Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Worcestershire

Inspection report children's home: SC478134 1 SC478134 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare 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 provides care for up to 4 children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2025.

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Information about this children's home

3 children were living at the home at the time of the inspector; all 3 children shared their views with the inspector.

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Information about this children's home

This inspection was brought forward to address specific concerns or allegations received by Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC478134 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/07/2025 Full Good 28/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/05/2023 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: SC478134 3

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Summary of findings

Children’s experiences and progress vary. The home environment is not always maintained to an appropriate standard.

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Summary of findings

Staff do not consistently respond to children who may harm themselves or go missing and do not have the necessary skills, needed for effective reporting and recording.

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Summary of findings

Children said they have felt safe and supported by the staff caring for them.

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Summary of findings

Management oversight has been inconsistent within the home; this has included a reduction of supervision for staff.

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Summary of findings

Partner agencies speak positively about managers and staff effective communication.

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improvement to be good

Shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership and management have led to the judgement of requires improvement to be good.

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improvement to be good

One child experienced an unplanned and disruptive move from the home following a period of significant instability and a marked increase in incidents. The provider made attempts to ensure that the move was child-focused. However, a serious safeguarding incident resulted in immediate notice being given, and the move was not planned. This abrupt ending potential increased the child’s experience of instability and disruption.

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious and includes a large garden. However, the communal areas require improvements following recent damage, and standards of cleanliness in some children’s bedrooms have not been maintained. This reduces the home being welcoming and homely environment and children feeling valued.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home. This move was well planned, with children already living in the home actively involved in welcoming the new child. Placing authorities were appropriately consulted as part of the matching process.

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improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are met. The registered manager is proactive in seeking specialist support and advice when needed. Staff ensure that children register with the relevant health professionals and support children to attend their appointments. Accurate records of their health needs and medication are kept so that staff can have oversight of children’s health needs.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of helping children to see their close family and friends. They support the children to keep in touch with those who are important to them. Staff Inspection report children's home: SC478134 4 proactively address any difficulties that arise so, children can continue to have stable networks around them. This helps the children to maintain a sense of identity and connection to their loved ones.

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improvement to be good

Some children living in the home are vulnerable and experience crisis. When incidents occur, staff provide appropriate emotional support to children. However, they do not always follow the required steps, such as seeking appropriate and timely medical attention. Although this has not resulted in direct harm to children, there is the potential risk of harm to children.

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improvement to be good

Not all staff have a good understanding of what actions to take when a child goes missing from the home. For example, staff not always notify the police when this is part of the child’s missing from care plans. Also, records of missing-from-home episodes are often incomplete. As a result, it is unclear what steps staff have taken to safeguard the child.

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improvement to be good

Physical interventions are used proportionately and only when necessary to keep children safe. However, children and staff do not always receive discussions about the incident within the required timeframe. This means that the child voice is not heard and it limits opportunities for reflection and learning and reduces the home’s ability to review practice and improve future responses.

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improvement to be good

Children shared that they feel safe and supported despite recent periods of instability within the home. They spoke positively about their relationships with staff. They felt confident to raise any worries or concerns about their care and were reassured that these would be listened to and action would be taken if required.

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

Since the last inspection, a new child has moved into the home alongside an increase in staffing. During this period, there has also been a rise in safeguarding incidents, while staff availability has been adversely affected by sickness. These combined pressures have placed increased demands on the registered manager’s capacity to effectively monitor and scrutinise the service. As a result, management oversight has not been consistently effective, leading to identified shortfalls in the monitoring of practice and the overall quality of care.

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

Staff do not always receive regular practice related supervision. This limits the manager’s oversight of individual practice and reduces opportunities to address staff’s learning and development needs.

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

Monitoring and review system such as recording and reporting systems within the home are not effective. Weakness in leaders and managers oversight of incidents reduce their Inspection report children's home: SC478134 5 ability to evaluate practice and monitor safeguarding concerns. This impacts on managers capacity to identify emerging risks, implement timely actions, and ensure that children are adequately safeguarded.

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

Leaders and managers are transparent about the instability and shortfalls within the home. This was clearly identified in their recent review of the quality-of-care report and was further evidenced during discussions with the inspector.

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

Staff report that they enjoy working in the home and describe morale is good. They value the support they receive from the manager and feel that they can share any concerns or worries.

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

Partner agencies report that communication with the home is effective. They describe the manager as sharing information promptly and appropriately seeking guidance, and support. Regular multi-disciplinary professional meetings have taken place, which has ensured that all agencies working with the children remain informed about recent challenges. Inspection report children's home: SC478134 6

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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. 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; 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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; 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;

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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 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)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 17 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: SC478134 7 In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff follow procedures as set out in children’s plans in managing self- harm and missing from care protocols. Also, the registered person should ensure that children’s bedrooms are kept to an acceptable standard.

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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

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

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.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that the staff team have the necessary reporting and recording skills. Also, the registered person should ensure that they have consistent oversight of all of the incidents, so that any shortfalls in staff’s practice can be identified and action taken. 17 June 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 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 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)) 17 June 2026 Inspection report children's home: SC478134 8 In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff and children are spoken to within the regulatory timescales.

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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: SC478134 9

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: 4th Floor Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge, London UB8 1UX

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Inspector

Kate Savage, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: SC478134 10 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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