orders in place that enable managers to employ some strategies that fall outside of standard regulations. Leaders and managers understand that these orders can be applied flexibly based on the child’s level of risk and that the strategies can be adapted to provide the least restrictive scenario for the children. This means that managers have been able to ensure a balance between the ages of the children and provide help for any maladaptive coping strategies that they may be using, such as self- harm.

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

One child has experienced bullying from a child at another home on the same site. This occurred during the inspection. The child said that they have felt supported by the staff in involving the police to investigate their concerns.

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s risks and vulnerabilities. However, risk assessments do not clearly detail the specific actions that staff should take to respond to and manage identified risks or prevent them. Information from other sources, including examples of successful behaviour management strategies, has not been incorporated. This means that staff do not have all the necessary information available to them to support children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager is suitably experienced and is committed to making improvements. She is aware of the strengths and weaknesses in the service. She is supported by a team of Inspection report for children's home: 2808791 4 available senior managers. All leaders and managers are aware of the shortfalls and what needs to change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have not received training in neurodiversity. As a result, they do not clearly understand what this means for children and how it affects their interactions on a day- to-day basis. This also limits staff’s ability to communicate with children in ways that acknowledge their neurodiverse needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff have not received training in the therapeutic model used by the service. There is little evidence that staff are using the model in their work. This means that the service provided does not align with the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Supervision sessions are not meaningful. Despite the complexity of risks and incidents, supervision sessions rarely include reflective discussions regarding children’s needs. Some staff have used supervision sessions to seek support. In these situations, there has been little reassurance or solution-focused discussion. A supervisor has also not identified that a team leader has not completed crucial training in mental health or self- harm. Supervisors do not recognise the importance of supervision in mental health settings. Therefore, staff are not being offered appropriate opportunities to support and enhance their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager provides a good level of oversight to incidents and safeguarding matters. She has critically analysed complex incidents and implemented measures to enhance the response to them. However, she has not taken effective action to identify and respond to the issues with records, such as key-work records and daily logs. The information from the various strands of mental health expertise has not been translated into meaningful instructions for staff. As a result, the staff are not provided with a coherent mental health-informed strategy to apply in practice. This is not in line with the home’s statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff and children respect the manager. Both children said that she is a trusted adult for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The responsible individual and wider organisation ensure that no new children move into the home during periods of heightened risk for the children who already live there. This enables the manager and staff to focus on the children living at the home, which demonstrates that they are prioritised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

A professional described being ‘impressed’ with the care provided. Inspection report for children's home: 2808791 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 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff receive training in self-harm, deprivation of liberty orders, first aid, and other important mandatory training relating to children’s safeguarding needs.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, ensure that staff receive quality training on neurodiversity and are supported in understanding how to communicate and work with children effectively.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, ensure that staff are provided with training on the therapeutic models to ensure that the service described in the home’s statement of purpose can be delivered. 1 September 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— 30 September 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2808791 6 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 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;

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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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments include clear guidance and instructions on how to prevent risks and de- escalate crisis episodes, taking into account individual neurodiversity and how to communicate effectively with children.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, ensure that key-work sessions and daily logs are relevant, informative, and describe how staff interact with children.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, ensure that leaders and managers identify instances in records where staff have failed to respond or communicate with children in ways that best suit their needs and that staff receive support to improve their practice.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose 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 children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets 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

ensure that staff— 30 September 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2808791 7 understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the service provided is in line with the home’s statement of purpose, including comprehensive therapeutic interventions using the described models that staff are trained in and the assimilation of these models into plans.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, ensure that psychiatric and psychological formulations, advice, assessments and reports are integrated into care plans and risk assessments, and that staff understand them.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, ensure that children’s preferred pronouns are used throughout care plans and are embedded into staff’s vocabulary when talking about the children.

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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: 2808791 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: 4th Floor, Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

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Inspector

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2808791 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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Inspector

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