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 is registered to care for 4 children who may have emotional, behavioural and social difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager is not registered with Ofsted.

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Information about this children's home

There were 2 children living at the home. The children were spoken to during the inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The home is currently judged to be inadequate. There is a restriction of accommodation order and 2 compliance notices in relation to regulation 12, the help and protection of children standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard in place.

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This monitoring visit

Two monitoring visits took place on 21 May and 22 May 2026 where inspectors found ongoing serious concerns about the care of children. The steps outlined in the compliance notices had not been met. Ofsted has served the provider with a notice of proposal to cancel the registration of the home.

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This monitoring visit

This monitoring visit was undertaken to gain assurances that children were safe.

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This monitoring visit

Managers are repeatedly failing to ensure that allegations of harm made by children are investigated. One child is regularly making allegations of physical harm from staff. These are not investigated in a timely way and outcomes are unclear. Another child made an allegation to Ofsted inspectors at the full inspection on 1 April 2026. Managers have not reported this to the relevant authorities or investigated the concerns despite inspectors asking about this at subsequent monitoring visits. Staff are working in the home who may be unsuitable to work with children. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 2 One child was asleep in their bedroom on the third floor. The window was not secured with window restrictors. The child is removing the restrictors. The manager and staff are aware of this but could not provide evidence of the completion of checks to ensure that window restrictors were in place. Risk to the child was

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This monitoring visit

exacerbated as they had expressed suicidal thoughts to a member of staff. Inspectors ensured that immediate actions were taken mitigate these risks.

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This monitoring visit

Managers' oversight of the home remains poor. They are unaware of how staff are responding to children. For example, staff are restricting children's access to areas of the home at nighttime despite being asked to end this practice. One child's parent had raised concerns about them spending time with a young person who carries a weapon. Staff had not taken any action in response to this information or reported it to the child's social worker. There is little evidence that staff members are sharing accurate information with each other on a daily basis to inform children's care. Attempts by managers to improve this practice have been ineffective.

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This monitoring visit

Children continue to access areas of the home that pose a risk. One child has spent time in the basement where they have taken items without supervision or permission. One of these items had the potential to be used as a weapon.

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This monitoring visit

A new responsible individual has recently been appointed. This change has not yet been processed with Ofsted. The incoming responsible individual informed a child of the change without consulting with the existing responsible individual. This shows a lack of insight into how to communicate important and sensitive information to children appropriately.

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This monitoring visit

Managers have ensured that most staff have completed training in physical interventions since the monitoring visit on 22 May 2026. Children reported that they have not been held since the last monitoring visit. Consequently, this impact of this training is yet to be evidenced.

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This monitoring visit

The requirements and recommendations raised at the full inspection on 31 March, and 1 April 2026 remain. A further requirement was raised from this monitoring visit in relation to restricting children's access to the lounge and kitchen without a valid reason for doing so. 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 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 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. 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 5 (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(c)(d))

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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;

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Requirement Due date

staffing is arranged to meet the needs of the children according to current assessed risks and in response to when children are at increased risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

that 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; and

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Requirement Due date

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;

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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; 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 6 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)(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;

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Requirement Due date

plans are developed to establish a stable staff team in order to ensure that the needs of the children can be met;

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Requirement Due date

children are cared for by staff who are familiar to them, and feedback is regularly sought from children and professionals and acted upon where necessary; and

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Requirement Due date

children receive regular therapeutic care as detailed in the 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; 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 7 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;

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Requirement Due date

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 are able to build relationships, in order that behaviours can be challenged effectively and situations de-escalated;

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Requirement Due date

staff are confident to restrain children safely to prevent harm; and

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that: 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 8 sufficient information is gathered to make well-informed decisions about children moving into the home so that the stability of placements 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 children who are already living in the home;

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Requirement Due date

children have individualised care plans that provide details of how to undertake children's day-to-day care effectively; and

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Requirement Due date

when children leave the home, this is a planned, supportive process and 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. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2))

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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

Ensure that staff restrain children using proportionate and approved physical interventions. 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— 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 9 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;

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, 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. (Regulation 31 (1))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that any temporary staff working with children are sufficiently informed about children's care plans to look after them effectively. 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

that staff— 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 10 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, 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, ensure that children undertake education, attend school and receive support 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. (Regulation 40 (4)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, 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 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, 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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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children's home's premises; and 10 July 2026 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 11 any limitation placed on a child's privacy or access to any area of the home's premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children have access to the lounge and kitchen at nighttime unless there are specific safety reasons which require restricted access.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are offered a wide range of activities both inside and outside of 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)

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Recommendations

 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)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment, supervision and performance management of staff safeguard children and minimise potential risks to them. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 61, paragraph 13.1) Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 12  The registered person must 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) Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 13

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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 14

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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 Andi Lilley-Tams, Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: 2625585 15 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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