Children's home run by Cambian Autism Services Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2836211 1 Registered provider: Cambian Autism Services LTD Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered with Ofsted on 19 June 2025 and is connected to a school. The school provides education for 30 children aged seven to 19 years. The home provides care for up to 13 children across three houses on the same site as the school. The organisation specialises in providing education and care for children with complex communication and interaction difficulties, as well as autism, learning difficulties and physical disabilities. At the time of this inspection, four children and one young adult were living at the home and they were seen and spoken to by inspectors.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspectors only inspected the children’s home at this school.

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Information about this children’s home

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

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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 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: 2836211 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made substantial progress. There is a stable team of staff working in the home provide effective levels of care to children. The staff have positive aspirations for the children, and they provide children with opportunities so they can develop. Since moving to this home, children have made timely progress with their communication and independence skills. They engage in preparing meals and learning how to do their own washing. Children enjoy spending time with other children so they can make friends. They enjoy visiting local places of interest and participating in activities in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from being able to attend school regularly. One child had not attended school for several years before moving to this home; they are now in school full time. There is a seamless approach between the home and school. This ensures that children receive consistent levels of support across both settings and enables them to make timely progress. One social worker spoke positively about the cohesive approach between home and school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean and tidy, and it is well maintained. There are spacious areas for children to play and comfortable sofas to sit on. Children enjoy being able to cook and to share meals with staff in the dining room. There is a sensory room for children to relax in and a swimming pool and gym on site for them to use. There is plenty of space for children to relax. This means that children can spend time with others when they wish, but they can also have time alone if they prefer. When children have birthdays or celebrations, there is a lot of thought and planning put into this. One child is planning a disco and special cake for their birthday.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is effective communication among staff, family members and professionals. Regular meetings are held, and social workers said that there are regular conversations about each child. This means that there is a team of individuals around each child who all work together. Staff advocate strongly for children and challenge others when something is not right. Families and professionals speak positively about the levels of care and support that children receive.

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

The stable staff team are skilled and knowledgeable; they have a good understanding of each child’s needs. Staff provide individualised levels of care for each child and recognise when their care needs to change. Staff care for children sensitively, in a way that maintains their privacy and dignity. They recognise when children are unhappy or unwell, and they intervene appropriately to support them. Staff seek advice appropriately from other agencies when needed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2836211 3 When safeguarding concerns are identified, there is a strong level of support in place. Managers and staff ensure that there is effective communication with others to address any issues in a timely manner. Staff use social stories and talking mats effectively to try and understand how children are feeling. One child was able to express their views clearly after a restraint was used. This helped staff understand the impact of the

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

language that they had used towards the child. This approach means that children are regularly being consulted and listened to regarding any issues that affect them. This helps staff keep children safe and adapt their practice so they can better support children in the future.

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

Restraint has been used for three children in the home. This has been done to keep staff and children safe. Learning has been taken from these events to reflect on what happened. Managers and staff think about the child’s experiences and what could have been done differently. Conversations take place with staff to improve their practice. Managers investigate and address concerns about staff practice effectively. Reflective practice is in place to try and understand whether children experience any triggers, but this does not always consider whether staff could have intervened successfully at an earlier stage to support children better.

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

Medication practice is well managed. There are very few medication errors. When staff did not administer one child a supplement correctly, they were given further training to improve medication practice.

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

There are some restrictive practices used in the home, such as window restrictors. Their use is not always considered in line with known risks or kept under regular review.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is strong leadership in place. Leaders and managers understand what is working well, but they are also aware of what needs to change to improve practice. Managers know the children well, and they strive to ensure that children can make effective progress. Managers are aspirational, and they want children to achieve their full potential. Managers understand how to meet children’s needs and take strong action to keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have developed practice across the staff team to further embed the therapeutic approaches that are in place. This helps children make timely progress and learn about how to manage their emotions better. There are positive levels of reflection and learning in place, and this ensures that staff practice continues to develop and improve. Staff enjoy working at the home. They say they feel well supported by managers who are available to them. They receive regular supervision sessions to help them to improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff practice is effective and remains consistent with the home’s statement of purpose. Children’s care plans are clear and thorough, and they are individual for each child. The care plans consider each child individually. They incorporate essential information about children’s needs, cultures and preferences. Therapeutic approaches are used positively to Inspection report for children’s home: 2836211 4 successfully intervene with the children. The staff know the approaches to use and how to apply them individually for each child. This means that children can receive consistent levels of care from the staff team. The language used about children is sometimes outdated, and staff sometimes use unclear language in conversations with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers continue to collaborate with family members, social workers, and other professionals. They maintain regular communication with families, and this ensures that children’s needs continue to be met effectively. Parents and social workers receive regular updates and information about children’s experiences. Memory books are created that include photos of children having fun, capturing children’s experiences. Inspection report for children’s home: 2836211 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that risk assessments for window restrictors and restrictive practices are reviewed so that they are current and relevant for children living at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.10)  The registered person should review the language that is being used by staff towards and about children so that it is meaningful and understandable for children.(‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should review whether there are opportunities to intervene with children sooner to prevent incidents from escalating and use appropriate strategies for early intervention. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)

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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: 2836211 6

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Autism Services LTD

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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: Melissa McCarthy

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Inspectors

Sarah Sheffield, Social Care Inspector Nickie Doney, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2836211 7 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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