Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report children's home: SC456719 1 SC456719 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

The home is owned by a large private provider and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. Two of the placements are facilitated from accommodation in an annex, providing contracted emergency arrangements for one local authority.

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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: 25 January 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 There has been a period of change across the service, which has impacted on children and staff. This appears to be linked in part to the resignation of the registered manager. Inspection report children's home: SC456719 2  Outcomes for children and young people are not consistently good.  Staff are not able to enforce expected boundaries and routines. This has impacted broadly on daily life in the home, including children opting not to attend school.  Some children and young people are not confident in the complaints procedures. Additionally, records required by regulation when a complaint is raised are not maintained.  There has been at least one incident where a child’s welfare was not prioritised, resulting in the child being left in police custody for an extended period of time.  A delay in addressing identified environmental maintenance means that children are not cared for in a well-maintained environment.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Care planning is not fully effective. An individual need identified on referral paperwork for a child had not been incorporated into placement planning and staff were unware of the specific care need.  Weaknesses in record keeping have meant that there is not always a full record of the care provided. Additionally, the weaknesses in records noted on this inspection had not been identified and actioned by managers, highlighting shortfalls in management oversight.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and staff have developed positive relationships. Children confirmed that they feel able to talk to staff and some have developed attachments and trust, which have built up over time.  The staff have remained committed through a period of change and instability. This has included changes to the children and young people in placement, and the manager resigning. However, staff have remained resilient through a period of unsettled behaviours and incidents.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Good 18/11/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/05/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children's home: SC456719 3

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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, 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 (2) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(v)) 15/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39(3)) 15/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14(1)(a)) 15/06/2017

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Recommendations

 Staff should be 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 standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The children’s home should be a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children. The home will, in most cases, be a homely, domestic environment. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). In particular, this relates to the need to promptly progress the maintenance works the team has identified as necessary. Inspection report children's home: SC456719 4

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improvement to be good

There have been recent changes in the group of children and young people living at the home, and the registered manager has recently moved on, leaving a gap in the management team. This change in staffing is linked to areas of weakness identified on this inspection. Staff say they note that the impact of two young people recently moving out has been positive for the remaining children and young people. One child said about the home, ‘It’s ok here.’ A young person spoke confidently about the progress she has made since moving into the home. A young person using the emergency bed spoke with the inspector before leaving to return home after being placed for two emergency overnights. He confirmed he was cared for independently from the main house and that staff were with him at all times. He was engaged in activities, including arranging and preparing meals. As a result, he felt comfortable and supported during a time of personal

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improvement to be good

crisis. There are several areas of environmental maintenance work that need to be completed. While this work had already been identified, and apparently listed as needing to be completed, the delay in its completion means that areas of the home appear in a state of disrepair. For example, the exterior of some windows show obvious signs of needing full decoration or replacement. Several kitchen doors are missing and there is damage to floor boards in a communal area of the home. The inspection recommends that these issues are addressed without further delay to ensure that children and young people live comfortably in a well-maintained, homely environment. The effectiveness of behaviour management strategies are mixed. A parent spoke positively about practice in the home saying, ‘They have dealt with my child’s behaviours well, staff are able to talk her down.’ A social worker reflected in discussion how the child

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improvement to be good

she works with had progressed positively when she first moved in, responding well to the, ’structured boundaries, consistent manager, leading to settled behaviours being seen’. However, this stability did not last, resulting in the placement being ended. A young person who has been in placement for approximately six months said that she has become more self-aware and reflective on the consequences of her own behaviours. Physical holds are used by staff only as a last resort to reduce the potential for harm. Following comments received from the independent visitor, the manager is evaluating the effectiveness of sanctions, such as supervised spending of pocket money, as this has been found to not always be effective. At the time of the inspection, it was apparent that staff were struggling to reinforce some boundaries and routines. These included children ignoring staff requests for them not to cook hot food very late in the evening, children

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improvement to be good

refusing to attend school, and children leaving the home without consent. Children and young people have developed positive relationships with staff. They are confident to seek support and enjoy spending time with staff. A young person said, ‘The staff here have fought for me, not a lot of places would do that. I now have the independent living placement to move into that I want.’ The young person confirmed that this meant that she felt listened to and that her views are important. However, this positive comment is offset by the same young person not being confident to use the Inspection report children's home: SC456719 5 complaints procedure. Educational outcomes are mixed. An education professional confirms that joint working is good and that there is a good exchange of information between care and school staff. As a result, staff are fully aware of pertinent issues which may impact on care and education. One young person has just completed exams at the end of a further

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improvement to be good

education course and is feeling confident about achieving the grades she is wanting. She has aspirations for a higher education course to support her chosen career. She talked enthusiastically about the positive support she has received with her revision prior to the exams, saying that one particular female member of staff had spent so much time with her that she could probably pass the exam herself. This same young person expressed disappointment that not all staff knew which exams she was taking. One child has recently started to refuse to attend school. It is apparent that staff are unable to set firm boundaries to ensure attendance. This means that educational needs are not always met in full. Children and young people are supported to keep healthy. They are encouraged to make healthy food choices and to attend for required check-ups with health professionals. When children and young people decline an appointment, staff spend time talking to

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improvement to be good

them about the importance of health monitoring. When health needs change, staff look to obtain guidance from a relevant health professional. For example, they are seeking advice regarding asthma medication to ensure that a young person’s current prescription is still necessary. Children, young people and parents say that contact arrangements are supported. Parents are welcomed to visit the home to see their children and young people. This is particularly valuable for children and young people who are placed far from their home area. Parents are confident in the staff and say that they are kept updated about their child’s care and progress.

