Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report for children's home: 1156103 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 owned by a private company. The home provides care for up to 5 children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, there were no children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a new manager, who registered with Ofsted in September 2025.

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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: 11 October 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1156103 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/03/2022 Full Good 31/07/2019 Full Good 11/07/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1156103 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

In October 2022, Ofsted imposed a condition on the home’s registration, which meant that the provider had to give Ofsted 3 months’ notice of their intention to welcome children into the home. The condition was lifted in September 2025, and since then, one child has moved into and then out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child moved to live at this home from one of the organisation’s other homes, to ensure that their needs could be met more effectively. Due to the circumstances, there was little opportunity to prepare the child for their move. Managers and staff prioritised the child’s emotional stability during this move. They provided continuity of care by familiar staff moved with the child from the previous home who had developed strong and trusting relationships with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the child’s time at the home, staff quickly established a consistent daily routine. The child achieved excellent school attendance, supported by staff who provided practical and emotional help, including accompanying them to school.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has recently been refurbished following a period of closure. It is decorated and furnished to a high standard throughout with contemporary artwork that creates a welcoming and homely environment. This will enable children to experience a warm and comfortable living space.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Clinical support is routinely available to children living in the home, according to their individual needs. Support is delivered by qualified clinical professionals who provide guidance on emotional wellbeing, mental health and coping strategies. This ensures that children receive targeted intervention.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff demonstrated genuine care and commitment to the child. They created a reflective and emotionally safe space for the child to explore past traumatic experiences. As a result, the child’s emotional wellbeing improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff recognise the importance of maintaining family relationships. For example, staff travelled long distances to enable family time to take place and remained nearby in case the child required any support. These efforts resulted in increasingly positive time for the child with their family members.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child participated in a range of leisure activities and frequently went horse riding. This supported their enjoyment and self-expression.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promoted age-appropriate independence skills, including cooking, doing laundry and managing daily routines. This will help their transition to adulthood, and a notable improvement was identified by a parent following the child’s return home. Inspection report for children's home: 1156103 4

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

Children’s safety is a priority at this home. Risk assessments and plans are clear and regularly updated. This ensures that staff are well informed and confident in implementing safeguarding measures effectively.

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

Leaders and managers implement a rigorous vetting process and complete all required statutory checks to help them ensure that adults are safe to be employed to work in the home.

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

Staff supported the child to understand their right to raise concerns or make complaints. When the child raised concerns, the registered manager acknowledged them and acted promptly to address them. This assured the child that their views were valued and gave them confidence to raise any further concerns. This promotes a culture of openness and supports children when they raise concerns.

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

Staff occasionally work on their own in the home. However, managers have not undertaken a sufficient assessment of the lone-working arrangements. Although this did not result in a direct risk to the child’s safety, this lack of thorough assessment reduces managers’ ability to identify and have effective oversight of any potential risks.

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

Staff demonstrate a good understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities and take a proactive approach to keeping children safe. There were occasions when it was necessary to undertake a room search to keep the child safe. On one occasion, a search was carried out without the child’s knowledge. While staff acted to safeguard the child, this was not in line with good practice and could undermine children’s sense of trust in staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced registered manager who holds the required qualification. He provides strong and effective leadership. The manager prioritises staff wellbeing and staff feel supported by him. One member of staff said, ‘He is amazing.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff access appropriate training. Induction arrangements for new staff are thorough, providing learning and development opportunities to improve staff practice. Staff only work with children when they have successfully completed the required learning. This supports staff to have the skills they need to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular practice-related supervision. This gives them the opportunity to reflect on their practice, receive guidance and discuss children’s progress and any concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals and children’s families is positive. They say that communication is timely and effective. This supports positive working relationships. Inspection report for children's home: 1156103 5 Monitoring and review systems in the home are clear and easy to navigate. Records are maintained clearly and support the registered manager to monitor and evaluate staff practice and children’s progress effectively. The registered manager works collaboratively with the responsible individual, which strengthens internal systems and helps identify areas for development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have experienced challenges in the recruitment of staff. They have responded by deciding not to move any children into the home until staffing capacity has improved. This leadership approach helps to ensure that the necessary staff levels are in place to keep children safe and ensure they receive consistent care and support to meet their needs. Inspection report for children's home: 1156103 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a child’s bedroom is not generally entered without their permission. However, there may be reasonable grounds to do this when believing that there is a risk to the child or another person’s safety or wellbeing. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)  The registered person should ensure that there are contingency plans in the event of a shortfall in staffing. If it is likely that there might only be one member of staff on duty at any time, the manager should make a formal assessment of the implications for children’s care, including any likely risks. This assessment should be recorded and available for inspection by Ofsted and placing authorities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.18)

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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: 1156103 7

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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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Inspector

Chrisoula Contoyianni, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1156103 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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