Children's Home run by Cambridgeshire County Council in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2605508 1 Registered provider: Cambridgeshire County Council Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a local authority. It provides care for up to 4 children on a long-term basis and offers short-break services for up to 4 children with diagnosed learning difficulties and/or complex health needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the organisation in March 2026. A new manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 8 December 2025

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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: 2605508 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/12/2025 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/03/2025 Full Good 30/10/2023 Full Good 09/08/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2605508 3

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Summary of findings

There has been limited progress in addressing the shortfalls raised at the last inspection. Managers do not always have oversight of staff training and do not cascade learning to staff to help them learn from incidents. Shortfalls include delays in reporting concerns and implementing a child’s support plan.

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Summary of findings

The staff have warm relationships with children. Children enjoy their stays, and parents have confidence in the staff. The staff work effectively with families and professionals.

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, 4 children were living at this home. In this period, one child has moved into the home, and one child has moved on to supported accommodation in a planned way. Seven children access short breaks on a rotational basis. Six children contributed to the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Children make progress from their starting points. There are several shortfalls that need to be addressed before children receive consistently good support.

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improvement to be good

Some areas of the home have an institutional feel and show visible signs of damage. For example, there is mould on the grout in the children’s shower room, and office-style display boards are present in children’s bedrooms. This does not help children to feel at home.

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improvement to be good

Managers do not consistently monitor or review children’s individual targets. Consequently, children’s plans and targeted work do not reflect their current abilities, and managers are not aware of their progress.

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improvement to be good

There are warm interactions between staff and children. Children identify staff with whom they have close bonds. Staff spend good-quality time with children doing puzzles, having picnics, engaging in sensory play and going on trips to the zoo and seaside. This helps to broaden children’s social experiences.

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improvement to be good

All children have access to an independent advocate who visits the home regularly. Staff understand children’s preferred methods of communication. Staff have conversations with children. Consequently, children have a voice about their day-to-day care, and their views are understood and explored by staff.

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improvement to be good

Staff work closely with families to ensure continuity of care. Staff help children visit their family homes and welcome families into the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605508 4 Children’s short-term stays are managed well and planned sensitively. Managers and staff work closely with parents and social workers to develop a thorough understanding of children’s needs. Children visit the home before their stay. Managers consider children’s compatibility, ensuring that friends are able to stay together where appropriate. This helps to nurture peer relationships.

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improvement to be good

When children move into the home, managers carry out initial assessments that consider the child’s needs, risks and the potential impact on other children. For the most recently admitted child, the manager did not include all relevant information about the child’s risks in the risk assessment. As a result, staff do have up-to-date guidance on how to manage the risks, which does not promote children’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Staff have failed to quickly report serious concerns. On one occasion, a staff member failed to operate a child’s feeding pump correctly, resulting in an air gap, which is not recommended. Another staff member did not report this immediately. This limited an opportunity to seek prompt medical advice. Following this incident, managers have failed to cascade learning effectively to staff to reduce the risk of recurrence. Most staff members are overdue for the specialist feeding training. This does not promote children’s welfare.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion, a staff member has failed to use the approaches outlined in a child’s behaviour support plan. A staff member used inappropriate strategies, such as ignoring the child and encouraging other staff members and children to do the same. The child became upset. The manager identified this poor practice and responded appropriately.

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improvement to be good

Managers have submitted late notifications to Ofsted. Consequently, external oversight of safeguarding concerns is delayed.

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improvement to be good

Staff have used restraint to keep children safe. Records provide a clear rationale for restraint and demonstrate that interventions are proportionate. However, children are spoken to by the staff involved in the restraint, which may limit opportunities for them to express themselves freely. Managers do not assign staff debriefs to individuals who were not involved in the incident. This practice does not allow independent scrutiny and reduces transparency.

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improvement to be good

Managers respond promptly to concerns about staff practice and children’s unexplained bruising. Staff demonstrate curiosity when considering the possible causes of injuries. Managers share information with the relevant professionals, such as social workers and the local authority designated officer.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

There have been several changes in the leadership and management of the home. The previous registered manager and deputy manager have left the organisation. These Inspection report for children’s home: 2605508 5 changes have reduced management oversight of the home. A new manager and responsible individual have been appointed and have introduced a plan to improve practice, alongside new systems. However, these changes have not been embedded or sustained, and there has been limited progress in addressing the requirements and recommendations raised at the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The management oversight of staff training is not consistent. Most staff members are overdue for specific training in areas such as feeding and epilepsy, and some staff members have not achieved the relevant level 3 diploma within expected timescales. This fails to ensure that staff have the necessary knowledge and skills to care for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Managers do not consistently provide staff with supervision sessions or team meetings. Managers do not always have conversations with staff to address specific practice issues. As a result, managers and staff do not reflect on incidents and discuss strategies to improve practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Children’s support plans are written from the child’s perspective. However, staff do not always keep full records of conversations and children’s activities. Some records are handwritten and illegible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Staff develop positive relationships with professionals and children’s family members. All the stakeholders unanimously shared positive feedback and highlighted the children’s progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The home is sufficiently staffed by a permanent workforce. Agency staff are rarely used, which offers continuity of care to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2605508 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)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 8 September 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

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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 8 September 2026 Inspection report for children’s home: 2605508 7 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

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets children’s needs. They should seek as far as possible to maintain a homely rather than institutional impression. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should have a system in place to ensure that all serious incidents are notified to the appropriate parties within 24 hours. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the incident. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)  The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality

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Recommendations

standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that effective systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision. This should enable staff to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children in their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)  The registered person should ensure that any child who has been restrained, and any staff members who have used physical intervention techniques, are given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint. Children and staff should be encouraged to add their views and comments to the record of restraint. In particular, children should be provided with an opportunity to speak to an impartial person who was not involved in the restraint. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.60)

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: 2605508 8

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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: 2605508 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

Priscilla Koroka, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2605508 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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