Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC483856 1 SC483856 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 provides care for up to five young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is operated by a private company

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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 inadequate

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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: 20 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

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home’s registered manager has not been in full-time day-to-day management of this home, which has meant that shortfalls in practice have not Inspection report children’s home: SC483856 2 been identified. The home is not achieving its outcomes as set out in the statement of purpose.  There have been multiple placement breakdowns due, in part, to poor consideration and matching of young people’s needs, inconsistent management and inexperienced staff.  Young people engage in repeated risk-taking behaviours including, but not restricted to, fire setting, cannabis and alcohol misuse, criminality, serious damage to property, and assaults on agency staff members in particular.  Home conditions are frequently poor and the home and its contents are regularly damaged by young people. Young people have not respected the fabric and furnishings of the home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The organisation has appointed a new manager, who has demonstrated some progress in the home in the few weeks that she has been in post.  Senior managers are now aware of the shortfalls and have put plans in place to help address these. This includes the discharge of children whose placements had broken down, which had led to the home becoming unsettled.  Young people who remain living at the home maintain trusting relationships with staff that are close to them. This enables young people to express their emotions and adapt their behaviours.  Young people develop a wide knowledge of multi-culturalism due to the diverse staff team working at the home.  Young people are in education and have achieved over 96% attendance at education.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/08/2016 Full Good 23/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC483856 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard (2)(c)(i) In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person must ensure that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child. Specifically, this relates to the home’s decor and damage to the home, outside buildings and furnishings. 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard (3)(b) Ensure that children receive care from staff who can meet the child’s needs. Specifically, this relates to careful matching of children prior to admission into the home. 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard (2)(a) Ensure that there is a registered person to 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. 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard (2)(c) In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must ensure that the staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff (4)(b) The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

33: Employment of staff (4)(c) The registered person must ensure that all employees have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. 31/08/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC483856 4 46: Review of premises (1) The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year, taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c). Specifically, this relates to ensure that local intelligence regarding the supply of illegal drugs is included within the review of premises. 31/08/2017

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject of a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Ensure that all staff are aware and implement the behaviour management policy; that is describes the home’s approach to promoting positive behaviour and the measures of control, restraint and discipline which may be used in the home. These measures should be seen as part of the overall strategy for behaviour and relationship management in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 36, paragraph 8.14)  The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care that they need. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 43, paragraph 10.2)  Ensure that those responsible for the day-to-day running of homes, including

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Recommendations

leadership teams in large homes and specialist advisers within the various settings, play a key role in enabling the registered person to fulfil the requirements of this standard. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, April 2015, page 44, paragraph 10.3)

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improvement to be good

The home environment is damaged. Bare, unpapered walls, holes in plasterwork and torn furniture lead to an unwelcoming feel. Inappropriate graffiti adorns the outdoor seating area, which the main living areas looks out on. Washing was observed to be left hanging from door frames and across tables. Staff waited three months to have a new dryer, which was delivered on the day of the inspection. This results in a home that looks uncared for. There have been inconsistencies in the staff team due to the regular use of agency and Inspection report children’s home: SC483856 5 staff from other children’s homes, to cover shifts in the home. Consequently, young people have failed to make strong and trusting relationships with staff, which impacts on their emotional resilience and ability to form positive attachments. This has improved in the last four weeks following a reduction in the number of young people living in the home. As a result, there has not been a need to have additional

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improvement to be good

staff. Young people who continue to live at the home make meaningful connections with staff because they know that staff understand their backgrounds and experiences. Young people are cared for by a multi-cultural team and, as a result, develop a wider knowledge of cultural differences. Young people are much more prepared to live in a multi-cultural society as a result of living in this home. Staff have not managed the behaviour of young people consistently. Young people have individual behaviour management plans and staff are provided with specific guidance on individual methods of managing behaviour. Despite this, staff had not consistently followed this guidance and, as a result, young people’s behaviour was very challenging. This is reflected in records at the home, which include the fire-setting of toilet rolls in the home, serious assaults on staff (including agency staff), and criminal damage. This inconsistent approach fails to enable young people to understand their

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improvement to be good

own behaviour in order to address the same and make essential changes beneficial to their future. However, since the recent discharge of young people from the home, the home has become more settled. The remaining two young people have lived at the home for over 18 months and did not engage in the disruptive and criminal behaviour. Young people now have a greater sense of safety living at the home. Staff have had an opportunity to reflect on their practice and, together with the appointment of a new manager, feel stronger as a staff team to improve on their behaviour management techniques in the future. Positive education outcomes are a key strength and include the reintegration of young people into specialist education at the on-site school. Young people improve their education opportunities, improve attendance, and some are looking forward to completing their options alongside their peers at school.

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improvement to be good

Care planning arrangements are good. Young people who are placed have a residential care plan, a behaviour management plan, and a healthcare plan. Plans are routinely updated, and changes including long-term arrangements and revised risk analysis are completed. Similarly, young people routinely benefit from planned one-to-one sessions to address the aims of the placement, behaviours or areas for concern. Consequently, there is a clear structure to assist young people to make changes in their lives and to help them to achieve their placement objectives. Young people are supported to maintain appropriate contact with their families. Some of the young people live a long way from home and there are serious risks for them back in their home areas. As a result, contact is generally carefully planned and supervised closely. Young people appreciate the help and support that they receive from staff to attend

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improvement to be good

regular health checks. Specialist help from the home’s own clinical psychologist helps Inspection report children’s home: SC483856 6 young people to understand their feelings and anxieties and improves their emotional well-being. Eating healthily, and thoroughly enjoying a new range of more physical activities, keeps young people physically fit and they experience a great sense of achievement.

