Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children's home: 2635655 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation and is registered to provide care for up to 4 children with emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since June 2025.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 30 September 2025

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2635655 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

30/09/2025 Full Good 20/11/2023 Full Good 04/05/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 2635655 3

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Summary of findings

Children benefit from individualised care from staff who know them well and build warm and trusting relationships with them. Children say that they feel safe and valued and speak positively about the staff who care for them.

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Summary of findings

Staff understand children’s risks and work effectively with other agencies to keep them safe. However, on one occasion, a lack of clear planning contributed to a child being able to go missing from the home. Some learning has been taken from this incident; however, further learning is needed to ensure that improvements are fully embedded in practice. The manager has high expectations for children and staff. A trauma-informed therapeutic approach is embedded in practice and staff receive appropriate training to meet the needs of the children in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Inspectors spent time with all 4 children living at the home. Children spoke positively about their relationships with staff and consistently described the activities they take part in as fun and varied. One child described how her swimming ability has improved while being at the home, with other children speaking fondly about beach trips and attending a music concert.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain and develop relationships with people who are important to them. Staff make good efforts to facilitate meaningful time with family members and other people who are significant to children. One child spoke positively about being able to spend time with her boyfriend. Another child has been able to spend increased time with her brother because of staff’s efforts to facilitate and support this relationship.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress during their time at the home. This includes progress in education, as well as improvements in confidence and self-esteem. However, staff do not always do enough to help children maintain positive routines.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s individual identity needs are actively considered by staff. Appropriate meals are regularly prepared to reflect children’s needs and preferences, and attention is given to children’s hair and skincare requirements. Children are encouraged to be active engage in discussions and planning relating to their identity. This helps children develop a positive sense of self and ensures that they feel their needs are understood and valued. One child and their parent commented positively on the staff’s efforts to meet the child’s individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There have been improvements to the home environment since the last inspection. The home has a warm and homely feel, with photos of children displayed throughout. Inspection report for children's home: 2635655 4 Children take pride in their bedrooms and are given a say in how their personal space is decorated.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children are clear about the boundaries and expectations in the home. Staff provide children with clear explanations for these boundaries and support them to develop greater independence. For example, when there are restrictions around children’s phone use, staff are clear about what children need to achieve before increased independence is agreed. Children understand this process and feel supported by staff. Children say they feel safe living at the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children’s complaints are taken seriously and investigated appropriately. Staff provide children with clear feedback about the outcome of investigations, helping them to feel listened to, respected and valued.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When children misuse substances, staff follow agreed plans effectively and respond in a calm and therapeutic manner. Leaders and managers identify potential triggers and take appropriate action to provide children with additional support. This helps children understand the risks associated with substance misuse and supports them to make safer choices.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When children go missing from home, staff respond promptly. Staff make considerable efforts to locate children and ensure their safe return. There is excellent multi-agency working, and the staff team are a clear driving force behind this. External professionals speak highly of the support provided by staff. Two police officers specifically described how leaders, managers and staff demonstrated persistence, commitment and concern when responding to a child who was missing. Staff’s understanding of contextual safeguarding contributed to the child being located and safely returned home. This demonstrates the positive impact that effective partnership working has on the safety of children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

On one occasion, a child was able to go missing from home because of a lack of clear planning. Leaders have learned from this incident and taken some steps to address the identified concerns. However, further exploration is required to fully understand the circumstances surrounding the incident and ensure that all learning is embedded in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to providing children with high-quality care. They have high expectations for children and are quick to advocate for the children when needed. This contributes to children feeling valued and ensures that the care they receive is focused on their individual needs. Inspection report for children's home: 2635655 5 A therapeutic approach is well embedded in staff practice. Staff demonstrate unconditional positive regard for children, which helps children to develop trusting and meaningful relationships with the adults who care for them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the home and a clear vision for further developing the home and staff team. Staff undertake training that is relevant to the needs of children. This helps them to develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide good care to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers respond effectively when there are concerns around staff practice. They are decisive and take proportionate action to address concerns. This has included providing additional support to some staff, and where necessary, ending the employment of others. Staff feel well supported by leaders and managers. They say that they have regular opportunities to reflect and learn from incidents as needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals say the registered manager is a very good advocate for the children in the home. They say children make good progress and are cared for by staff who genuinely care for them. The manager and staff are noted to be trauma informed in their approach to working with children. Inspection report for children's home: 2635655 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

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

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that there is clear planning regarding the safety of children, and that all staff have the time to consider and effectively plan time with children out of the home. In addition, the registered person must ensure that when safeguarding incidents occur, these are effectively reviewed to ensure that learning can be taken and embedded in practice to avoid such incidents happening again. 22 September 2026

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children have consistent positive routines, and that staff use a variety of strategies to engage children in the routine of getting up in the morning. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 14, paragraph 3.2) Inspection report for children's home: 2635655 7

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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: 2635655 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caretech, Parkview, 82 Oxford Road, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

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Inspectors

Minnette Sims, Social Care Inspector Jane Anstis, Ofsted Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2635655 9 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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