Children's Home run by Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 1 Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It is registered to care for up to 4 children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since the 28 February 2025, a manager has submitted their application to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There were 3 children living at the home at the time of the inspection. Their views were sought during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded. The care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/07/2025 Full Good 14/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/04/2023 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 3

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Summary of findings

Leaders and managers have not ensured that all children are safe and well cared for. While there has been some progress for one child, there are significant shortfalls in the care and protection of children leading to serious and widespread concerns about children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not have the experience, skills and knowledge to care for children safely and meet their individual needs. Many staff are new to the home or employed by an agency. Two children are very unsettled. They are regularly involved in serious incidents where they are at increased risk of harm. One child moved in 2 weeks ago and incidents have increased during this time. Three children have had to move on because risks have escalated and negatively affected children’s safety. One child was moved in an unplanned way, which caused them distress. Details of the child’s last day are not recorded on their files.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child has lived in the home for over a year and has made good progress. They are no longer subject to the considerable restrictions that were in place when they moved in. The child said that they like living at the home. However, the staff do not always communicate well with one another. This has led to misunderstandings about some approaches to the child’s day-to-day care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The manager and staff have created care plans which do not take into account children’s needs. For example, one child has medical diagnoses and specific emotional needs which are not considered in the identified strategies to support the child. There is no evidence of the in-house psychologist undertaking weekly sessions with children as detailed in the home’s statement of purpose. Staff are not caring for children in a trauma-informed way. Serious incidents are having an adverse effect on achieving the stability required to build a lasting rapport with children and connect with them at an emotional level.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Two children are mistrusting of staff. They do not have positive relationships with them and are dismissive when staff attempt to converse with them. They often say ‘Stop following me,’ or ‘Who are you?’ Many staff who care for children do not have a good understanding of their needs and vulnerabilities. Children spend limited time with the staff team and are often in their rooms. All children said that staff do not cook for them and they do not eat together. Staff try to engage children in activities; however, they are reluctant to go out with them. As a result, children have poor routines and quality of life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The manager has not created a homely environment for children. At the time of the inspection, the living room was dirty, with stained sofas. Items of furniture were broken. One child was sleeping in a bed with no sheets or bedding. The majority of kitchen Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 4 utensils and food items are stored in the office. This is because children have used implements to hurt staff during incidents.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

One child is not attending school. They have recently moved from a different area. The child does not want to leave their previous school. There is no plan in place for the child’s education while a new school place is found. It is unclear how the provider is working with the child to overcome their worries about attending a new school.

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

The manager and staff are not equipped to challenge children’s behaviour safely. There have been several serious incidents when children have physically harmed staff. Children have also alleged harm from staff. Children say that staff cannot manage such incidents. They describe ‘stepping in’ to help them. Staff are locking themselves in the office when situations escalate to dangerous levels. The police have been called to assist on numerous occasions.

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

Children have made serious allegations of harm involving several members of staff. Allegations have included excessive force used when holding them and persisting injuries as a result. Records pertaining to one incident when a child was held did not accurately describe the events that took place. There was a delay in the child receiving medical attention following this incident. The child said that they do not feel safe at the home. More positively, the manager has been proactive in sharing information with relevant professionals. He has ensured that staff of concern are no longer working in the home. There are ongoing police investigations in relation to these allegations.

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

Children are accessing keys to areas of the home. One child locked themselves into a room with another child where they were unsupervised. The children were leaning out of a bedroom window talking about causing property damage. Staff were aware of this, but were reluctant to address the situation.

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

The manager has written risk management plans, but these do not provide clear guidance to help staff keep children safe. The plans contain generic statements rather than detailed measures to mitigate identified risks. Not all risks and vulnerabilities are included. Staff do not always follow risk management plans because they become overwhelmed by children’s behaviour. On other occasions, plans are not followed even where there are clear directions. For example, one child with risks of ligature use required daily bedroom checks. These were not always documented as taking place on the child’s records. Children are regularly missing from home. They use bedroom windows as a way of leaving the home because doors are kept locked. On one occasion, a child left through a window in a room that was mistakenly left unlocked by staff. The child had self-injured prior to this incident, which increased the child’s vulnerability. Staff work with other

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

agencies and look for children when they are missing. However, children’s records do not provide clear information about support following an incident of going missing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 5 Managers store children’s medication safely; however, staff do not ensure that medication is disposed of when no longer in use. Records of the administration of some medications were unclear. Overall, new staff are recruited using the required vetting procedures. However, one member of staff has a gap in their employment history which has not been explained. This had not been identified by the manager until it was raised during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been in post for several months. He is not yet registered with Ofsted. The responsible individual is very new to her role and is unfamiliar with the home. The manager has positive relationships with children but is struggling to maintain control of the home. He is yet to establish a stable and sufficiently trained staff team that can provide consistent care for children. The manager is actively recruiting staff; however, it will take time for them to become trained and get to know the children. The home’s statement of purpose is currently out of date and does not contain accurate information about the management arrangements at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

