Children's home run by Collaborative Care Services Limited

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 1 Registered provider: Collaborative Care Services Limited Assurance inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

This inspection took place on 18 November 2025, but inspectors also returned on 12 December 2025 to gather additional evidence.

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Information about this children's home

The home is operated by a private provider and registered with Ofsted on 24 June 2024. The home provides care for one child with emotional and/or social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of both inspections, one child was living in the home and they spoke with the inspectors. The new manager has applied to register with Ofsted and holds a level 5 qualification.

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Information about this children's home

Inspection date: 18 November and 12 December 2025

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Information about this children's home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children's home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At these inspections, the inspectors evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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'. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 2

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Findings from the inspections

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care and protection of the child at these inspections:

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Findings from the inspections

 The response to the child smoking in their bedroom has not been adequate to ensure the safety of everyone in the home.  The immediate actions that staff take to protect the child from harm are ineffective. The child continues to be placed at significant risk of harm when in the community and at home.  Staff do not always follow the agreed safety procedures when the child is missing from home. Records are not always of a good standard, which impacts the effectiveness of oversight, reflection and learning to improve practice.  Leaders, managers and staff do not have a clear understanding of what the child is doing and the risks that they are exposed to when they are away from the home.  Staff do not have the skills and experience required to help the child to stay safe effectively.  Staff do not provide the child with positive and healthy routines, structure and boundaries effectively.

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Findings from the inspections

The child regularly smokes cannabis in the home. Their bedroom smells strongly of smoke, and there are burn marks and cigarette ash on their furniture and carpet. Despite the increased risk of fire, leaders and managers have not taken sufficient action to enhance fire safety precautions. As a result, the child and staff are exposed to serious and repeated risk of harm.

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Findings from the inspections

The child is not helped to maintain their bedroom to a reasonable standard of cleanliness and staff's expectations are low. The child has very few personal belongings and insufficient furniture. Their clothes are piled in a corner of the room, their bed is broken and their pillows are stained and without covers. Furthermore, the child continues to have access to inappropriate items that place them and staff at risk. Although staff complete room searches, they are ineffective and do not prevent access to harmful items.

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Findings from the inspections

The decisions that are made about the child's care are not always well reasoned, understood or in the child's best interests. Although the child says that they are safe in the home, they recognise that they are not safe when they are in the community. Despite this, the child does not receive the support that they need to spend time in the community safely. Staff do not know what the child is doing or who they are spending their time with when they are away from the home.

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Findings from the inspections

The frequency of missing-from-home episodes has reduced. Leaders and managers attribute this positive change to the child's involvement in their care planning. The child has expressed a wish to move into supported accommodation and is Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 3 committed to demonstrating that they can stay safe. However, it remains unclear how effectively the child has been supported to make lasting changes to reduce the risks that they are exposed to. There have been recent incidents where unknown individuals have arrived at the home's location and criminal exploitation and substance misuse is suspected. As well as placing all occupants of the home at risk, this indicates that the risk to the child has not reduced.

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Findings from the inspections

Staff do not always benefit from clear safety plans and procedures. Consequently, staff's response to risk is not robust. Furthermore, records do not consistently and accurately capture the actions that staff take to protect the child. As a result, leaders and managers cannot always evaluate staff's actions so that learning can be identified to improve practice.

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Findings from the inspections

Staff know the child well and take opportunities to have important conversations with them about their safety at times when the child is mostly likely to engage and reflect. As a result, the child has a good understanding of risk and their vulnerabilities. However, staff do not have the skills or experience that they need to protect the child from harm and help them to make safer choices consistently.

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Findings from the inspections

The child is proud of the GCSE qualifications that they have achieved. However, staff do not provide the child with healthy or safe boundaries, routines and expectations. This has negatively impacted the progress that the child has made, and they have withdrawn their engagement with education, employment and external support services. Although the child is being supported to develop some skills that they will need in the future, staff's aspirations for the child are low.

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Findings from the inspections

Restraint has been used on two occasions to safeguard the child from harming themselves or others. Records evidence that restraint is proportionate, used as a last resort and for a minimal amount of time.

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Findings from the inspections

Leaders and managers are sharing their concerns about the child's safety and vulnerabilities to child criminal exploitation and substance misuse to external professionals. However, when the responses from external professionals are insufficient, not enough is done to escalate the concerns to ensure that the child's needs are met and that the risk factors are clearly understood.

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Findings from the inspections

Leaders and managers have been clear that they do not feel able to help the child stay safe effectively. As a result, they are making plans to support the child to move out of the home. Leaders and managers are supporting the placing authority to understand the child's needs and risks to inform future care planning decisions. However, in the interim period, the child remains at risk of harm.

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Findings from the inspections

The requirement made at the last inspection has been met. Six new requirements have been made following these inspections. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/12/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff take consistent and effective action to support the child to make safer choices and reduce the risk of harm. Furthermore, the decisions that are made about the child's care must promote their welfare and be in their best interests. Staff must follow safety plans, prevent access to harmful items and promote safe boundaries effectively. 1 January 2026

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must— 19 January 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 6 take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children's home. (Regulation 25 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must take immediate action to reduce the significant risk of fire. Leaders and managers must seek consultation with the relevant external services to ensure that the actions taken by staff are robust and implemented effectively.

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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 work as a team where appropriate;

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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; 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)(b)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff have the skills and experience required to follow safety plans consistently and effectively. Furthermore, safety plans must be detailed and helpful for staff, clearly outlining the actions that staff must take to reduce risk and prevent harm to the child.

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Requirement Due date

Secondly, the registered person must ensure that written records are accurate and reflective of the support that the child receives. Records must allow the registered person to review and evaluate staff's actions so that learning can be identified to inform and improve practice. 27 February 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 7 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.

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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;

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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

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child's age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child is provided with healthy routines, structure and boundaries. The child must be supported to develop positive aspirations for the future and take action to work towards their goals. 27 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child's placing authority effectively in the child's care, in accordance with the child's relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child's needs; 27 February 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 8 if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority's or a relevant person's performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child's needs are met in accordance with the child's relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children's home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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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

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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Requirement Due date

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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child's relevant plans, which 27 February 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 9 give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff support the child to maintain their bedroom to a good standard of cleanliness. Suitable furniture and storage must be provided to help the child to keep their bedroom tidy.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Collaborative Care Services Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 40 Pure Offices, Kembrey Park, Swindon SN2 8BW

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Inspectors

Gary Turney, Social Care Inspector Martin Brown, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2793863 11 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 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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Inspectors

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