Children's Home run by Cambridgeshire County Council in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children's home: 2602980 1 Registered provider: Cambridgeshire County Council

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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 run by a local authority. It provides short breaks for up to 4 children with moderate to severe learning disabilities. One of the 4 children can live at the home permanently.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, 2 children were staying at the home under shared care arrangements. Both were seen by the inspector.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in March 2026. A new manager is yet to be appointed.

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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 inadequate

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2602980 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/07/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 13/03/2025 Full Good 19/12/2023 Full Good 16/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2602980 3

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Summary of findings

The home’s leadership and management arrangements are ineffective. There is no consistent day-to-day management presence to support staff, oversee practice and drive improvements. There are weaknesses in care planning, one-to-one work, incident recording and management oversight. Combined, these reduce the quality and consistency of care. Although leaders have introduced new systems, improvements are not yet realised. Despite these shortfalls, children receive warm and nurturing care from the staff, who know them well and understand their individual needs.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care plans are not consistently detailed. They do not always include information from education, health and other professional assessments. Some plans rely heavily on information provided by parents that is dated. This means that staff do not always have a full picture of the child’s current needs and how best to support them.

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improvement to be good

Children do not all have clear, measurable targets. Some children have targets that are not linked to their assessed needs or wider plans. Records do not clearly show children’s progress and how targets are reviewed. This makes it difficult to know whether children are achieving their goals or need different support.

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improvement to be good

Key-work sessions do not take place consistently. When they do, they mainly focus on children’s everyday choices, such as whether they enjoy their stays, and meal preferences. Staff do not consistently use these sessions to help children understand their behaviours or work towards identified outcomes. This means that opportunities to help children reflect, develop skills and make progress are missed.

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improvement to be good

There is no clear evidence that children are supported to understand the children’s guide when they first use the service. This may limit their understanding of the service, what they can expect and how they can make their views known.

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improvement to be good

A curtain rail in the communal lounge has been broken for months and as a result staff cannot fully close the curtain. During recent hot weather this has limited their ability to keep the communal room cool and comfortable. Leaders have not ensured that this repair is undertaken without delay. In addition, recent difficulties accessing petty cash have caused uncertainty and delays when staff plan activities in the community. This can affect children’s opportunities to take part in activities that they enjoy.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy warm and nurturing care from staff. They appear calm and comfortable at the home. Staff know the children well and use their preferred method of communication to support them to express their wishes. Families and professionals speak positively about the care children receive. They describe staff as caring and supportive. One child’s Inspection report for children's home: 2602980 4 move into the home was carefully planned with their family and social worker. This helped the child experience a positive and reassuring introduction.

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improvement to be good

Incident records are not consistently clear or detailed. Some records contain insufficient information about what happened, the actions staff took and the outcome for the child. At times, handwritten records are difficult to read. This makes it difficult to fully understand incidents and evaluate whether children received the right support.

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improvement to be good

Team leaders review incidents. However, these reviews lack professional curiosity, evaluation and reflection. They do not consistently explore why incidents happened, whether staff responded effectively or what could have been done differently. The oversight from senior management is inconsistent. This limits opportunities to identify patterns, challenge practice and learn from incidents.

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improvement to be good

A principal instructor reviews incidents and children’s behaviours. However, it is unclear how learning from these reviews informs children’s care plans, risk assessments or staff practice. Risk assessments are updated when new risks or behaviours emerge, but existing strategies are not always reviewed to check whether they remain effective. As a result, learning from incidents does not consistently lead to improvements in how children are supported and kept safe.

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improvement to be good

Children and staff do not consistently discuss incidents. There is limited evidence to show that children are helped to reflect on what happened or that staff consider how they could respond differently in the future. This means that opportunities to learn from incidents and improve future responses are missed.

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improvement to be good

One child who recently started using the service has not yet been involved in a fire evacuation practice. Staff have not tested how the child would respond or whether their individual evacuation arrangements are effective. This means that staff cannot be assured that the child could be supported to leave the home safely in an emergency.

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improvement to be good

Despite the shortfalls, there have been no significant incidents since the last inspection. Staff share relevant information with families and professionals following any incidents. Children’s healthcare needs are understood and medication is safely administered.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The last registered manager left the home in March 2026. Despite ongoing recruitment, a manager has not been appointed. A new responsible individual has been appointed, and with managers from other services they have provided some support. However, there is no consistent day-to-day leadership. This has left staff without the regular guidance, support and oversight that they need. Inspection report for children's home: 2602980 5 Staff do not receive consistent support following difficult incidents. There have been incidents when children have been physically aggressive towards staff, but there is no evidence that a manager has checked on staff’s welfare. Supervision sessions and team meetings are also inconsistent. This reduces opportunities for staff to reflect on their practice, share learning and receive clear direction from leaders.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The responsible individual has introduced new systems and taken steps to improve staff practice. Staff recently completed 2 weeks of training to strengthen their knowledge and skills. However, there is no consistent manager to guide staff through these changes, check their understanding or monitor how new systems are being used. As a result, leaders cannot be assured that improvements are understood, implemented or embedded in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff are unclear about some management arrangements, expectations and responsibilities. They describe inconsistent communication and decision-making. Some staff feel overwhelmed by staffing pressures and the rota arrangements. The absence of a manager and deputy manager has increased these pressures.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The provider has not ensured that Ofsted has the most up-to-date statement of purpose. The last version is dated 2024. The provider’s more recent version had not been submitted to Ofsted. This prevents the regulator from having accurate and current information about how the service operates.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Despite these management weaknesses, staff remain committed to children and provide the best care they can. Families and professionals are positive about the service. Inspection report for children's home: 2602980 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited;

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Requirement Due date

has access to the home’s children’s guide, and the home’s complaints procedure, when the child’s placement in the home is agreed and throughout the child’s stay in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about— the children’s guide;

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Requirement Due date

how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with; and

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Requirement Due date

what advocacy support or services are available to the child, how the child may access that support or those services and any 2 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2602980 7 entitlement the child may have to independent advocacy provision. (Regulation 7 (1)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iii)(v)(b)(ii)(d(i)(ii)(iii))

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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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is consistent management oversight of the home, staff receive effective support and supervision, and new systems training and improvements are implemented, monitored and embedded in practice. 2 September 2026

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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.

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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

manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(ii)(c)) 2 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: 2602980 8 In particular the registered person must ensure that children receive effectively planned care that meets their individual needs and supports their development. Children’s plans must contain relevant and up-to-date information, take account of plans and assessments from other professionals, identify meaningful outcomes and clearly show how staff will support children to achieve these.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

There is no registered manager at the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)) 2 October 2026

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that sufficient resources are available to enable children to take part in planned activities that reflect their individual interests and needs. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.5)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of children. In particular, repairs in the home should be carried out promptly. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 2602980 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambridgeshire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Sunley House, Summers Hill Drive, Papworth Everard, Cambridge CB23 3AB

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Inspector

Thembie Mzila, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2602980 10 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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