Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC454647 1 SC454647 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 is a privately owned home that provides care for up to 5 children. The home specialises in providing therapeutic support for children.

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Information about this children's home

The manager holds the relevant qualification and has submitted his application to Ofsted

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Information about this children's home

At the time of the inspection 1 child was living in the home and was seen by the inspectors.

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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: 17 September 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC454647 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/09/2025 Full Good 30/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/03/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC454647 3

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Summary of findings

Childrens moves into the home are well planned. Staff demonstrate a commitment to building trusting relationships with the children.

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Summary of findings

Children’s risks and vulnerabilities are well understood, and staff demonstrate a clear understanding of how to provide safe and appropriate care that meets children’s individual needs.

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Summary of findings

The new manager has strengthened the leadership and management oversight of the home. The manager is persistent in his advocacy for the children in his care. The staff team has stabilised and staff morale has improved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves into the home are well planned and carried out sensitively. The manager recognised a child was anxious about moving; he wrote to the child to provide reassurance and staff’s commitment to supporting relationships with those who are most important to them. This helped the child to feel acknowledged, reassured and better prepared for the move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s moves out of the home are well planned. Three children have moved on in line with their care plans. Their plans were written in a way that each child could understand, helping them to feel informed and prepared. Staff provided practical and emotional support to help children move and settle into their new homes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children’s time living in the home has ended sooner than planned, this decision has been made in their best interest. One child moved to another home owned by the provider following a muti-agency decision that despite staff efforts, the risk to the child could not be managed. The manager recognised the importance of continuity and facili- tated the transfer of a staff member with whom one child had an established and trusted relationship. This helped to support a smoother transition and promoted the child’s emo- tional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has recently moved into the home and, as a result, measurable progress is not yet fully evident. However, staff demonstrate a clear commitment to building meaningful and trusting relationships with the child. They focus on helping the child to feel safe, settled and supported within the home. This provides a positive foundation for the child’s emotional security and future progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide effective support and encouragement with education. Prior to moving into the home, the child was not accessing formal education and was engaging in self-directed learning only. Since moving into the home, the child has begun attending Inspection report for children's home: SC454647 4 education. This demonstrates that staff support has helped the child to re-engage with learning and make progress from their starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Positive interactions were observed between the child and staff. However, on one occasion a staff member was observed discussing with the child whether an outfit was appropriate, which caused the child distress. The outfit had been purchased with another member of staff, resulting in an inconsistent and conflicting message for the child. This highlights the importance of staff consistently providing warm, constructive and child-centred interactions and ensuring that sensitive matters are handled carefully and consistently to promote children’s emotional well-being

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is generally clean, tidy and welcoming. However, one child’s bedroom, although well furnished, was cluttered and untidy, with dirty clothing on the floor. In addition, the bedroom smelt of cannabis. Staff had not identified this as a concern at the time of the inspection. As a result, the bedroom does not currently provide a consistently positive or safe living environment for the child. The registered manager acknowledged these shortfalls and gave assurance that prompt action will be taken to address them and to ensure staff provide appropriate oversight, encouragement and support to improve the standard of the child’s living space.

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

The child's risks and vulnerabilities are understood, and staff know how to provide safe care to children. Staff ensure that each child has a clear behaviour and risk management plan in place that highlights any associated risk. The children living in the home are identified as being at high risk of exploitation. As a result, careful attention is given to risk assessments and planning for each child to monitor and reduce risk.

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

Staff work hard to implement consistent boundaries for the child and to promote predictable routines. They use creative and appropriate diversionary activities to help reduce risk. For example, the manager identified themes that increased risk for one child and adjusted arrangements for time spent with family accordingly. This proactive approach helps to manage risk more effectively while continuing to support the child’s relationships and well-being.

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

Staff use physical interventions to manage behaviours and keep children safe. These are used only as a last resort, and staff apply de-escalation strategies before restraint is considered. Following each incident, children are spoken to and supported to understand what has happened. Staff also take part in reflective discussions after incidents. On one occasion the manager was directly involved in a physical intervention and subsequently led the debrief with staff. This lack of independent oversight limits opportunities for robust reflection and learning.

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

Children going missing from the home has been a significant challenge. Staff generally follow agreed protocols to search for children and respond promptly when they go missing. However, on one occasion staff did not notify the police within the timescales set out in the child’s plans when the child remained missing for a prolonged period. This Inspection report for children's home: SC454647 5 delay had the potential to increase risk and highlights the need for staff to consistently adhere to safeguarding procedures to ensure children’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager joined the home at the time of the last inspection. Since then, there have been clear improvements in the leadership and management of the home. The manager has strengthened oversight, improved consistency in practice and provided clearer direction to staff. As a result, systems are more effective, staff are better supported and children benefit from more stable and purposeful care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is persistent in his advocacy for children and consistently maintains a child-focused approach. When significant concerns were identified for one child, he took prompt action to escalate these concerns and request for a coordinated multi-agency response. This demonstrates that the manager is confident in professionally challenging other agencies to ensure that children’s safety and needs remain central to decision-making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works hard to build effective relationships with professionals to promote consistency of care for children. When the police raised concerns relating to children going missing from the home, the manager invited them to attend a team meeting to meet directly with staff. This provided an opportunity for staff and the police to share their respective approaches and understanding.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular, detailed supervision that places a strong emphasis on their welfare and professional development. Supervision sessions are purposeful and are used effectively to address any areas of poor practice, while also recognising and reinforcing good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff morale has improved significantly since the last inspection. Staff speak positively about the support they receive from the manager and feel valued and listened to. One staff member commented, “It has been amazing since he came here. He invests in the children and the staff and has brought the team back together.” This reflective and supportive approach strengthens staff confidence, improves the quality and consistency of care, and helps to sustain a stable, motivated and resilient workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings are well attended and are informed by prior discussions with the in-house clinician. Reflective discussions take place about past incidents, which support staff to learn from experience and further develop their practice. Key learning is then recorded within children’s plans and translated into clear actions for staff to follow. This reflective, clinically informed approach promotes consistency and stability in children’s care. Inspection report for children's home: SC454647 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.

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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

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

This specifically refers to staff ensuring that when children go missing from care, staff consistently notify relevant professionals in line with protocols. 14/06/2026

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 14/06/2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC454647 7 This specifically relates to ensuring that staff help children to keep their bedrooms clean and tidy.

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Recommendations

 The capacity and competence of staff to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, provides the foundations for managing any negative behaviour. More specifically the registered manager should strengthen staff practice in building positive relationships with children and managing sensitive issues appropriately. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the Quality Standards', page 39, paragraph 8.14)

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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: SC454647 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: Caretech, 4th floor, Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

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Inspector

Julia Tompson, Social Care Inspector Emma Hutton, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC454647 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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