Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Barnsley

Inspection report children’s home: SC482419 1 SC482419 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is a privately run children’s home. It provides care and accommodation for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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 outstanding

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good

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

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC482419 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children and young people living at the home are provided with stability of care from an established and committed staff team.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Children’s and young people’s complex behaviours are clearly understood. The manager and staff are skilled at identifying the triggers to negative behaviours and respond appropriately.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff, in consultation with the child or young person, facilitate a range of activities tailored to children’s and young people’s individual needs and interests.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Individual risks assessments are in place, and are regularly updated, that inform current practice. This is undertaken collaboratively with the young person and in participation with other professionals to ensure that current risks are agreed.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager has developed systems that ensure effective monitoring and auditing processes. This underpins good practice and promotes a shared responsibility in promoting the welfare and protection of the children and young people living at the home.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Contact with family members is promoted when this is assessed to be in the best interests of the child or young person.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 29/11/2016 Full Good 01/02/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 10/08/2015 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC482419 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in their efforts in building trusting relationships that have enabled the children and young people to develop attachments and share their worries and anxieties. Children’s and young people’s health and well-being are promoted, physical health needs are addressed by facilitating regular exercise through football in the local park, swimming and regular walks in the countryside.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

For one young person, being able to go fishing and being trusted to go alone has seen a measureable improvement in his ability to regulate his emotions. ‘I just sometimes need time alone and think,’ he said. Staff are proactive in ensuring timely referrals to specialist services and for one young person, involvement with the youth offending service on a voluntary basis has seen the young person engage in prevention work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The education of two young people has been significantly disrupted due to them experiencing a number of placement moves. The manager and staff are ambitious in their efforts to secure and support the young people in not only achieving academically but in securing the right provision. One young person has responded well to the home tutoring provision that has been set up, and is now due to be reintegrated into mainstreaming schooling. The manager advocated for a reassessment of educational needs that has indicated academic ability beyond expectations. The young person who was supported to attend his looked after review cited, ‘I am happy to be nearer to my family and I wish to be in a normal school.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that the children’s and young people’s time is structured around activities that promote learning and are tailored to their individual likes and interests. Children and young people have responded well to behaviour incentives, they have made progress and have a range of positive experiences. The children and young people have participated in organising their summer holiday activity planner, with the understanding that acceptable behaviour is a pathway to enjoying chosen activities. As one child said, ‘I know that if I behave I get to do a paid activity such as swimming, but if I don’t behave staff take me to the park.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Facilitating contact and keeping the doors open for building and sustaining relationships with family members are nurtured. One child is being transitioned to the care of a relative. The work being undertaken by the key worker and the child is building the relationship with the relative that will see a positive end to the placement. The children and young people are helped and encouraged to understand their identity and family history and staff work hard at promoting a positive sense of self. Each child and young person has a journal/life story book that captures and records their achievements, memories and life events.

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

Young people have input in updating and developing their plans that are tailored to Inspection report children’s home: SC482419 4 delivering individual packages of care while still having consistency in terms of boundaries and structure. Risk assessments and behaviour management plans reflect local authority expectations. Finding a way to apply restrictions without being oppressive has been achieved in consultation with the child and young person that has seen a greater understanding of how to keep themselves safe. It has also seen an acceptance of the consequences or sanctions imposed for unacceptable or risk-taking behaviours.

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

Irrespective of the challenges that children and young people present, staff continue to place children at the centre of their practice. This has resulted in a greater understanding of the triggers to negative behaviours and this informs how staff respond. For one young person, the manager stated, ‘X (young person) can go from nought to a 100 and back down again in a few minutes. Once calm, we can have a reasonable and productive conversation.’ For another young person, the manager stated, ‘Y (young person) starts off play fighting that can get out of hand. We know immediately what strategies to use to prevent it escalating.’ Understanding young people’s behaviours and implementing safeguarding measures has seen a significant reduction in the use of physical restraint.

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

Young people rarely engage in going missing from care, drug or alcohol misuse or self- harm. There are plans and procedures in place that underpin safe practice and staff are fully up to date with known risks and how to respond appropriately.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is suitably qualified and possesses exceptional leadership skills. She is influential and confident in her approach in promoting and achieving the best outcomes for children and young people in her care. For one young person, facilitating regular supervised contact with family members overseas has ensured a continued sense of belonging and the opportunity to maintain links with his community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has a very ‘hands-on’ approach and knows the children and young people in her care very well. She has developed effective working relationships with partner agencies and education providers and is not averse to challenge and takes action when decisions are made that are not in the child’s or young person’s best interests. This has seen a reduction for one child who was regularly having fixed exclusions from school.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Assessing referral documentation and completing impact assessments is a key strength, with the manager and staff ensuring that child-centred decisions about children coming to live at the home are made, while giving due consideration to the needs of children and young people already living at the home. Potential risks are clearly understood and plans are in place that mitigate risk-taking behaviours. For one young person, having a sensible but robust approach to unsupervised time in the community has seen a significant reduction in going missing from care episodes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff and the manager work as a team in providing consistency and high-quality care underpinned by the individualised child’s or young person’s plans that clearly identify their needs. The child’s or young person’s voice is clearly reflected in the placement and Inspection report children’s home: SC482419 5 care planning process, fostering a sense of shared ownership where opinions, wishes and feelings are ascertained. As one child stated, ‘I know where I stand. It’s all written down in ‘My Plan’. I am working towards going to live with my uncle.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Induction of new staff and promoting continuous professional development through supervision and appraisal are recognised by the manager as a means of ensuring that staff can meet the specific and often complex needs of the children and young people they are looking after. For one new member of staff it has been, ‘A new challenge, there was no growth in my previous job. I have received a good induction, shadowed shifts and following a particularly difficult incident been debriefed by my manager. She was really good and supportive.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Monitoring and auditing processes are robust and varied. The manager has devised data that informs trends and patterns, such as the number of episodes of going missing and incidents within the home that result in damage to self, others or property. Evaluating such data ensures effective action and in implementing safe practice. Consultation and feedback with children, young people, parents and professionals are used to improve the experiences and care of children and young people.

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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: SC482419 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Fitzsimmons

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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Amber Walker-O’Brien

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Inspector

Cath Sikakana: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC482419 7 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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