Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1257796 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a large national provider and is registered to provide care for up to 12 children with mental health difficulties excluding learning disability.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

Seven children were living in the home at the time of the inspection. They shared their views with the inspectors.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to review the progress made by the organisation to meet the compliance notices set at the previous visit, and to ensure that the organisation was complying with a restriction of accommodation notice issued by Ofsted. At the visit, it was found that the restriction of accommodation notice has been complied with as no further children have been admitted. This will continue to remain in place to prevent further children being admitted to the home at this time. A compliance notice in relation to Regulation 26, ‘Fitness of registered provider’, is deemed to have been met. This relates to improved oversight and monitoring by the responsible individual. However, compliance notices relating to Regulation 12, ‘The protection of children standard’, Regulation 13, ‘The leadership and management standard’, and Regulation 14, ‘The care planning standard’, are not met. These have been restated for a third consecutive time.

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This monitoring visit

At times, children are not being adequately safeguarded. Their overall experience of living at the home is poor. Children said they felt unsafe. They are unhappy with the care they receive. One child said: ‘This has been the worst time of my life.’ There are many incidents of concern and for those children not involved in incidents, they feel forgotten. One child described limited opportunities to go out and said their mental health was worse since living at the home. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1257796 2 Ofsted received a complaint from a child prior to the monitoring visit, and a further complaint was made to inspectors during the visit. These complaints have been shared with leaders and managers. Children said they had raised these concerns before with the manager but were not satisfied with the outcomes or felt their concerns had been ignored. This means children do not feel they have a voice in the

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This monitoring visit

home and their concerns are not being considered or taken seriously. This does not provide children with reassurance that action is being taken in response to their views.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans have been reviewed and updated by managers. However, they do not provide sufficient guidance to staff on how to manage risk. For example, a child is allowed to use a razor, but the risk assessment does not provide guidance to staff on what to do if the child refuses to return it. This led to a child keeping a razor and several blades in their room and injuring themselves. On another occasion, 3 children left the home through a child’s bedroom window. One child was subject to high supervision levels at the time. Although staff followed the children, it is of concern that 3 children managed to leave by the same route without staff intervening to prevent this.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not consistently follow the guidance in risk assessments or the agreed supervision levels for children. This is despite clear direction from leaders and managers. This has led to incidents in which children have been harmed. For example, 3 children were involved in an incident where they put tattoos on each other. Staff failed to intervene to prevent this despite it being a known risk, as there had been previous similar incidents.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have implemented a group living risk assessment. However, this does not consider or reflect the needs of children who may not be involved in incidents. The emphasis is on managing the behaviour of individual children, but this negates the impact on all children and how best to support every child. This is leading to children feeling forgotten.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are described as being fearful of the children following incidents of violence, aggression and property damage. This has impacted on staff confidence in managing behaviour which may challenge and in implementing rules and boundaries. Children do not have structured routines and currently several children are up all night and sleeping in the day. This is having a negative impact on children’s wellbeing, particularly those who are not involved in incidents.

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This monitoring visit

On one occasion, a child managed to stockpile prescribed medication, which led to them taking an overdose. Overdoses were a known risk and staff failed to check that the child had taken the medication. Although there were no ill effects for the child, this practice could have led to significant harm. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1257796 3 A critical review of physical restraints has been undertaken by a senior manager due to the high volume of holds on children. This has identified several shortfalls, including the use of unapproved holds, such as floor holds and ‘bear hugs’, and holding children to enforce compliance. One child complained about excessive bruising following a restraint and this has been referred to external safeguarding professionals.

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This monitoring visit

Several staff members have recently left the home. This includes 2 deputy managers. This has left a deficit in the leadership team and most of the staff team are not suitably qualified or experienced. Leaders and managers have arranged additional training to try and improve staff knowledge and skills. This is yet to be completed. Several children have complained about a particular group of staff, with leaders and managers investigating this.

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This monitoring visit

One requirement from the last inspection was not reviewed during this visit and has been restated. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1257796 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/04/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 03/04/2024 Full Good 16/01/2024 Full Good 13/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1257796 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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;

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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)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that risk assessments relating to all children contain thorough and up-to-date information about known risks and vulnerabilities. 8 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1257796 6 Ensure that risk assessments provide staff with clear strategies on how to support children when they exhibit unsafe behaviour, and that appropriate action is taken to help reduce risks.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that managers and staff understand the requirements and expectations in fulfilling risk assessments.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all staff are suitably trained in behaviour management, including the use of physical restraint.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have suitable training and understanding around the safe administration of medication.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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; 8 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1257796 7 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)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that systems are in place to enable effective management oversight of the home, including during periods when the manager is away from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all complaints are investigated and that the outcomes are shared with children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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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, leaders and managers must implement a more effective system to understand the combined risks of children living together, including the impact on children not involved in significant incidents.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 8 February 2026

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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 staff— 8 February 2026 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1257796 8 help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1257796 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: Caretech, Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

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Inspectors

Sarah Orriss, Regulatory Inspector Manager Chris Haines, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: 1257796 10 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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