Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bedford

Inspection report children's home: SC476251 1 SC476251 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

This home provides care and accommodation for children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and who are at risk of or subject to child sexual exploitation. A large organisation owns and operates this provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

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

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good

Date of last inspection: 12 December 2016

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children form positive, trusting relationships with the staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children’s key-work sessions are used to help them to reflect on their Inspection report children's home: SC476251 2 behaviours.  The children contribute to the way in which situations are managed. They are able to speak about their thoughts and feelings in a way that enables them to demonstrate that they have learned from situations.  The staff assist the transition of children into new placements. This support includes helping with transition into a semi-independent provision, and providing a period of outreach sessions.  Children are supported to learn to develop a safer approach to risk taking.  The staff are helping the children to become excited about their progress and their futures.  Children rarely go missing from the home despite having histories of going missing.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/10/2016 Full Good 09/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/09/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC476251 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out and another has moved in. The social worker for the child who has moved out spoke positively about the child’s placement and the support that the home had offered her. The social worker said, ‘[The child] liked it at the home. She got on well with the manager and her key worker. She would talk to them, despite her [child] not trusting people.’ The social worker also spoke positively about the staff team, in particular how they had helped the child with her transition into the semi-independent provision and provided a number of outreach sessions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Throughout the first day of the inspection, it was clear that the child who was due to move on from the home felt comfortable and at ease with the staff. She referred to the home as being a family. The child proudly showed inspectors her memory book that contained pictures of her taking part in activities both in and outside the home. She excitedly recounted the events in each picture. The memory book provides the child with photographic reminders of her time living at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are currently enjoying their summer holiday break from school. The on-site school adapts the children’s timetable to meet their individual needs. The education plans are clearly written. The plans identify areas in which the child struggles, and list actions that the staff can take to promote positive behaviour and engagement. The school staff and the care staff communicate regularly to ensure that each team is aware of anything that may be affecting the children. The care staff, at times, offer support in the classroom to enable the children to engage in their lessons. One child has sat her mathematics and English GCSEs a year early. An alternative education provision has been identified for her because, although she attends the school, she is reluctant to engage fully. The identification of a more suitable placement is in progress because the staff recognise that this will help the child to maximise her potential. Although her

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

educational attendance is intermittent, the child’s social worker is very positive about the overall changes and progress in the time that she has lived at the home. The social worker said that he can see that the team has invested in the child, and believes that the staff have created an atmosphere that enables the child to feel safe and secure. During the inspection, the child presented as positive and clear about her plans. She spoke excitedly about what the new college placement has to offer. The manager and the child’s key worker mirrored this enthusiasm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children’s health plans identify their current strengths and areas for development. The staff ensure that the children undergo routine health checks. The plans specify individualised goals and targets. The recorded outcomes make it easy to identify the children’s progress. Inspection report children's home: SC476251 4 The children are developing the skills to reflect on their behaviour and interactions. This reflection helps them to take more responsibility for their actions and their personal safety. The children’s key-work discussions demonstrate that they are able to reflect on their behaviours. They are also able to contribute to the way in which some situations are managed. This is a strength of the home. The children speak about their feelings in a way that enables them to demonstrate what they have learned from the particular events. The children have access to an advocacy service, which provides them with an

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

independent source of advice and support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have an investment in the home and contribute to the way in which it is managed. The children have allocated tasks, which they select based on their preferences. These tasks give them a sense of ownership and responsibility. The staff actively seek and incorporate the children’s views into the everyday running of the home. Children have been involved in interviewing their potential key workers and new staff. They have produced PowerPoint presentations of questions for the professionals who are involved in their care. The children have also contributed to the staff members’ annual appraisals, offering valuable insight and comments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children take part in a wide range of activities of their choosing. This level of choice results in higher participation levels. During the inspection, one of the children was excited to be going to the gym. On her return, she was happily speaking about how she is fitter than the staff member who had accompanied her.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The house offers a homely environment that is well decorated and maintained. Despite some recent high levels of incidents, there are minimal signs of damage. The manager had to implement temporary arrangements, such as using plastic plates and utensils, in response to volatile behaviour, in order to safeguard everyone at the home. However, as soon as one of the children had moved on and the volatile behaviour was no longer an issue, the manager refurnished the home. During the inspection, one of the children rushed to show that the kitchen had been restocked with crockery, glasses, and mugs. The lounge and games room had all the soft furnishings and ornaments back in place. The children understood why safety measures were taken, and demonstrated the value that they put on living in a homely and comfortable environment.

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

The manager undertakes effective matching assessments to consider new admissions. The plans identify risks and the actions to be taken to reduce the risks. The most recent assessments reflect the potential for challenging behaviour, and that the manager had put in extra staffing to minimise the risks. The staff rotas demonstrated sufficient staffing, including increased staffing ratios, to care for the children safely.