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improvement to be good

Poor managerial oversite of the home and inconsistencies in staffing have resulted in staff being unable to support young people’s behaviour. Inexperienced staff have not been skilled in de-escalating situations and have not helped young people to develop the ability to self-regulate their behaviour. As a result, young people have been given notice by the home and the young people have had to move on to other placements. This is not suggestive of well-thought-out placement matching. The number of physical interventions at the home has increased. This is as a result of poor communication between staff and young people, thus preventing most young people to manage their behaviour appropriately. Poor boundaries have stopped young people from understanding the expectations for their behaviour. This means that young people have not been supported to develop socially acceptable behaviour. Young people have failed to understand how to interact with others in the local area and keep

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improvement to be good

themselves safe, which has resulted in anti-social behaviour in the community. Cannabis misuse had been an issue for some young people, who have since been discharged from the home. Although staff made every effort to engage the young people in key-worker sessions about the harmful effects of cannabis misuse, this had little impact. Local drug dealers have been targeting the young people living at the home and have given them cannabis free of charge. This increased the young people’s vulnerability and placed them at risk of future demands from the dealers. Staff at the home have been working with the local police community support officer and police to ensure that there is collaborative working, to make sure that young people are safe. This has resulted in one dealer being sentenced for their crimes. The home’s safe area risk assessment fails to go into detail about the issues about drugs in the area; it is

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improvement to be good

required to accurately reflect the area, so that controls can be put in place to minimise impact. Young people currently living in the home do not engage in risk-taking behaviour, such as smoking tobacco and cannabis. While incidents of young people going missing from the home have increased since the last inspection, the remaining young people do not go missing from the home. Personalised risk assessments help to inform staff about the specific areas of risk for each young person. This enables staff to respond in the most appropriate manner. These assessments are updated following an incident of concern. Recent improvements in developing clear safeguarding policies and procedures, coupled with staff training, have strengthened staff practice and routines in the home. Young people’s safety is more assured due to managers and staff having clear guidance about how to identity, explore and report concerns.

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improvement to be good

Inspection report children’s home: SC483856 7 Effective working relationships with local police mean that a strong network of support is available to young people. Police visit the home, helping to break down barriers, as young people become familiar with their presence and have more understanding of their role in the community. Young people’s safety is further promoted by the appropriate vetting of staff. There are thorough recruitment processes in place, which mean that young people are protected from adults who may wish to harm them. Young people benefit from living in a home which has a safe and secure environment. Regular safety checks ensure that equipment works well and presents no risks to young people. Fire drills are regularly undertaken in line with organisational policy, and all young people are conversant with the need to evacuate from time to time, maintaining vigilance and, thus, safety for all.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The registered manager has not been present in the home sufficiently to ensure that good systems are in place and, thus, to ensure young people’s continuous progress. A decision was made by the organisation for the registered manager to work for two days a week in this home, and a further three days a week in another of the organisation’s home some 160 miles away. This significantly impacted on the ability of the registered manager to provide leadership in the home. Staff were left unsupported and demoralised and a number of staff made the decision to move on from the home. The registered manager has since resigned from her position and a new manager has been appointed. The new manager has confirmed that she will submit her application into Ofsted to become registered. The responsible individual was clear throughout the inspection that lessons have been learned, and the new manager has the full support

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

from the organisation to move the home forward. The home’s statement of purpose states ‘Our vision at X House is to provide the highest possible level of care to the young people that reside at the home and to promote a relaxed and nurturing environment…’ And, ‘Our aim is to provide outstanding individualised care packages… that we support in a homely atmosphere.’ None of the above have been achieved for the majority of young people placed in the home. Young people have not made positive progress in line with their care plans, they have lived in an environment characterised by chaos, and they have exposed themselves and others to risk. Although placement matching takes place and there are impact assessments for young people, the young people placed have undoubtedly had a negative influence on each other and have contributed to escalating each other’s behaviours. As such, the matching activity is not robust or effective to ensure positive matches, which will result

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

in minimal impact on young people. The supervision and support of staff is weak. Supervision is not undertaken regularly or at the frequency outlined in the organisation’s own policy. In addition, staff reported that they hadn’t had an annual appraisal. Both of these shortfalls do not promote staff development, or provide them with opportunities to reflect on their practice. While Inspection report children’s home: SC483856 8 senior staff working in the home are appropriately qualified, eight of the nine care staff have yet to obtain a level 3 childcare qualification. As a result, staff may not have the skills or experience to respond to young people in the most appropriate manner. Partnership working positively affects young people’s school attendance. Good information sharing ensures that young people receive a consistent message about the importance of education and very clear expectations about their behaviour. Young

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

people re-engage with, and enjoy, full-time education because staff work alongside teaching staff and mental health agencies. The registered provider has appointed an independent Regulation 44 visitor, who undertakes regular visits to the home and reports on their findings. This means that the quality of care and welfare of young people is adequately monitored. Reports are sent to Ofsted in a timely manner and reflect accurately the current situation in the home. Consequently, the regulator has the opportunity to assess how well the home is responding to issues that may be identified to improve the service. The management team promotes and embraces feedback, including issues arising from independent and internal monitoring processes. However, new ideas and emerging practice are not yet embedded throughout the managerial and staffing culture.

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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: SC483856 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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Inspector

Elaine Clare, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC483856 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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