Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC476289 1 SC476289 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

The home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children between the ages of seven and twelve years were being cared for. All the children were spoken to by inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has recently registered with Ofsted.

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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

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: SC476289 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/06/2024 Full Good 01/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC476289 3

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improvement to be good

One child has moved into the home since the last inspection. The child’s history, experiences and potential behaviours were not appropriately assessed prior to their move into the home. This has impacted on the experiences of some of the other children living in the home. The manager and professionals are considering a move for the child within the organisation to a home that may be better suited to meet their needs.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been a complete turnover of the staff team. The previous registered manager and staff left in quick succession. Children were not supported with positive endings with staff who were important to them. Some staff left without the children being told. This has significantly impacted on the children’s well- being and trust in adults. The new manager understands the effect this has had on children with complex trauma backgrounds. The manager and staff team are working hard to rebuild trust with the children, and some relationships are starting to improve.

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improvement to be good

All the children attend school. Some children attend alternative provisions that meet their additional needs. One child has made significant progress, increasing attendance at school from less than a day to every day in the week. There has been an impact for some children in terms of their engagement and behaviour in education because of the changes to the staff team.

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improvement to be good

There has been a decline in staff providing opportunities for children to share their voice about their care and how they feel. Children’s meetings were taking place, but management responses to children’s comments and views had stopped. Children are being supported to have meaningful discussions, but not yet as a group. Children do express interest in new activities and hobbies, and the staff are starting to be more responsive to this. Despite the challenges of the changes in the home, children are accessing activities, and some have been on holiday over the summer.

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improvement to be good

The children’s home has been through a period of providing a poor living environment for children. Internal and external areas of the home had been left to become tired, with significant amounts of disused items left on the driveway of the home. Some children’s bedrooms were not personalised, and the building lacked a homely feel. More recently, there has been a plan to develop all areas of the home. The manager has prioritised children’s bedrooms, and these now better reflect children’s interests. Previously, children did not have enough space to eat together with the staff. A new table and chairs have been purchased, meaning adults and children can share meals together. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476289 4

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improvement to be good

Children have safety plans in place. Plans are reviewed regularly by the manager, and updates are shared with the staff to ensure consistent practice. Some safety plans require more detail around the supervision of children. There have been incidents of aggression between children where staff have not intervened effectively to prevent children from being injured.

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improvement to be good

There have been a high number of allegations from children against staff. For some children, this had been a known behaviour before moving into the home. Allegations have been managed appropriately by the staff. However, there has been no recognition of the frequency of allegations or exploration of why the child makes the allegations. Advice from safeguarding professionals external from the home has not been followed in terms of a multi-professional approach to allegations.

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improvement to be good

The use of restraint to manage children’s behaviour has been frequent. When staff do intervene, this has been necessary and proportionate to safely manage the situation. Staff record incidents of restraint with detail and clarity. Incidents are reviewed by the manager to ensure that practice is safe and in line with staff training. Children are given repeated opportunities to talk about incidents of restraint and professionals are always updated. Staff are being given opportunities to reflect after incidents with the manager.

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improvement to be good

There have been incidents of children being reported missing from care. Staff have followed children’s plans and responded effectively. The frequency of children being missing is low. Incidents are usually related to children pushing boundaries rather than feeling the need to run away. All of the incidents have seen children located close to the home. Professionals are updated and children are spoken to by someone external from the home when they return.

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

The new manager is experienced and committed to improving outcomes for children. The manager has transitioned from a sister home in the organisation and has recently been registered with Ofsted. The manager has worked quickly to identify shortfalls in the care being provided to the children. The manager knows the current strengths and areas for development.

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

The staff team is new and largely inexperienced. Half the staff are still within their probation period in the organisation. They are being supported to build their skills and experience, but still lack an understanding of supporting children with complex trauma. There are vacancies in the staff team. The home has no deputy manager, staff are working long hours, and the manager is covering shifts. This is impacting on the manager’s oversight. Recruitment is ongoing for vacant posts. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476289 5 The turnover of the staff team occurred at the start of the summer holidays and the busiest time in the home. This coincided with an escalation in children’s heightened behaviours, which has impacted on staff receiving the one-to-one time required for development and reflection. Team meetings also had to be put on hold during that time. At the time of the inspection, the children had returned to school and relationships with

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

staff had started to improve. This has allowed the manager to implement better structure for staff support. A clinical psychologist has been introduced to provide additional support and development for both inexperienced and established staff.

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

Staf receive appropriate training as part of their induction into the organisation. New training has been identified to ensure that children’s needs are being met in a therapeutic and age-appropriate way. Some training, specific to children’s needs or their diagnosis, has yet to be organised.

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

Professionals all recognise the impact the changes have had on children’s stability. Some professionals have raised concerns in relation to children’s safety, the environment and peer relationships. The new manager has worked with children’s placing authorities in an open and transparent way. Social workers have acknowledged the actions being taken to improve the home and well-being of the children. The manager encourages external and internal scrutiny of the home and uses this to formulate development plans.

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

The new staff team is positive, and staff enjoy working in the home. Staff recognise and accept the challenges of raising standards. The staff feel supported by the manager and the experience they offer. Staff feel there is an open-door approach from the manager that has been vital during challenging periods in the home.

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

There have been changes in leadership roles senior to the registered manager. These also coincided with the change in staff. The manager feels well supported by the current senior leaders. Quality assurance monitoring has been prioritised to support the manager in responding to concerns. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476289 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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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

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

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(v)(x)) 31 January 2026

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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

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)(b)) 15 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476289 7 This particularly refers to there being considered plans and support in place around children who make allegations, based on shared knowledge from all professionals involved in the child’s care, and staff being skilled and confident in supporting children in this area.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically refers to sufficient and skilled staff recruited to manage and support children’s care plans. 31 January 2026

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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.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; 31 December 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476289 8 manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to admissions of children being considered in line with children’s needs and the impact on other children in the home, as well as the experience and development of the team in the home.

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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: SC476289 9

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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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Inspectors

Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Lorna Walker, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC476289 10 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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