Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Inspection report children's home: SC457433 1 SC457433 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited 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. It is registered to provides care for 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 1 child was living at the home with their baby.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2020.

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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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2025

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none. Inspection report children's home: SC457433 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2025 Full Outstanding 26/02/2024 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 02/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC457433 3

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improvement to be good

There have been changes to the staff team since the last inspection due to concerns about staff practice. Leaders and managers have maintained consistency for the child by keeping core staff in place and using staff within the organisation for additional support. Staff know the child well and have positive relationships with them.

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improvement to be good

The child is not currently accessing education. Although efforts have been made to identify a suitable education provision, staff do not actively support the child to access informal learning or provide any structured activities. This has resulted in the child feeling bored.

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improvement to be good

Most staff actively support the child in meeting their health needs by attending appointments with them. However, some staff have not addressed the child’s use of vapes, tanning beds and tanning agents, and in some cases have facilitated these behaviours. This places the child’s health at risk.

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improvement to be good

Staff promote the child's independence. There is a clear personalised plan in place to support the child to develop skills and make decisions that support their independence. This is regularly updated to evidence the child’s progress.

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improvement to be good

The home provides a comfortable environment that is personalised to the child, with photographs of them and their baby on the walls. However, mould in the child’s bedroom poses a health concern.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of risks for the child. They share their concerns regularly with relevant professionals and seek a multiagency response to concerning incidents. Staff understand and follow the strategies in place to safeguard the child during their time in the community. However, the child’s records do not accurately detail all the strategies in place to support staff practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not have regular discussions with the child about risk. No guidance and support has been shared with the child about exploitation or domestic abuse despite this being a risk factor for the child. This means the risks are unaddressed and the child lacks opportunities to learn how to keep safe.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of the child missing from home are rare. However, when the child goes missing from the home, staff do not respond consistently. On one occasion staff responded quickly and actively searched for the child. On another occasion, they did not search known areas or contact family or friends. Inspection report children's home: SC457433 4

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There is an experienced manager in post. The manager is registered to manage another children’s home in the organisation. The manager has a positive relationship with the child and knows them well. However, the manager and staff do not consistently maintain professional boundaries. This has resulted in changes to the staff team which have had a negative impact on the child’s relationships with some staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager does not always address staff conduct which means poor staff practice is unchallenged and continues. However, when concerns about staff practice are escalated by the child to Ofsted, the responsible individual addresses them in a supportive and timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager does not have effective oversight of the direct work staff carry out with the child. This means that the gaps in care and support provided to the child are not always identified and addressed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff speak positively about working at the home and the support they receive from managers. Staff receive regular supervision and attend team meetings. However, shortfalls in staff practice are not addressed by leaders and managers in supervision or team meetings. This is a missed opportunity for staff to reflect on their practice and improve the quality of care they provide to the child. Team meeting records are poor and sections are copied and pasted from one month to another. This means that the records do not accurately reflect discussions taking place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some staff lack the experience and training required to meet the child’s individual needs. Not all staff have completed training related to caring for a child who is a parent. Inspection report children's home: SC457433 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, 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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home's child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(v)(vi)(vii)).

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff support children with guidance and education around known risks.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff do not facilitate activities that could be damaging to the child's health and wellbeing and actively discourage such activities.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that when children are missing, staff act in line with the relevant plans and policies to ensure that all actions are taken to return the child safely to the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the child's plans accurately reflect the current risks for the child and the current 20 March 2026 Inspection report children's home: SC457433 6 arrangements for the child's time outside of the home.

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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

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

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)(h)).

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that managers and staff maintain professional boundaries with the child and follow the home’s policies and procedures if they are aware of any unprofessional conduct.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that staff are provided with opportunities to reflect on their practice and discussions during supervision and team meetings are accurately recorded in the required documents.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that staff have sufficient knowledge, skills and experience to meet children’s individual needs.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that there is effective management oversight of children's records and the day-to-day care of children. 20 March 2026 Inspection report children's home: SC457433 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children's bedrooms are maintained to an acceptable standard and free of mould ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,' page 15, paragraph 3.9).

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff consistently promote education for children, and for those who are not in education ensure that they are provided with suitable alternative and structured activities ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 28, paragraph 5.15).

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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 children's home: SC457433 8

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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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Children's home details

Responsible individual: Beverley Williams

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Inspector

Hayley Smith, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC457433 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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