Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children's home: 1236026 1 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

The home is owned by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children's home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2026. The manager has been away from work since mid-February 2026. The responsible individual was present throughout the inspection and accompanied by an interim manager who has been in post for eight weeks.

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Information about this children's home

There were four children living in the home at the time of the inspection and all four children were spoken with.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1236026 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/06/2025 Full Good 31/07/2024 Full Good 01/08/2023 Full Good 20/04/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1236026 3

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Summary of findings

Children are settled and like living in the home. They have continued to have some positive experiences, but the shortfalls identified in how they are helped and protected, alongside the weaknesses in the management of the home, have affected one child’s experiences. Therefore, children’s progress is mixed, including in education. Risks for some children from using the internet are not fully understood and staff do not have clear guidance on how to identify potential signs of risk.

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Summary of findings

The quality and continuity of leadership have been inconsistent since the last inspection, impacting on the quality and consistency of care for some children. The registered manager has been absent for at least two months, although interim management arrangements have been made to address this.

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Summary of findings

The provider has not taken sufficient action to meet the requirements and recommendations issued at the last inspection. This means that while some areas of practice have remained effective, other specific areas have not improved.

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improvement to be good

Children have positive relationships with the core group of staff, with some children benefitting from support to access holidays, after school clubs and other activities. The new interim manager has listened to the children's views and acted on their requests.

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improvement to be good

Most children attend school and have made progress, such as settling into new schools or moving to the next level in learning. However, not all children's educational needs are met. A lack of effective advocacy, meaningful planning and direction to staff means one child has not been supported to access informal learning, and daily routines are not consistently promoted by the staff. This is affecting the child's academic attainment and social networks. In addition, safeguarding risks associated with missing education have not been assessed. The interim manager has recognised some of these shortfalls and, in recent weeks, has engaged the child in online learning.

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improvement to be good

Direct work sessions with children lack purpose and are not reviewed for their effectiveness. Discussions are ad hoc, lack structure or planning and have not been reviewed for their effectiveness. Goals set out for children have remained the same for several weeks. They are not aspirational. Written records of these conversations are brief and do not give a sense of the difference that they make for children. This affects staff's ability to support children's progress. The new manager has recognised this and has implemented a plan to enhance the quality of these sessions.

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improvement to be good

Children are settled. They say that they are happy living in the home and speak positively about their relationships with staff and the activities that they enjoy. The staff Inspection report for children's home: 1236026 4 know the children well and listen to their views. Children are supported to access recreational activities and social opportunities, according to their wishes and feelings. For some children, this has led to them participating in after-school activities, going on holiday and developing friendships.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to be healthy. The staff help children to make healthy food choices and encourage them to be physically active. Children access urgent and routine medical appointments, where necessary, and are well supported by staff to follow medical advice.

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improvement to be good

Children's achievements and significant events are celebrated. The staff recognise when children have done well and make a fuss of their success, which helps children to feel good about themselves. Children's birthdays are celebrated and photographs are taken to capture these special days.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy regular family time. The staff support this by travelling with children to family time, ensuring that they are prepared and arrive safely. The staff advocate for children when their family time plans need to be changed in accordance with what is in the children's best interests.

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improvement to be good

Children's records vary in quality. Some are written to the child and are detailed, but others are brief. This means that children's files do not reflect the full picture of their experiences. This was a shortfall identified in the last inspection, and it has not been effectively addressed.

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improvement to be good

Children's experiences of holds are not fully understood because some records are incomplete or missing. The quality of management oversight varies, and, in some examples, practice issues have not been effectively scrutinised. For example, a child told staff that they were experiencing pain from a restraint. This was not addressed by the manager. Although the frequency of children being held has reduced, the provider has not completed an investigation into the loss of this significant information. Therefore, practice shortfalls and lessons for future practice have not been identified.

