Children's home run by Conquered Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 1 Registered provider: Conquered 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 owned home provides care for up to two children with emotional, social and special educational support needs, including learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were no children living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor, and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 21 January 2025

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/01/2025 Full Good 17/01/2024 Full Outstanding 06/02/2023 Full Outstanding 23/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The shortfalls identified in the help and protection and the leadership and management of the home have affected the children’s overall experiences. This has resulted in an overall judgement of inadequate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, two children have moved in and two children have moved on. There were no children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured that the assessment of children’s moves into the home aligns with the home’s statement of purpose and the conditions of registration set by Ofsted. One child who moved into the home had a medical condition that significantly affected their mobility and required the use of mobility aids and additional support. The home was unable to provide access to the necessary mobility aids, and staff did not have the experience, knowledge or understanding required to meet the child’s individual needs or to keep them safe. The home is not assessed or registered by Ofsted to accommodate children with physical disabilities. As a result, the child moved out of the home within three weeks.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that the child’s care plans are personalised and capture the child’s voice. One child independently wrote their own care plan to encourage staff to appreciate their needs. Managers and staff failed to act on this and could not demonstrate an understanding of how they would support the child. The child felt unheard, which further increased their vulnerability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff failed to establish positive and trusting relationships with one child. There was no warmth or empathy demonstrated in the incident recordings created by managers and staff. The conversations that took place with the child were adult-led. Due to the poor relationships with staff, the child spent much of their time away from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support and encourage the children to engage in education. One child did attend college temporarily but felt unable to return. Leaders and managers provided alternative online education that was of interest to the child. The child accessed this independently. This helped the child to progress with their education.

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

Leaders and managers have failed to understand children’s individual needs and risks before they moved into the home. This has resulted in two children moving into the home without appropriate planning, leaving them at risk of harm and experiencing moves that were not well planned or that added to their experiences of instability and potential shame and blame. Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 4 Staff have not responded effectively to children’s behaviour to keep them safe. They do not have a clear understanding of individual risks or the skills to manage and reduce those risks. For example, one child experienced poor mental health and was at risk of self-harm and suicidal ideation. Following incidents, managers and staff did not respond in a way that demonstrated empathy, understanding or care. Staff’s lack of training and insight increased the child’s vulnerability and left them at an increased risk.

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

Leaders and managers have not provided staff with the training and guidance needed to respond appropriately to children’s risks. For example, one child was at risk of choking, yet not all staff are first-aid trained.

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

Staff responses to children going missing from home have been inconsistent. One child regularly left the home during the night. Staff did not always follow the child and instead relied on a tracking device, which is not in line with the home’s missing-from-home protocol. These inconsistent responses failed to promote boundaries and did not help the child feel safe, secure or cared for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been instability in the leadership and management of the home. Although the registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced, changes at senior level have not been managed effectively. The responsible individual left their role in May 2025, and a new responsible individual was appointed. However, Ofsted was not notified of this change until October 2025, and the required documentation has still not been submitted. This failure means that Ofsted has no assurance about the new responsible individual’s qualifications or ability to fulfil the role. It has also significantly limited Ofsted’s ability to maintain regulatory oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have been ineffective in supporting, monitoring and overseeing staff practice to ensure consistent and safe care. Although the manager has reviewed incident reports and staff interactions with children, they have accepted inappropriate staff responses as adequate. There has been no constructive reflection or identified learning to improve staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to identify that the language used in incident records for one child is not child centred. Records contain inaccuracies, and managerial oversight has not addressed these issues or reflected on staff’s use of language and focus in reports. This does not demonstrate effective oversight to drive improvement in staff practice or ensure a consistent quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have also not ensured that staff have the necessary skills and experience to meet children’s individual needs. Staff have not received specialist training to understand and respond to these needs. As a result, children have not been supported in a way that is consistent or helpful to them. Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 5 Leaders and managers have failed to understand the child’s experience through feedback from the child and use that to inform practice. The child’s voice is not understood, and care has not been tailored to meet the individual needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Ofsted have issued compliance notices under regulations 12, 13 and 14 as a result of the failures in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 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 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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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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)(v)(vi)(b)) 8 December 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— 8 December 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 7 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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person considers that the child is at risk of harm or has concerns that the care provided for the child is inadequate to meet the child’s needs; and 8 December 2025 Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 8 that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(e)(i)(f))

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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; and

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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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understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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treat each child with dignity and respect;

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provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

that the care is delivered by a person who—

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Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 9 is under the supervision of a person who is appropriately skilled and qualified to supervise that care. (Regulation 6 (1)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi) (3)(b)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review; and

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Requirement Due date

make each child aware of and, if necessary, remind them of each of the matters in sub-paragraph (d)(i) to (iii); 31 March 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 10 ensure that the views of each relevant person are taken into account, so far as reasonably practicable, before making a decision about the care or welfare of a child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

An individual may only carry on a home with another individual or other individuals, otherwise than in a partnership, if that individual and each other individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (5).

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Requirement Due date

An organisation may only carry on a home if—

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Requirement Due date

the organisation has notified HMCI of the name, address and position in the organisation of the responsible individual.

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Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (1) (2) (4)(iii) (7)(a)(b)) 31 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs.

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Requirement Due date

at all times, at least one person on duty at the home has a suitable first aid qualification. (Regulation 31 (1) (2)(a)) 31 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 11

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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: 2594859 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 281 Cromwell Road, Peterborough PE1 2HQ

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Inspectors

Sarah Cooper, Social Care Inspector Sallie Bloomfield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2594859 13 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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