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

The location risk assessment is clear and detailed. The manager reviews the risk assessment at least annually, to ensure that it reflects the control measures that minimise the risks to the children. Inspection report children's home: SC476251 5 The care staff, children, and clinical staff describe how the children are supported to become increasingly safer. The children's risk-taking behaviours have reduced. Some of the school staff commented on the reduction in the number of incidents that have taken place in class. The care staff and the manager participate in multi-agency meetings to maintain a network of safety around the children. The minutes of one of these meetings detailed that one child’s level of risk had reduced from high to medium.

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

The staff are knowledgeable about the children and the progress that they continue to make. The staff, in conjunction with the organisation’s clinical team, create community access plans. These plans encourage the children to build a safer approach to risk taking. Gradually increasing unsupervised time in the community is part of the home’s approach to helping the children to become safer and take more responsibility for their own safety.

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

Missing-from-care incidents continue to be very low in frequency and duration. The manager continually highlights the statutory duty on the placing authorities to provide return-from-missing interviews. The children participate in discussions with the staff on their return to the home. A recent example involved a child accepting her part in a miscommunication that could have led to her being reported as missing.

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

The use of physical intervention is infrequent and brief in duration The records show the staff member’s and child’s reflections of any incidents. The records detail a body map, staff comments and the child’s comments or feelings captured by emojis. The use of emojis is to increase the likelihood that the child will express a view about the incident. The staff are now completing the records within the required timescale. This addresses a requirement made at the last inspection. The use of reflective debriefings gives the opportunity to review the lessons learned by the staff and the children.

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

Bullying occurs infrequently. If an incident does happen, the staff support the children to speak about their experience. The staff hold key-work sessions with the bully to address the issue.

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

The children develop a sense of safety and learn to recognise their rights. The staff use resources such as the Barnardo’s Be Wise programme to help the children recognise potential dangers when using the internet. The staff undertake valuable work with the children about the risks of child sexual exploitation, and sexual consent. One of the children talked clearly about her right ‘to say no’, following discussions with staff and linking this to issues portrayed in television programmes.

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

The designated officer confirmed that the home had appropriately referred safeguarding concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager, who has been registered at this home since May 2016, is experienced in children’s social care. She holds a level 3 qualification in residential childcare and a level Inspection report children's home: SC476251 6 4 qualification in both management and residential childcare. The manager has a good understanding of each of the children’s needs. She confidently describes the children’s progress and their areas of strength.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager seeks the children’s input into the way in which the home is managed, to help them to feel a sense of ownership in their care. The children contribute to the recruitment of the staff. The manager has found creative ways in which to incorporate the children’s views into the way that the home is managed. For example, the children have provided feedback about the staff for their annual appraisals. This feedback encourages the staff to review their practice from the children’s perspective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has supported the staff and children through their grief following the sudden death of a former resident. The manager has invited specialist staff, including drug and alcohol workers, to speak with the children and the staff team. This is helping the children and the staff to begin to recover from this experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager operates an open-door policy for the children and the staff. A staff member spoke positively about the home and the work atmosphere. She said, ‘I love it. It is a lovely place to be. I can’t wait to get going on my level 3 training.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff undertake a range of mandatory training. This includes managing child sexual exploitation, supervising contact, safeguarding, managing drug and alcohol misuse, and physical intervention. The staff described their supervision sessions as supportive and a place for reflection. They described the managers as approachable and proactive leaders. The staff use the team meetings to discuss the children’s progress and strategies, and they have had group discussions about the death of the former resident. These discussions included a member of the clinical team to ensure that the staff had access to group and individual space to reflect on their grief.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The two requirements made at the last inspection are now met as:  The staff receive regular training in mandatory and developmental areas. This includes supervising contact training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

 The staff are recording any use of physical interventions appropriately and within the expected timescale.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good examples of the managers working in partnership with other professionals and the children’s families. When there are differences in opinions or views, the manager ensures that these differences are discussed and worked through.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When significant events occur, the staff notify Ofsted in a timely manner. The staff provide detailed reports and any required updates. These high-quality reports enable Ofsted to gain insight into the running of the home and any significant events.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An independent visitor monitors the home each month. The visitor’s reports give a clear overview of the events at the home and identify any areas that the visitor feels the manager needs to address. The manager uses these reports as part of her auditing Inspection report children's home: SC476251 7 process. The manager completes a review of the quality of care at least every six months. She sets targets for the coming period and uses the report to assess the progress made against the targets, in order to drive improvement.

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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 differences 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 whom 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: SC476251 8

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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 Group, 4th Floor Waterfront Building, Chancellors Road, Hammersmith Embankment, London W6 9RU

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Inspector

Sonia Hay, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC476251 9 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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