Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC460063 1 SC460063 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare 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 privately run children’s home is registered to provide care for up to four children who may have social, behavioural or emotional needs.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. Two of the children were spoken with as part of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2024.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be 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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 22 October 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC460063 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/10/2024 Full Good 07/08/2023 Full Good 01/02/2023 Full Good 15/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC460063 3

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improvement to be good

During the inspection, the home had new furniture delivered to replace some damaged items; this had been identified through a recent internal audit. There remain some broken items within the home. One child’s bedroom was in a poor state of repair and cleanliness, which had not been noted by staff as they had not seen inside the room for a week. There were no bed sheets on the child’s bed, there was a hole in the wall, and the child had written on the walls about feeling unhappy in the home. The cleanliness of the home requires attention and consideration to be given to help the home feel more homely.

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improvement to be good

The consideration of the impact of children living together is limited. Two children have had disturbed sleep because of another child living in the home. This has meant that their routines have been disrupted. One child commented that their disturbed sleep made going to work difficult. One child has particularly struggled living alongside a younger child in the home and has made threats towards them. This has resulted in the home serving notice on their placement, resulting in another move for the child.

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improvement to be good

There is an inconsistency in the frequency of key-work sessions provided to children. When sessions do take place, they often involve meaningful conversations. However, these sessions are generally reactive and responding to immediate concerns rather than being proactively planned to support progress against identified goals or needs. Although specific key-work sessions are sometimes identified following incidents, they are not always carried out.

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improvement to be good

The complaints procedure does not offer children feedback on their verbal views, which for some children, has meant that they feel unheard and that things will not change.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are supported with sensitivity. When children require health care they are taken to appointments and reassurance is offered by staff. There are clear systems in place to aid the safe administration of medication.

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improvement to be good

Children are offered a balanced diet and are encouraged to try new foods. Snacks are locked away in the home and accessed on request. The rationale around the restriction of snacks requires further consideration to help increase children’s autonomy in having a healthy diet.

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improvement to be good

Children in the home have engaged in a variety of activities. One child has been on holiday to Spain. Children have experienced days out to theme parks and visit local shops and museums. The activities are based around children’s interests. Regular walks are encouraged, which positively impacts children’s emotional well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: SC460063 4 Children who have lived in the home have been supported to attend education. Two children have achieved qualifications. Children’s achievements are celebrated by the staff who talk with pride about children’s progress. One child is now completing an apprenticeship and has a weekend job, meaning that they are gaining employment skills which will benefit their future career prospects.

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improvement to be good

When children move into the home, their previous risks are identified. However, this information is not thoroughly analysed or considered in relation to the needs and vulnerabilities of other children already living in the home. In one instance, this led to a child going missing overnight, despite the child having no prior history of going missing. Delays in reporting missing children to the police have occurred, which may compromise their safe and timely return.

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improvement to be good

Door alarms are used in the home to ensure the safety of children during the night. For one child who left the home, they did not fully understand the implications of the door alarms, which contributed to them feeling unable to leave their bedroom to use the bathroom at night. The use of restrictions requires regular review and explanation to children. This is to ensure that restrictions used are the least restrictive option and remain appropriate to the needs of the children.

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improvement to be good

There is an inconsistency in the completion of risk assessments and plans that inform staff about how to support the behaviours of the children. Some plans are detailed and reviewed regularly, whereas for other children, parts of the plans are missing. This means that there could be an inconsistent response to managing children’s behaviour and risks, particularly if staff from other homes are covering shifts.

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improvement to be good

There has been coordinated multi-agency working for one child with the police and social worker to try and reduce the contextual risks to the child. Referrals have been submitted for specific work to take place to increase children’s understanding of the impact of crime.

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

The members of the staff team have not yet been trained in the specific needs of children in the home. Some training has been identified, as the registered manager recognises there is a gap in staff knowledge. This training has not been completed before children have moved into the home, meaning that staff may not have the relevant skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the children.

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

There is a consistent staff team in place at the home. Agency staff are rarely used, although staff from other homes do offer cover. Staff are on the rota for sleep in shifts. One child wakes multiple times in the night, meaning that staff are feeling tired when on shift the following day. Staff have raised concerns that they may not have the level of attention and patience they would usually hold when they have disturbed sleep. The Inspection report for children’s home: SC460063 5 registered manager has a presence within the home, which contributes to staff feeling supported. Staff receive regular, reflective supervision and attend team meetings where children are discussed. The registered manager knows the children in the home well and talks about them with care and affection. The registered manager has demonstrated effective advocacy around the care plans for children.

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

The registered manager has auditing tools in place to help identify areas of need and areas for development within the home. They are completing their learning from the experiences of children who have left the home recently in order to improve the matching process for children living in the home now.

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

There are robust safer recruitment checks in place. This means that children are cared for by staff who have been subject to vetting procedures. Once employed, staff have a thorough induction process with regular review points. This helps the manager to understand the strengths and areas for development of new staff. Inspection report for children’s home: SC460063 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(vi)(b)) 15 October 2025

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour; 15 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC460063 7 encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are helped to form positive relationships within the home and manage conflicts with others positively.

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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 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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)) 15 October 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

promotes their welfare. 31 October 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC460063 8 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d)(g)(i)(ii))

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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 at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that impact risk assessments consider the impact on all children in the home. The registered person must ensure that children’s plans are developed to help them to make progress. 31 October 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene etc.); however, in doing so, should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. In particular this relates to children understanding the use of door alarms and having access to food and snacks within the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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Information about this inspection

The inspector has 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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC460063 9 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: SC460063 10

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Joanne O’Donnell

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Inspector

Ali Owens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC460063 11 regulates 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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