Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Northumberland

Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare LTD

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is operated by a private provider. It provides care for up to 2 children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in February 2024.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

Two children have moved out of the home since the last inspection. At the time of this inspection, there was one child living in the home who was spoken with during the inspection.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/05/2025 Full Good 23/04/2024 Full Good 23/05/2023 Full Good 26/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 3

p.2

Summary of findings

Children make progress and are particularly well supported with their health, education and keeping safe. The manager and staff take time to build trusting relationships with children and ensure that they can spend time with their family and doing activities that they enjoy. The manager has a good oversight of the home and advocates on behalf of the children, while being able to recognise where there are areas for improvement. When one child’s needs could not be met, the manager worked with relevant professionals to help the child to move on to a new home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into the home, there is a thorough planning process and careful consideration of their needs. The manager and staff helped one child move on as smoothly as possible after they had only lived in the home for a short period. The manager recognised that staff could not meet the child’s needs and helped the child move to a more suitable home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is bright and welcoming with a family atmosphere. Children’s photos and certificates of achievement are displayed on the walls, helping the children feel proud and valued. Staff support children to personalise their bedrooms and to make decisions about how to use communal areas, such as having a gaming lounge.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make progress because staff develop a good understanding of the children’s needs. The child who lives in the home said they are very happy there. Staff build positive relationships with the children and ensure that they can take part in lots of activities, such as football, boxing and going to the gym. One child recently went on a special holiday abroad.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure that children spend time with important people. Family members are welcomed into the home, where it is safe to do so, and family members say they are happy with the care their child receives. When there are any problems with relationships, staff support children to share their views and act on these. When progress is not made, staff support children to have advocates and challenge professionals on their behalf.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff are aspirational for children and celebrate their achievements. Staff support children to attend school and challenge professionals, when the education children receive is not sufficient. Two children have recently completed their secondary education and staff have supported them to think about their next steps.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children’s health needs well and support them to attend health appointments and seek medical advice where necessary. The manager’s and staff’s care for children is assisted by a mental health practitioner, who offers advice about meeting Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 4 the children’s emotional health needs. This guidance is well used, and children experience good care as a result.

p.3

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

Care plans and risk assessments are detailed and individualised to the child. They are updated regularly to reflect the changing needs of children and provide staff with guidance on how to respond to risk and keep children safe.

p.4

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

Staff talk with children regularly about matters relating to their safety and wellbeing, such as sexual relationships, alcohol and vaping. Furthermore, appropriate safeguarding measures are used to keep children safe when they use the internet and mobile devices.

p.4

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

When children go missing from home, staff follow agreed protocols and go and look for children and help them to return safely. The manager and staff know the children well. When they sense something is not right, they take appropriate action to ensure that children are safe.

p.4

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

If a child needs to be restrained for their safety, staff record incidents in detail and engage children in post-incident discussions to help children reflect on the event and explore safer ways to cope. The manager has good oversight of incidents to ensure that staff practice is scrutinised and that any holds that are used are safe and proportionate.

p.4

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

The police were called to the home on one occasion to support the staff with managing a child’s behaviour. The manager has reflected on this incident and has noted that police assistance was not necessary. Learning has been completed and there have been no further police callouts.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a very good understanding of the children and their needs and is insightful about children’s previous experiences and how these may affect children’s wellbeing. The manager has high expectations for children and advocates on their behalf to ensure that they have what they need and are entitled to.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions and team meetings happen regularly and are reflective. Training is up to date, and additional training takes place around specific needs, such as bereavement. When there are any concerns about staff practice these are addressed with the member of staff appropriately. Additionally, any concerns raised about staff practice are investigated and there is additional oversight from the responsible individual to ensure that the right outcome is reached.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the team’s strengths and areas of development and is supporting staff to make improvements. The manager’s oversight of incidents and children’s records gives them a deeper understanding about what is going well in the home and where Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 5 improvements are needed. Since the last inspection, there has been a clear improvement in the quality of records and the language used by staff when writing about the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say they enjoy working in the home and feel supported by the manager. There have been some staffing issues, with 2 staff members leaving close together. Staff from other homes have covered some shifts and this has caused some disruption for children. New staff have been appointed and there is now a full staff team. The new staff have received a thorough induction prior to commencing work in the home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations were made at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 6

p.5

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: 2496864 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare LTD

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4th Floor Park View, 82 Oxford Rd, Uxbridge UB8 1UX

p.7

Inspector

Amy Groom, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 8 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.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8