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improvement to be good

Children and young people do not always become safer after moving to this home. One child is presenting several new, and concerning, behaviours since her admission. For example, she has fallen into a pattern of frequently leaving the home without consent, which puts her at increased risk of harm. While managers feel that, on paper, the mix of children and young people placed together were appropriate when the decisions to admit were made, they acknowledge that the subsequent group dynamics have resulted in incidents occurring where some children and young people were made extremely vulnerable. Two particular safeguarding events stand out within this inspection. One involved children and young people barricading themselves into a room and subsequently setting fire to items, such as towels and bedding. Staff responded promptly and the fires were extinguished and an emergency call was made to the fire service. The fire service

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improvement to be good

confirmed to Ofsted that they are content with the response made to the events by staff, while also making some suggestions to strengthen practice further. The organisation undertook a review of events and is taking forward learning to ensure that staff are more Inspection report children's home: SC456719 6 confident in the use of fire extinguishers. This inspection also identifies a delay in responding to the welfare needs of a child who had been left alone by peers in a city centre in the early hours of the morning. While the child’s safety was being maintained by the police, the age and vulnerabilities of the child made it very inappropriate for her to remain in police care for longer than necessary. This raises concerns that children and young people’s welfare needs are not always prioritised. The service took what they felt as necessary action to end two placements due to safeguarding concerns for individuals and the group of residents as a whole. This was in

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improvement to be good

part as a result of the serious incident in the home involving fire setting. The change in peer group has led to a reduction in incidents in the home and also a lower number of missing from care events. The provider organisation has well-developed and established policies and procedures to promote the safety and well-being of children and young people. This means that staff are aware of national guidance about safeguarding children, including having undertaken awareness raising training in relation to radicalisation and the Prevent agenda. The service has a broad range of risk assessment documentation setting out risk management strategies. These strategies provide staff with guidance about individual and group needs and help promote the safety and well-being of children and young people. When children and young people go missing, staff follow company protocols, taking action to secure the return of children and young people, reporting concerns about

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improvement to be good

children being missing from the home to involved parties and the police. While there has not been a high number of complaints, records for the three received from children and young people lack the required level of information to demonstrate how effective the investigations were. A young person told the inspector that she did not feel that her complaint had been looked into properly. This means that children and young people are not fully confident in their concerns being taken seriously and acted on.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has a vacancy for the role of registered manager, after the individual holding the position resigned. The deputy manager has stepped up to act as the interim manager. This is a short-term arrangement while the recruitment processes for the newly appointed permanent manager are completed. While the deputy manager has been working hard to cover both roles, the registered manager vacancy has impacted negatively on the service. The inspection was supported by the interim manager and the responsible individual from the provider organisation. They acknowledged the weaknesses identified on this inspection and immediately started putting together plans to address the issues. This management team understands the progress each child is making and actively promotes tolerance, equality and diversity. Managers are always looking to adjust plans to promote improved outcomes for each child and young person. For example, they have arranged a

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

meeting with a school to agree how best to support a child to return to a full-time Inspection report children's home: SC456719 7 programme after a period of refusing to attend. The service is not fully meeting the aims and objectives of the home’s statement of purpose. For example, there is a failure to evidence in records that complaints are fully investigated. Staff and managers have forged positive relationships with external agencies and family members. It is apparent that staff consult with involved professionals and keep involved parties updated about children and young people’s care. Managers and staff value children and young people’s views and promote opportunities for their contribution to care arrangements. For example, there has been a recent introduction of a child and young person-specific placement plan, the structure of which was developed with a contribution by one particular young person.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Care planning is broadly effective; however, this inspection identified a specific area of need identified in placement planning, which was completely missed in the home’s plans. While there were no identified poor outcomes for the child involved, this lack of co- ordination in planning raises the potential for needs to go unmet. Staff are proud of the commitment of the team and say that they have felt supported by managers through recent difficult incidents and events. Because of the training that staff have been provided with, they have, for the most part, a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. However, there are areas of weakness. For example, daily records fail to consistently evidence the care provided, and entries in the home’s daily log are not always recorded as required by the organisation. The recommendation made at the time of the last inspection has been met. Managers

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

reviewed the structure of supervision and strengthened arrangements. Staff consistently confirm that there are opportunities to discuss practice issues with their manager. They receive one-to-one supervision and say that this time provides them with guidance and support relating to practice.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people who it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

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: SC456719 8 Inspection report children's home: SC456719 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cambian, Waterfront, Hammersmith Embankment, Chancellors Road, London W6 9RU

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Alison Blyth-Bishop

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Inspector

Mary Timms, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC456719 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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