Children's Home run by Cambridgeshire County Council in Cambridgeshire

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2602980 1 Registered provider: Cambridgeshire County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children's home

The home is run by a local authority. It provides short breaks for up to 4 children with moderate to severe learning disabilities. One of the 4 children can live at the home permanently at any one time.

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Information about this children's home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were staying at the home under shared care arrangements.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2024. The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual, and we are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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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 this inspection, the inspector 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: 2602980 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The home is currently managed by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. The manager has submitted a voluntary cancellation to Ofsted and is due to leave their post at the end of March. The organisation has begun a recruitment process. Senior managers have plans in place for the oversight of the service while a new registered manager is recruited.

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Findings from the inspection

There have been no significant incidents for children since the last inspection. The home is generally settled and calm. Children enjoy a wide range of activities in the home. In addition, 2 children who live at the home under shared care arrangements have been on a seaside holiday.

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Findings from the inspection

The accessible bath, which was previously broken, has been replaced. For some children, this is the only opportunity that they have to use a bath due to their mobility needs. Children enjoy using the bath, particularly the musical and sensory play elements.

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Findings from the inspection

Children's behaviour support plans guide staff in how to support children at the home and in the community. They detail children's behaviours, communication needs and how staff can support children to be safe. Staff use these documents to plan children's visits.

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Findings from the inspection

There have been no incidents of children being missing from the home since the last inspection. Children have clear plans for staff to follow in the event of any missing incident.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff are knowledgeable about the children. They have a good understanding of children's needs and the support that individual children require. Staff receive training that is specific to the needs of the children who the home cares for, as well as standard mandatory training. Staff are trained in children's various feeding needs, medication and health needs, and individual communication needs.

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Findings from the inspection

There has been one safeguarding concern since the last inspection. Referrals were made to the relevant safeguarding agencies and an internal investigation was completed. The investigation was timely and did not raise any concerns about staff practice. However, leaders and managers have not ensured the completion of recommended actions from the investigation. This includes training for staff in injury identification and recording.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers have not met all of the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection. Although this has not had a significant impact on the safety of children, it does not demonstrate that leaders and managers use Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2602980 3 monitoring and review processes to continually improve the service offered to children.

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Findings from the inspection

Children's views are not routinely sought in a meaningful way to allow them to have a say in their care planning or their stays at the home. There is limited creativity in relation to individual sessions with children and gaining children's views. Children's targets are set by staff in line with their education and health targets. Children are not routinely involved in the setting of these targets. Feedback for children is not used in staff appraisals or in the reviewing of staff practice. The children's guide does not provide complete information for children on how to make a complaint about the home to external safeguarding agencies.

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Findings from the inspection

Some children have monitoring or restrictions placed on them in line with their individual needs, such as baby monitors and harness devices. The use of these have not been frequently reviewed to ensure that they are still appropriate and the least restrictive option for children.

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Findings from the inspection

Not all staff have obtained a relevant qualification within the specified time frame. The number of staff who have not achieved this qualification in timescale has increased since the last inspection. There are plans in place to support staff to achieve this, but this support has not yet had an impact.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/03/2025 Full Good 19/12/2023 Full Good 16/08/2022 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2602980 4

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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

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)(c)(f)(h)) 18 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The children's views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children's care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child's views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in 18 May 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2602980 5 the child's best interests when making decisions about the child's care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child's views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home's care;

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Requirement Due date

is enabled to provide feedback to, and raise issues with, a relevant person about the support and services that the child receives;

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Requirement Due date

has access to the home's children's guide, and the home's complaints procedure, when the child's placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child's stay in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

keep the children's guide and the home's complaints procedure under review and seek children's comments before revising either document. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

employ an individual to work at the children's home; or

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Requirement Due date

if an individual is employed by a person other than the registered person to work at the home in a position in which the individual may have regular contact with children, allow that individual to work at the home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform. 18 May 2026 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2602980 6 For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) ("the Level 3 Diploma"); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3)(b) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b)) Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2602980 7

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Cambridgeshire County Council

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Sunley House, Summers Hill Drive, Papworth Everard, Cambridge CB23 3AB

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Inspector

Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 2602980 8 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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