Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 1 SC065855 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a home for up to 3 children who have experienced social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is being managed by an interim manager in the absence of the registered manager. The interim manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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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 failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not safeguarded, the care and experiences of children is poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 3 September 2025

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/09/2025 Full Good 18/06/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/07/2023 Full Good 06/12/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 3

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Summary of findings

At the time of inspection, 3 children lived in the home. Two children have moved out since the last inspection. Children’s experiences living in the home are varied.

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Summary of findings

Failures in safeguarding practice and weak leadership and management have resulted in risks to the safety and wellbeing of children living in the home.

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Summary of findings

The current management arrangements are ineffective. Leaders and managers lack the capacity to adequately oversee the home, resulting in poor oversight, strategic decision- making and managerial accountability.

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Summary of findings

The home is subject to 2 compliance notices under Regulations 12 and 13. Six requirements were made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Significant shortfalls in safeguarding practice and ineffective management oversight have compromised children’s safety and hindered their overall experiences and progress. On occasion, these substantial failings have placed children at risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children identify trusted staff as safe adults whom they can approach for support. Managers ensure that during significant or difficult events, children are given the opportunity to choose the member of staff they would like to support them. This approach contributes to trust and emotional security. However, these positive relationships are undermined by wider weaknesses in practice.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences of education are varied. Two children have maintained appropriate school attendance and engagement. One child’s school attendance has declined since moving into the home, and they are currently accessing a reduced timetable. Although staff facilitate online learning, this help has not been effective in improving attendance or securing sustained engagement in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children are encouraged to develop their interests and participate in a range of hobbies and activities. When children express an interest in a particular activity, staff seek out suitable local clubs to support participation. This helps children to develop new skills and build confidence. However, these strengths are overshadowed by serious safeguarding and leadership failings that have a significant impact on children’s outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s experiences of family time are inconsistent. Staff have failed to facilitate agreed virtual family time, resulting in one child not having this with their family for several months. On another occasion, staff cancelled an arranged family activity without good reason. These failings have negatively affected the child’s ability to maintain important family relationships. Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 4 The communal areas of the home are not maintained to an acceptable standard. Flooring throughout these areas is visibly dirty and unkempt. There are safety hazards throughout the home that have not been adequately addressed, which places children at risk of avoidable harm. In contrast, children’s bedrooms are suitably furnished, and the decoration reflects their individual personalities, helping to promote a sense of identity. Although children’s bedrooms are personalised, this does not mitigate the poor standard

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

Medication management is inadequate. Recording systems are disorganised and inconsistent, preventing effective oversight to confirm children have received their medication. In one example, staff failed to seek appropriate medical advice when a child did not want to take their prescribed medication. These failures in staff decision-making and managerial oversight contributed to a child’s condition deteriorating.

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

Incidents involving suicidal ideation and ligature risks have not been managed effectively. Staff did not take sufficient or proactive action to identify and remove environmental risks, resulting in further incidents. Staff did not provide a comprehensive account of events, and managers have missed opportunities to intervene and protect children effectively. More recently, managers have introduced a ligature risk assessment, and all staff now carry ligature-cutting equipment. These actions were implemented only after serious failings had occurred and are not sufficiently embedded to improve children’s safety.

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

Physical interventions are sometimes used when they are not necessary. In addition, records of these incidents do not comply with regulatory requirements, lacking sufficient detail to demonstrate that interventions were proportionate. Managers have not provided effective scrutiny of these incidents or taken appropriate action where practice falls below the expected standard. This undermines children’s sense of safety and allows poor practice to continue.

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

The manager responds appropriately to allegations and makes timely referrals to the local authority designated officer. This ensures that these safeguarding concerns receive appropriate external scrutiny. Managers do not address shortfalls in staff practice and failures to follow procedures. This reduces assurance that staff will follow agreed strategies to safeguard children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management arrangements are ineffective. Leaders and managers want the best for children but lack adequate required skills to oversee the home. As a result, management oversight is inadequate and inconsistent. Managers do not maintain effective monitoring of staff practice or identify significant shortfalls in a timely manner. Failures in staff practice are not identified, challenged or addressed. This weak oversight limits Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 5 opportunities for improvement and compromises the home’s ability to safeguard and promote children’s welfare effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not ensure that staff provide clear, accurate accounts of incidents. Reports often lack key information, and inconsistencies in recording style make them difficult to understand. Managers do not challenge this practice, hindering their ability to evaluate the appropriateness of staff responses or identify patterns and emerging risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Supervision arrangements are insufficient. Managers do not receive consistent supervision from the responsible individual to ensure effective leadership and accountability. One manager did not receive supervision for a 4-month period. Staff supervision is also inconsistent and does not routinely include reflective discussion about the children. As a result, opportunities to provide challenge and promote positive outcomes for children are overlooked.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff report that they feel well supported by leaders and describe them as approachable. Team meetings are held regularly and provide opportunities to discuss children's plans. However, managers do not consistently use these meetings to address identified shortfalls in practice. Incident reviews identify learning, but this is not routinely shared with the wider staff team. Consequently, opportunities to improve practice and strengthen staff knowledge are missed, which has the potential to adversely affect the quality of care provided to children. Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 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 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; and

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably; 27 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 7 provide to children personal items that are appropriate for their age and understanding; and

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice.

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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

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(c)(i)(ii)))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the improvement of home conditions and safety hazards being addressed promptly. In addition, managers must ensure that children’s individual needs are considered and met with effective care.

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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

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 27 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 8 are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to managers ensuring that staff are proactive in responding to risks and ensuring that safety measures are prompt and prevent further risk of harm. This includes managing environmental risks adequately.

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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

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; 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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h)) 27 September 2026

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)) 27 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 9 This relates to managers ensuring that physical intervention is only used as a last resort and when the threshold is met.

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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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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

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 ("the user"), 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

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Requirement Due date

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

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that incidents involving physical intervention receive an appropriate response and are suitably recorded. 27 September 2026 Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 10 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. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

Managers must ensure that all significant incidents are notified and contain sufficient detail that reflects the seriousness of the incident. 27 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: SC065855 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Latoya Morgan, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC065855 12 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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