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improvement to be good

Older children's use of the internet and online activity are not monitored by staff. Children spend long periods online, including at night while alone in their bedrooms. This affects their sleep routine. Staff have brief conversations with children about being online. However, these are not focused. Children's internet activity, such as the websites that children access, has not been risk assessed, so risks are not fully understood. Furthermore, staff do not have clear guidance on how to identify potential signs of children being placed at risk online and how to respond. A recommendation was made in this area of practice at the last inspection, and it has not been addressed effectively.

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improvement to be good

Most areas of the home are well maintained. Children like their bedrooms. One older child's room includes a shower area and lounge area, which the child feels is playing an Inspection report for children's home: 1236026 5 important part in preparation for independent living. However, the garden and exterior of the property would benefit from appealing to all ages of children. A broken goal and a damaged trampoline were accessible to children and posed a hazard. Some children enjoy regularly playing football in the garden and a new goal has been purchased to facilitate this.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to be kind to each other. When they struggle with getting along, the staff appropriately intervene to help children see each other's point of view and resolve conflict. This helps children to develop positive relationships with each other.

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improvement to be good

Children receive regular prompts from staff on behaving well. Staff use a caring, nurturing approach. While consistency in staff responses to children has been a challenge, incidents have reduced, showing that children are more settled than previously. In the past few weeks, a simplified reward system has been implemented for staff to follow. It is too soon to evaluate the effectiveness of this.

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

The requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection have not been effectively addressed. A lack of progress has been made regarding the quality assurance of children's records, internet safety for children and children's education.

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

Management oversight of children's experiences and progress is not effective. Incidents, restraint holds and key-work sessions with children are not scrutinised, which results in shortfalls in practice being missed. Staff have not received consistent management advice, guidance or support to carry out their work well and this has affected the consistency of care for children.

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

The system to obtain feedback about children's experiences from their family and the professional network is not effective. This means that formal feedback is rarely acquired, including by the independent person who visits the home monthly. This was identified several months ago, however, it has not been addressed. Family members who were spoken to as part of the inspection were positive about the care that children were receiving.

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

Communication between the provider and children's networks is mainly effective. Staff attend children's meetings to help inform children's care planning and decision-making. Some professionals have not always been updated with changes in staffing in the home, including the manager's absence. This affects how professionals can support children when they speak about their experiences.

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

The home's statement of purpose has not been reviewed regularly or new versions submitted to Ofsted. This is despite significant staff changes, including management arrangements.

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

The provider has taken action to appoint an interim manager in the absence of the registered manager. The interim manager has familiarised herself with the team and Inspection report for children's home: 1236026 6 identified various areas of practice to improve but acknowledges that it is early days in progressing these. She has provided staff with additional guidance and clarity on their role, many of whom are newly appointed since the last inspection.

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

Staffing is a challenge due to staff leaving unexpectedly, resulting in vacancies in the team. The remaining staff have supported each other well and prioritised the children by carrying out additional shifts to avoid the use of agency staff. Staff say that although this has caused additional pressure, they are reassured that a recent recruitment campaign will increase the team size and enable them to return to their usual working patterns.

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

Since the last inspection, some staff have experienced gaps in the frequency of their practice-related supervision. This has been addressed, and senior leaders have outlined their expectations of what supervision should look like.

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

The provider has supported the change of the entire IT system that has been implemented in the home. While this has been a significant change for staff, they have embraced it and are developing their skills in writing and updating children's records. Senior leaders anticipate that the new system will improve the quality of records and management oversight. Inspection report for children's home: 1236026 7

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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 within the given timescales.

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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, 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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child's education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child's education and training and to maximise the child's achievement;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii)) 21 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 1236026 8 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

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)(d)) 21 June 2026

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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 promotes their welfare;

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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 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; 21 June 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 1236026 9 demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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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 (3)(a)(b)) 21 June 2026

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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 kept up to date. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)) 21 June 2026

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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: 1236026 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children's home details

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

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Inspector

Catherine Heron, His Majesty's Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1236026 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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