New staff are inducted quickly. They work in the home soon after their initial training. Staff reported that they do not have good knowledge of children’s care plans and risk management plans. This reduces their ability to care for children from an informed position. Staff are affected by children’s behaviour. They said that they are regularly being hurt by children. One staff member was visibly distressed by a child’s behaviour towards them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager ensures that staff receive supervision. This provides oversight of their wellbeing and performance. However, supervision with the deputy manager does not reflect on children’s progress. It is important that senior staff have opportunities to consider children’s experiences and identify areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers are not maintaining a safe environment for children. Children are leaving the home via their bedroom windows. They are repeatedly removing window restrictors despite them being replaced daily. There is currently no effective strategy to manage this situation. One child has climbed onto the roof of a neighbouring house. This was because a ladder was left in the garden which the child used to access the building.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not have robust systems in place to gather sufficient information about children before they move into the home. Managers are accepting children without having full information about them. Risk assessments are undertaken; however, there are limited strategies to manage risks that are identified. Consequently, risks increase when new children move into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers are aware of some shortfalls and are struggling to implement change. They are hindered by a changing staff team and a high level of serious incidents which require immediate responses. This makes forward planning and embedding improvements difficult to achieve. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 6 The manager has taken action in response to allegations from children. However, they are not always notified to Ofsted. This limits opportunities for the regulator to have oversight of serious incidents affecting children and fulfil its safeguarding duties. Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(c)(d)) 17 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 8 In particular, ensure that:

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Requirement Due date

 staff are equipped to manage and challenge children’s behaviour to ensure the safety of children and staff  staffing is arranged to meet the needs of the children according to current assessed risks and responding when children are at increased risk of harm  risk management plans are individualised and specific to the current needs and risks of the children and include strategies to be used to help mitigate the risks  the physical environment is a safe place for children. For example, windows are secure to prevent children from jumping out and going missing from home  conflicts within the community are resolved to prevent the risk of children witnessing potentially distressing behaviour.

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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’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; 17 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 9 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(h))

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Requirement Due date

 staff receive training and development in a timely manner which equips them to understand and respond to children’s needs effectively  plans are developed to establish a stable staff team in order to ensure that the needs of the children can be met  children are cared for by staff who are familiar to them and that feedback is regularly sought from children and professionals and acted upon where necessary  children receive regular therapeutic care as detailed in the home’s statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone; 1 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 10 understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(ix)(xi))

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Requirement Due date

 children are cared for by familiar staff with whom they are able to build relationships, in order that behaviours can be challenged effectively and situations de-escalated  staff are confident to restrain children safely to prevent harm  staff understand children’s lived experiences and how trauma can impact on children’s behaviour.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

 sufficient information is gathered to make well-informed decisions about children moving into the home so that the stability of placements is not disrupted 1 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 11  clear measures are in place to manage any risks identified when children move in to live with existing children living in the home  children have individualised care plans which provide details of how to undertake children’s day-to-day care effectively  when children leave the home this is a planned, supportive process and that records are kept of children’s endings.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child).

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are not unnecessarily restricted from leaving the home through external doors.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff restrain children using proportionate and approved physical interventions. 17 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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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; 17 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 12 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;

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Requirement Due date

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

(Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that records pertaining to incidents of restraint contain accurate and full information about the circumstances of the restraint and the subsequent support offered to the child.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the employment of any person on a temporary basis at the children’s home does not prevent children from receiving such continuity of care as is reasonable to meet their needs.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any temporary staff working with children are sufficiently informed about children’s care plans to look after them effectively. 1 June 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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; 1 June 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 13 support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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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

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children undertake education, attend school and are supported to overcome any difficulties preventing them from learning and achieving.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the regulator is informed of any concerns or allegations raised about staff working at the home. 17 May 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI;

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the information contained in the statement of purpose is accurate, revised where appropriate and submitted to the regulator when changes are made. 17 May 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 14 * These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside the home (where appropriate) and are encouraged to participate in those activities. Staff should support children to take part in school trips, out-of-school and other clubs, volunteering and leisure activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)  The registered person should ensure that they make suitable arrangements to manage, administer and dispose of any medication. These are fundamentally the same sorts of arrangements as a good parent would make but are subject to additional safeguards. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguards

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Recommendations

children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should have systems in place so that all staff receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. This includes the deputy manager having opportunities to reflect on children’s progress. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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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: 2625585 15

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Barratt House Office G3a, Kingsthorpe Road, Northampton NN2 6EZ

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Inspectors

Laura Walker, Social Care Inspector Jenna Allen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2625585 16 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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