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

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 1 Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd

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

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this visit, 2 children were living at the home. Their views were sought during the visit. One child has moved out since the last full inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 28 February 2025. The manager currently in post has applied to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

The home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 31 March and 1 April 2026. Following this inspection, Ofsted issued a notice restricting accommodation and 2 compliance notices under regulation 12 (the protection of children standard) and regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard).

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This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out over 2 days to assess any progress made in relation to the steps outlined in the compliance notices.

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This monitoring visit

There is a repeated pattern of managers failing to inform Ofsted of serious safeguarding incidents in accordance with regulation 40.

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This monitoring visit

Children have been involved in serious incidents, and the police have been called to the home on several occasions. Incidents are not treated with sufficient seriousness by managers. Fundamental safeguarding processes are not being followed to keep children safe. Ofsted is not assured that managers or staff can safeguard children effectively. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 2 Managers do not respond robustly when children make allegations against staff. Children’s allegations are not reported to the local authority designated officer in a timely manner and, in some cases, not at all. For example, concerns were raised by one child at the last full inspection, but they were not investigated by the manager. Consequently, the member of staff concerned has continued to work in the home since the allegation was made. This places children at increased risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Children have sustained injuries during serious incidents. Injuries are not reported to relevant agencies or escalated in a timely manner. Children repeat their concerns because they feel they are not being listened to.

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This monitoring visit

Staff are ill-equipped to meet children’s needs and respond to behavioural risks. For example, managers were unable to state how many times a child had accessed the roof since the last full inspection. On another occasion, children were able to go missing from the home and bring a new child back without staff being aware. This reflects poor supervision by staff.

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This monitoring visit

Managers provided no assurance to Ofsted regarding how they ensure that staff on shift have the necessary knowledge, skills and experience to hold children safely. This lack of due diligence has left children and staff vulnerable to harm. Ofsted reviewed 2 incidents in which 2 staff members were seriously injured. Ofsted was not notified of these incidents, despite one requiring an ambulance to attend.

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This monitoring visit

Children do not know which staff will be caring for them during the day or who is responsible for supporting them with activities they enjoy. Staff are often unaware of who they will be working with until they arrive at work. This results in a lack of continuity of care.

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This monitoring visit

Overall, the care provided to children is not sufficiently nurturing or considered. Children are not prioritised or placed at the centre of decision-making in the home.

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This monitoring visit

Management review and oversight are significantly ineffective, and Ofsted is not assured that staff can provide safe, high-quality care for children.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted is not satisfied that the compliance notices have been met. In addition, risks to children have increased, and the leadership and management of the home remain ineffective. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/04/2026 Full Inadequate 29/07/2025 Full Good 14/05/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 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 with 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that: 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 5 staff are equipped to manage and challenge children’s behaviour to ensure the safety of children and staff;

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Requirement Due date

staffing is arranged to meet children’s needs in line with current assessed risks and is responsive when children are at increased risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

risk management plans are individualised to reflect children’s current needs and risks, including clear strategies to help mitigate those risks;

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Requirement Due date

the physical environment is safe for children. For example, windows must be secure to prevent children from leaving the home unsafely or going missing;

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Requirement Due date

conflicts in the community are addressed promptly to reduce 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; 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 6 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)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(h))

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Requirement Due date

staff receive timely training and development that equips them to understand and respond effectively to children’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

plans are developed to establish a stable staff team, ensuring that children’s needs are consistently met;

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Requirement Due date

children are cared for by staff who they are familiar with and that feedback is regularly sought from children and professionals and acted on where necessary;

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Requirement Due date

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; 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 7 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. (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 can build relationships, enabling behaviours to be managed effectively and situations to be de-escalated;

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Requirement Due date

staff are confident in using safe physical intervention to prevent harm;

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Requirement Due date

staff understand children’s lived experiences and how trauma can affect their 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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

sufficient information is gathered to make well-informed decisions about children moving into the home, so that placement stability is not disrupted;

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Requirement Due date

clear measures are in place to manage any risks identified when children move in to live with those already residing in the home; 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 8 children have individualised care plans that clearly set out how their day-to-day care needs will be met;

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Requirement Due date

when children leave the home, this is a planned, supportive process. Records of children’s moving-on arrangements must be maintained.

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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. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2))

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Requirement Due date

children are not unnecessarily restricted from leaving the home through external doors;

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Requirement Due date

staff use proportionate and approved physical interventions when restraining children. 10 July 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;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure; 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 9 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. (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 relating to incidents of restraint contain accurate and comprehensive information about the circumstances of the restraint and the support provided to the child following the incident.

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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. (Regulation 31 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that any temporary staff working with children are given sufficient information about children’s care plans to enable them to provide effective care. 10 July 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;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 10 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. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children engage in education, attend school, and are supported to overcome any difficulties that prevent 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. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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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. 10 July 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. (Regulation 16 (1) (2)(a)(b))

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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. 10 July 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities, inside and outside the home (where appropriate), and are encouraged to participate. Staff should encourage children to take part in school trips, out-of- Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 11 school clubs, volunteering and other leisure activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)  The registered person should ensure that suitable arrangements are in place to manage, administer and dispose of medication. These arrangements should reflect those a good parent would make but include 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

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Recommendations

safeguard children and minimise potential risks. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should have systems in place to ensure that all staff receive supervision from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, allowing them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children in their care. This includes providing the deputy manager with 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

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 12

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Children & Adolescents Placement Provisions Ltd

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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 Andi Lilley-Tams, Regulatory Inspection Manager Phillip Morris, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2625585 13 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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