Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 1 SC456911 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is privately owned. It provides care for up to 4 children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2022.

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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 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: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/06/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 20/08/2024 Full Good 30/08/2023 Full Good 20/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 3

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Summary of findings

At the time of this inspection, one child had been living in the home for a year, and 3 further children had moved in, including 2 who arrived as emergency placements. Children’s experiences and progress are mixed but are mainly positive. All children are encouraged to participate in a range of activities in line with their interests, and family arrangements are supported for all children where agreed.

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Summary of findings

Staff demonstrate empathy towards children and a commitment to their care. However, there have been occasions where there are gaps in the supervision of children, particularly in relation to risks such as alcohol use or vaping. Further shortfalls have been identified in the managerial oversight of incidents at the home, the monitoring of care records, and the consistency of communication with external professionals.

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improvement to be good

Children’s progress is inconsistent. In some important areas, progress is limited due to weaknesses in multi-agency working and insufficient management oversight. Managers have been slow to engage with the headteacher of the virtual school and secure appropriate education provision for children in a timely manner. Strategies to address children’s use of alcohol and vapes have not led to positive change. Managers do not consistently seek consultation with, or oversight from, children’s social workers. This limits the effectiveness of responses to these risks.

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improvement to be good

Moves to the home are not always well managed. Children have been admitted without all relevant documentation, including essential legal paperwork, such as court orders and consent agreements. This creates uncertainty for staff when exercising delegated authority.

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improvement to be good

Children have positive day-to-day experiences. The inspector met with all the children and spoke in more depth with 3 of them. Children’s views are generally positive about the care they receive, with one child highlighting particularly good experiences. All children identified at least one trusted member of staff in the home. Family members also provided broadly positive feedback about their children’s care.

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to participate in a range of meaningful and personalised activities. Staff encourage individual interests effectively. One child is supported with art, and another regularly pursues their interest in cross bikes. Other children attend clubs and community-based groups. Weekly planners are used effectively to ensure that children have access to varied and structured opportunities.

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improvement to be good

Family relationships are supported effectively when it is safe to do so. Staff and managers make considerable efforts to maintain these important connections. For Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 4 example, they organise visits to the home, support children to travel to see family members, and facilitate overnight stays for children who live far from their families.

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improvement to be good

The home is welcoming, spacious and well maintained. Children benefit from large, personalised bedrooms and comfortable shared living spaces. Areas are well equipped, with resources such as a trampoline, garden pool, and table tennis table, which enhance children’s experiences. The home is clean and well presented throughout.

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

Children are safeguarded by staff who demonstrate a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities, including whistleblowing procedures. Staff develop positive relationships with children and have a good understanding of their individual needs. This is reflected in care planning documents, particularly behaviour support plans, which provide detailed insight into children’s strengths and vulnerabilities.

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

Direct work with children is purposeful and consistent. Regular ‘feelings and emotions’ sessions provide children with opportunities to explore a range of topics, including behaviour, health, relationships and routines. Records of these sessions capture both staff input and children’s views. Children are supported to work towards personalised and achievable targets, which are monitored regularly and reinforced through appropriate incentives.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff respond appropriately and follow the agreed procedures. They take proactive steps to reduce the likelihood of children going missing, including close monitoring and early intervention, which have, on occasion, prevented missing-from-home episodes. Records of missing-from-home incidents are detailed and provide clear accounts of events, alongside evidence of return home discussions and follow-up work with children.

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

Health and safety arrangements are robust. Risks are well understood and managed effectively. Routine safety checks are carried out, and regular fire drills take place. The local area risk assessment is detailed and includes consideration of each child’s specific needs.

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

Staff respond effectively to most incidents and apply the home’s therapeutic approach to support children and de-escalate situations. However, some responses have not been sufficiently effective. On one occasion, supervision arrangements were inadequate, resulting in 2 children leaving the home without staff’s knowledge. This had the potential to place children at risk. The children are not consistently supervised in line with their assessed needs.

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

The use of physical intervention is infrequent; however, the recording of these incidents is inconsistent. Only one incident was recorded in sufficient detail and included appropriate management oversight. Other incidents were noted briefly in daily logs, with no formal record or manager review. This limits scrutiny and opportunities for learning. In addition, an allegation made by a child that they were hurt during a restraint had not Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 5 been escalated or brought to the manager’s attention. This fails to provide clear records of incidents and measures of restraint. The lack of evaluation and discussion with children and staff does not provide assurance that all interventions are appropriate, proportionate and safe.

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

The home is led by an experienced registered manager. However, several weaknesses in management oversight and the monitoring of incidents undermine the overall effectiveness of the home.

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

Monitoring systems are not sufficiently robust. Although daily records are written in a child-focused manner, they are not consistently reviewed by managers in a timely way. Key documents, including care plans, are not regularly updated to reflect children’s current needs. There are gaps in recording, including a minor injury to a child, records of some room searches, and records of other incidents. This means that significant events are not consistently evaluated to inform practice or improve the quality of care.

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

Managers and staff have not consistently worked proactively or effectively with other agencies and professionals. Professionals have reported that communication is inconsistent and that they are not always informed of significant events or incidents. One placing authority reported that it had not been informed of new admissions, indicating weaknesses in partnership working. A parent also highlighted that communication and updates are not consistent.

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

Staff training is generally comprehensive. However, there are gaps, and not all training is up to date. Fewer than half of the staff have up-to-date training in physical intervention. Staff said that they would benefit from refresher training to feel confident in managing behaviours safely. Although leaders have identified this need, the required training had not yet taken place at the time of this inspection.

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

Staffing levels are stable, and staff turnover is low. There has been only one new member of staff since the last inspection. Staff speak highly of their roles, their colleagues and the support provided by managers.

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

Staff receive regular, reflective supervision sessions, which they describe as ‘supportive’ and ‘helpful’. A positive team culture is evident, and staff feel able to seek informal advice and guidance as needed. Team meetings are held regularly and promote reflective practice. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 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, 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d)) 31 July 2026

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 7 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(v)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff supervise children appropriately and proactively to keep them safe from risks associated with alcohol use and vaping. Furthermore, ensure that effective incident records are maintained.

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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 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)(a)(c)(f)(h)) 31 July 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 31 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 8 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

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 effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv)(v)(vii)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children’s plans, daily records, and all incident reports are completed diligently and reviewed by a manager in a timely manner. 31 July 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff have access to appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. This specifically relates to ensuring that training to meet the specific needs of individual children is Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 9 arranged and provided in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: SC456911 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caretech, Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

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Inspector

Daniel Rankin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 11 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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