Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Salford

Inspection report children's home: 2594007 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 and operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection. The child was spoken with about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered managers post has been vacant since March 2026. An interim manager is in place, with plans to recruit a new manager.

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Information about this children’s home

There is no responsible individual formally appointed to the home.

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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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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 17 February 2026

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: 2594007 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/02/2026 Full Outstanding 20/08/2024 Full Good 14/05/2024 Full Inadequate 25/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 2594007 3

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Summary of findings

Leaders and manager have not maintained effective safeguarding practice which has reduced the effectiveness of safeguarding for children.

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Summary of findings

Unstable staffing arrangements have prevented children from receiving consistent care from a stable staff team.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out of the home after only living there for a short period of time. There was an escalation of concerns, and the staff were unable to keep the child safe. This led to further distress and instability for the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child who remains living in the home spoke positively about their relationship with some staff. They had previously wanted to move out of the home, but due to the other child leaving, they now want to remain.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children who have lived in the home have not been cared for by a consistent staff team. Five staff have left since the last inspection and staff from the manager’s other home have been supporting the children. This does not help children to build meaningful and trusted relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported to attend school. The child living in the home has plans in place to go to college and has aspirations for their future. This consistent support enables the child to engage in their learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are registered with local health services and supported to attend all health appointments. However, one child recently travelled abroad and staff did not ensure that the child had sufficient medication.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff do not take appropriate action when children have been under the influence of unknown substances. Staff have not always sought appropriate advice and support. Consequently, children have not been safeguarded effectively, and their health needs have not been met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are supported with activities outside of the home. One child enjoys boxing and going to the gym., They enjoy positive experiences in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff support children with relationships with those important to them. This helps children to maintain important relationships and have additional support outside of the home. Inspection report children's home: 2594007 4 The home has adequate space for the child. However, staff do not consistently ensure that children are provided with appropriate bedding, and they were unaware that the child had covered the smoke alarm in their bedroom. This issue was rectified during the inspection. However, these concerns compromise the child's safety and the overall quality of the home environment.

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

Safeguarding practice in the home is not effective. Appropriate action has not been taken to manage children’s relationships in the home. As a result, risks for children increased and one child had to move on from the home.

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

Staff do not always follow children's risk assessments, and these assessments do not consistently reflect all known risks. Significant shortfalls were identified in the supervision and monitoring of children, including when one child spent time with friends and when another child travelled abroad with their family. As a result, staff were not always guided by robust risk management strategies, which reduced their ability to respond effectively to known vulnerabilities and safeguard children.

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

Staff are not consistent in their approach when children are missing from the home. Staff on occasions have been reliant on emergency services and have not always looked for children. On one occasion a child was required to be collected in the early hours of the morning, and staff made the decision to take the other child in the home with them. This does not demonstrate that there is proactive response to safeguarding concerns.

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

Staff are not vigilant when managing risks associated with substance misuse in the home. Incident reports do not demonstrate how staff manage incidents of substance misuse and staff did not always undertake bedroom searches when concerns became known. These shortfalls do not ensure that children are effectively safeguarded.

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

Direct work with children is poor and has not been prioritised. This does not ensure that staff work with children to reduce their risks or educated on them. Furthermore, children are not helped to develop their independence skills.

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

Safer recruitment processes are in place to ensure that staff working at the home are safe to do so.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There has been changes in the leadership of the home since the last inspection. The interim manager is a registered manager of another home in the company situated a distance away from this home. The provider has a plan to recruit a new manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight is not always effective. On some occasions, the manager's evaluation of incidents has failed to identify and address significant shortfalls in the quality of care provided to children. This impacts the consistency of safeguarding practice within the home and reduces leaders' ability to ensure that children are kept Inspection report children's home: 2594007 5 safe. However, the interim manager has reflected on the experiences of the child who has since moved on, and learning has been identified to help improve future practice. .

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The homes statement of purpose does not contain all relevant information. This limits the ability of external partners to make informed decisions about the home’s suitability for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has escalated concerns for a child’s outstanding documents. However, the child’s internal care plan has not been updated on a regular basis. This limits opportunities for the child’s voice to be captured, be actively involved in care planning and provide staff with up to date information they require.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings have taken place. However not all staff attend. This does not ensure that all staff caring for the children have the opportunity to receive additional guidance and time for reflection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager and staff have not received regular supervision in line with the home’s workforce development plan. These limits the opportunities for all staff to reflect on the children’s needs, their own practice and to identify areas for learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not ensured that all staff benefit from regular training opportunities or receive a thorough induction to the home. Furthermore, with the exception of the manager, no staff members hold a relevant qualification. As a result, the manager cannot be assured that staff have the necessary knowledge, skills, and confidence to fulfil their roles effectively or fully understand the risks and vulnerabilities of the children in their care. This may impact staff's ability to provide consistent, safe, and high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has not completed a recent 6 monthly quality of care review of children experiences and shared with Ofsted as required by regulation. This reduces the oversight for the regulatory body.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have not ensured that all serious incidents are notified to Ofsted as required by regulation. This limits the regulators oversight of practice. Inspection report children's home: 2594007 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. 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purpose of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded; 4 October 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2594007 7 that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; and

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection polices is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(c)(d)(e))

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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 effective action when there are concerns abouts a child’s welfare and that staff follow professional advice.

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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 staff complete regular work with children to help them to understand how to keep safe and develop their independence skills.

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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

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 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 4 October 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2594007 8 and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that systems are in place to monitor the quality of care in the home are effective.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that there are safe and effective management arrangements in place.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that staff have the skills and experience to meet the needs of each child in their care.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure a review of staff skills and knowledge is undertaken.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that action is taken to address any gaps and that staff are provided with the training and guidance needed to meet children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background; 6 November 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2594007 9 help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(iv)(v)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that children live in a nurturing and comfortable environment.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure children’s internal care plans are regularly updated and shared with the child and the staff.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each employee completes an appropriate induction;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that each permanent appointment of an employee is subject to the satisfactory completion of a period of probation; and provide each employee with a job description outlining the employee’s responsibilities.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must operate a disciplinary procedure which, in particular—

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Requirement Due date

provides for the suspension from work of an employee if necessary in the interests of the safety or welfare of children; and

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Requirement Due date

provides that the failure on the part of an employee to report an incident of abuse, or suspected abuse, whether past or present, in relation to a child to the appropriate person is a ground on which disciplinary proceedings may be instituted.

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Requirement Due date

For the purposes of this regulation, “the appropriate person” is the registered person, an officer of HMCI, an officer of the local authority in whose area the home is located or a police officer.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. 6 November 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2594007 10 (Regulation 33 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff are provided with supervisions sessions and support in line with the homes statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, the registered person must ensure staff receive thorough inductions which are documented and undertake continuing professional development.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing, and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to in paragraph (2) must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5)) 4 October 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2594007 11 The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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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 an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child —

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter; and

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered manager ensuring that all serious incidents are reported to the regulator promptly. 4 October 2026

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where 6 November 2026 Inspection report children's home: 2594007 12 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 (1) (3)(a)(b))

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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 children's home: 2594007 13

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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 Park View, 82 Oxford Rd, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

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Inspector

Michelle Snape, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2594007 14 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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