Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 1 SC043972 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 and managed by a private provider. It offers care for up to 5 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, 4 children were living in the home. The inspectors spoke to 3 children about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered provider has recently appointed a new responsible individual. Inspectors are currently checking this person has the relevant capacity, experience and skills to carry out the role.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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Date of last inspection: 6 August 2025

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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Date of last inspection: 6 August 2025

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2025 Full Good 08/10/2024 Full Inadequate 12/07/2023 Full Good 26/10/2022 Full Good 22/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 3

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Summary of findings

Significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home have impacted on the children’s progress and them being effectively safeguarded.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, 2 children have moved into the home. These moves were not planned. One child has moved out in a planned and positive way.

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improvement to be good

Care planning for children’s moves into the home is poor. Managers do not always consider the compatibility of children with those already living in the home, or explore whether the staff have the knowledge and skills to meet their needs. As a result, one child is due to move owing to staff being unable to meet their care needs. The child’s social worker said, ‘[child’s name] has not made progress.’

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improvement to be good

Children are registered with relevant health services. External support is sought when there have been recent concerns about substance misuse. However, staff do not challenge children when they have electronic cigarettes in the home. The manager was unable to confirm if one child had undertaken an annual health assessment, which means that the child’s health needs are not fully understood.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported by staff to engage with their education. One child has just sat their GCSEs. The other children are not in full-time education but receive additional support from staff in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to see their family in line with their care plans and family members are welcomed to the home. However, one parent said, ‘[child’s name] is bored and they have not bonded with the staff and they require more support.’

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improvement to be good

The home is large and ongoing renovation is taking place. One child has broken bedroom blinds in their room, and another child had a broken bed base. This does not ensure that children live in a comfortable and homely environment. Staff do not ensure that the home environment is safe, and staff are not alert to risks of children smoking in the home. One child’s bedroom smelt of cannabis and a cannabis cigarette was observed in their room.

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improvement to be good

Children’s responses to the care they receive were varied. One child shared that they do not have the opportunity to go on regular activities with staff. This does not help the Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 4 child build trusted relationships. Another child said that they were happy and have built trusted relationships with staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not follow children’s plans when there have been serious concerns about their emotional wellbeing. This left one child at risk of significant harm. The manager had identified this as a concern and had follow-up discussions with the staff, but no formal action was taken.

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improvement to be good

Children have gone missing from the home including during the night. Risk management plans do not give staff clear guidance on what actions to take when children are missing, which has led to a delay in children being reported missing from home. This leaves children at risk of harm in the community. On one occasion, a child was injured during an incident of being missing and later required an operation. When the child contacted staff to say they were injured, staff told the child to call an ambulance themselves even though the staff were aware of the child’s location.

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improvement to be good

Online safety risks are not fully understood by staff. Parental controls are only on one child’s device, and systems in place are not effective. This leaves children vulnerable to online risks.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always manage the children’s behaviour effectively. Staff have not ensured that children are in structured routines. One child had been sleeping on the sofa, children have been unsupervised in each other’s bedrooms during the night, and staff have been cooking the children meals in the early hours.

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improvement to be good

Police assistance has been requested on more than one occasion to manage children’s behaviour. This does not demonstrate that the staff team is able to safely support the children in line with their care plan. This can lead to children being unnecessarily criminalised.

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improvement to be good

There has been one incident of physical intervention since the last inspection. The debrief with the child was not undertaken by an independent person. This does not ensure that a child has a safe space to share their wishes and feelings.

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improvement to be good

Meaningful conversations with children have taken place around the importance of attending health appointments, accessing substance misuse support and fire safety.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are in place. This means adults caring for the children are safe to do so.

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

There have been changes in the leadership and management since the last inspection. Since January 2026, there has been no registered manager. The responsible individual has only recently submitted their application to Ofsted. Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 5 Since starting in post, the current manager has recognised that the dynamics among the staff team have led to a negative culture in the home. This was detrimental to the care being provided to the children. A more supportive and reflective culture is now being promoted in the home.

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

Staff have not had access to regular and consistent supervision. The manager has addressed this since starting in the home. Staff benefit from regular team meetings. This provides them with opportunities to reflect on their practice and the care being provided to the children.

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

When children make allegations, action is not taken to ensure that plans are put in place to safeguard all children in the home.

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

Action is not taken to address concerns when complaints are made from others external to the home. The previous leadership and management have not undertaken a thorough investigation. There was a lack of professional curiosity regarding the issues raised and children were not spoken to as part of the investigation. This does not ensure that all aspects of the complaints were considered.

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

Training has not been undertaken by staff to ensure that they have the right skills and knowledge to undertake their roles. This does not support staff to develop their skills and knowledge to provide individualised care to meet the needs of children as outlined within children’s care plans. This could impact on the quality of care that staff provide for the children. Management oversight did not identify these gaps.

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

Leaders and managers do not have effective external and internal monitoring systems in place for evaluating practice in the home. This does not ensure that there is continuous improvement. Not all serious incidents have been reported to Ofsted as required by regulation. Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 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

*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

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. (Regulation 12(1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that risk assessments include children’s known risks, that staff understand each child’s individual needs and risks and that there is clear guidance for staff to follow to safeguard children.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff take action to safeguard children at all times.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that plans are in place to safeguard children, that plans include clear guidance for staff to follow and that staff follow these at all times.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that action is taken to repair and rectify damage in the home. 23 August 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 7 *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

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;

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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)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have the skills and knowledge to meet all the needs of children.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff implement consistent rules and boundaries in the home and that children receive consistent care from all staff.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that there is oversight of all the care being provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that all allegations and complaints are thoroughly investigated and action is taken to address the concerns raised. 23 August 2026

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— 25 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 8 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

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Requirement Due date

that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that when children move into the home, they review the care needs of children already living in the home and what additional training the staff may require.

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead a healthy lifestyle.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the way child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the child’s health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child’s health and 25 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 9 well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child’s age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

take part in activities, and attend any appointments, for the purpose of meeting the child’s health and well-being needs; and understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well-being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the manager must ensure that they receive and review children’s health assessments.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that children are discouraged from using electronic cigarettes and that children are respectfully challenged in the home.

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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

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

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

and are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a) (2)(a)(i)(v)(viii)(x))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff spend time with children and develop meaningful relationships with them, and that these relationships are based on mutual respect and trust.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure that children’s views, wishes and feelings are considered and that staff 25 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 10 communicate clear expectations to each child about their behaviour.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that all staff receive regular supervision, and that supervision notes are stored securely in the home. 25 September 2026

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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;

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a description of the measure and its duration;

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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, 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;

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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 25 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 11 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that children are spoken to by staff not present during the physical intervention and that the child’s voice is acted on.

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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

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(e)) 25 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice

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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: SC043972 12

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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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Inspectors

Michelle Snape, Social Care Inspector Rose Maddocks, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 13 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

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