Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456798 1 SC456798 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 owned by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for 1 child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved out of the home. There was 1 child living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2023.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 29 January 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC456798 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/01/2025 Full Outstanding 15/08/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/12/2022 Full Good 08/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC456798 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is cared for by committed staff which supports their positive progress. A child who has moved out of the home, described the staff as, ‘amazing!’. They consistently put the child’s needs first, and the child understands they are with adults they can trust.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff understand the importance of education. The child living at the home is not currently attending formal education. However, managers are actively identifying an educational placement in partnership with other professionals. the child is not at school; staff engage them in alternative educational activities. This supports the child in developing the essential skills needed for the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff record information about the child thoughtfully and with care. The child’s voice is at the centre of their practice, and this is reflected in their records.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, the home is well maintained and furnished. The registered manager has scheduled for the main bathroom to be refurbished in the coming months. The child has their own nail bar in one of the downstairs rooms which they use frequently, painting the nails of staff. Staff use these opportunities to build rapport and strengthen their connection with the child. However, the child’s room is always maintained to a good standard. Staff do not support the child remove empty food boxes and crockery and tidy their belongings. This is a missed opportunity for staff to help the child to understand their value and learn important life skills.

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

Staff know how to keep the child safe. Their practice is led by child’s needs, and they use play as a strategy to help them learn about risks. The child reports feeling emotionally safe at the home with staff who provide comfort when they are anxious.

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

When the child is missing from the home, staff search for them and follow the missing from home protocol. This facilitates the child’s safe return home and reassures the child that they are cared for. As a result, the number of missing incidents has reduced.

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

One child who previously lived at the home struggled with episodes of significant distress. Staff responded to them with unconditional warmth and nurture, even when the behaviour was difficult to manage. The child’s father said, ‘I saw them offer [name of child] reassurance when he was upset, he really liked it there’. Although the child moved out of the home after a short period of time, the number of incidents were reducing.

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

Staff have the skills they need to identify and reduce individual risks for children. Managers provide training opportunities such as Deprivation of Liberty Order and child exploitation. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456798 4 Leaders and managers ensure that the necessary documentation is on file for the child currently living at the home. However, the care plan for a child who has since moved out was not kept up-to-date and did not reflect the Deprivation of Liberty Order ending. Although this did not impact on their care of the child, it was a missed opportunity to ensure that their management of risks were aligned with the placing local authority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is managed by a committed manager and deputy manager. They ensure that the child’s voice is at the centre of their care. They support the child to share their views and wishes with the independent person and involve the child in decisions about their care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not thoroughly evaluate the child’s needs against staff skills before the child moves into the home. Additionally, they do not always contact the relevant professionals to gather additional information about the child’s risks. Despite the committed efforts of staff, this resulted in a child moving in and out of the home after only a few months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers do not provide staff with clear guidance to underpin safeguarding practice. One child required night staff for a period to ensure their safety; however, managers did not ensure that agency staff had the appropriate guidance to follow should the child go missing. As a result, the child left the home and went missing, although permanent staff ensured their safe return. Managers also failed to ensure that objects that could be used by the child to harm themselves or others were removed. While no injuries occurred, this was a missed opportunity to prevent an incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff say they feel valued by managers. When behaviour is difficult to manage, staff can take a wellbeing break during shifts. These help staff stay refreshed and focused, enabling them to respond consistently and effectively to the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Management oversight is inconsistent. Not all incidents are evaluated by managers, and when they are, they do not highlight shortfalls in staff practice. Staff debriefs do not always provide staff with an opportunity to reflect on their practice which limits staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Leaders and managers have improved the process for appraisals and they now take place with staff individually. The appraisal process is used to monitor staff development and progress in gaining formal qualifications. This supports the staff in developing the skills and knowledge needed to care effectively for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Records of restraint are poor and management evaluation of incidents is ineffective. This limits the scrutiny needed to ensure tat restraints are used only when necessary and applied safely. On one occasion, the views of the child were not sought by an independent person following the restraint. This is a missed opportunity for them to share their feelings and process what occurred. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456798 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 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 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

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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that they provide staff with guidance they must follow to keep children safe that is clear and effective. This includes any agency staff that are working in the home. 20 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456798 6 The registered person must ensure that management oversight is consistent and effective in identifying shortfalls in staff practice. This relates specifically to incidents.

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a thorough evaluation is completed by managers to understand the child’s risks before they move into the home to ensure the skills of staff can meet their needs. Referrals for children should not be rushed and carefully considered. Additionally, the registered person must attempt to gather information from professionals involved in the child’s care to further inform their decision. 20 March 2026

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; 20 March 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456798 7 the name of the person who used the measure (the user), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (the authorised person)

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that managers and staff record the use of restraints in line with the regulatory requirements. Specifically, that managers complete staff debriefs and evaluations of all incidents, and each document is signed and dated as required. Additionally, children are provided with the opportunity to speak to a person independent of the restraint within the specified timescale.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that child’s wishes regarding the standards of tidiness and cleanliness of their bedroom are balanced against good childcare practice. Staff should support the child to understand why and how they keep their bedroom clean and tidy. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.9)

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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: SC456798 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: Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

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Inspector

Sarah Gilbert, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456798 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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