Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC456330 1 SC456330

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Cambian Childcare Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns and operates this children’s home. The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children aged between 11 and 18 years who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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This monitoring visit

At the interim inspection on 13 September 2017, serious concerns were identified about the management of the home and the experiences of and progress for the children. As a result, a compliance notice was issued in relation to Regulation 13 of The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, alongside a notice restricting accommodation. The primary significant shortfalls related to:

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This monitoring visit

 A failure to provide effective management of the home.  A failure to monitor the quality of care and experiences for children effectively.  Lack of consistent care from staff who are adequately skilled and trained.  Inadequate responses to bullying.  A failure to notify relevant professionals about significant incidents.  Inaccurate and inadequate risk assessments.  Inadequate location risk assessment.  Inaccurate and incomplete rotas that failed to show which staff and managers had worked at the home.  A failure to follow up concerns about agency staff robustly and failure to demonstrate that suitability checks had been made for agency staff.

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This monitoring visit

On 16 October 2017, two social care regulatory inspectors undertook a monitoring inspection to review the action taken to address the steps in the compliance notice Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC456330 2 and to monitor the restriction of accommodation.

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This monitoring visit

The monitoring visit found that although some progress had been made, a number of significant concerns remained. Due to the serious matters identified, three further compliance notices were issued, relating to the protection of children, the leadership and management of the home and recording the details of hours worked by all staff at the home. The notice restricting accommodation, under Section 22B of the Care Standards Act 2000, remained in place.

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This monitoring visit

On 27 October 2017, a further monitoring inspection took place in direct response to a safeguarding notification that had been received by Ofsted. The registered manager reported, through this notification, that on 25 October 2017 several adult males had gained access to the home, unseen by the staff on duty, and that one male was found in a child’s bedroom.

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This monitoring visit

At the inspection on 27 October 2017, the registered manager advised the inspector that there had been a further incident, which had occurred on 26 October 2017, during which the same adult males had again accessed the drive and garden unseen by staff. The adult males went to a child’s bedroom window and tried to gain access by pulling at the window. The males were then seen walking away from the window by the staff. They were escorted from the property by the staff. The staff reported the incidents to the police.

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This monitoring visit

Security lighting is evident at the front of the property. However, this did not alert the staff to the intruders. A window with a broken lock has now been temporarily secured. It is not known how the adult males managed to access the bedroom of one child. An investigation into the incident has not yet been completed. Metal gates now remain closed across the driveway to deter intruders but these are not securely locked. Failure by the organisation to review the security measures effectively meant that there was an opportunity for unknown adult males to gain access to the home. This put vulnerable children and the staff at significant risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

During this monitoring inspection, the children’s bedroom windows were dirty and there were cigarette ends on the window sills. There was graffiti and obscene language on the exterior walls. Two broken bikes were propped up against the fence, which the registered manager advised that she thought the intruders may have used to get over the fence. The bikes had not been removed, despite the manager’s knowledge that they were there. This does not create a homely and child- friendly environment, nor does it help the children to respect or take care of their surroundings.

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This monitoring visit

On 26 October 2017, a senior manager in the organisation provided an action plan to Ofsted, stating the actions that were being implemented to safeguard the children. The action plan made reference to a communication strategy. Through discussions with the registered manager and the staff, it was evident during this inspection that they had no knowledge of a communication strategy. Failure to communicate effectively to the staff the actions designed to safeguard the children Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC456330 3 means that risks are not reduced and children are not protected.

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This monitoring visit

Risk assessments for some of the children are up to date. However, one child’s presenting-risk behaviour plan could not be located. The registered manager said that his current assessment is dated August 2017. This is despite known and significant incidents since August 2017. Failure to ensure that risk assessments are current means that staff do not have relevant information and strategies to guide them in keeping children safe. One of the children’s risk assessments includes concerns about intruders coming to the home, as it is believed by the staff that this child may have brought an unchecked adult into the home. The other children’s risk assessments do not include this information. This does not demonstrate that the staff recognise the potential risks to all of the children of an unknown adult male entering in their home. Therefore, sufficient strategies to protect all of the children were not in place.

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This monitoring visit

A strategy is now in place that identifies the actions required to keep intruders out of the home. This is clear and the staff are aware of how to implement it. The staff said that they are confident that they can follow the strategy in order to keep the children safe in the future.

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This monitoring visit

One child has now moved on from the home. This was due to ongoing and significant concerns that the staff were unable to keep her safe. She was going missing from the home regularly and was at significant risk of harm. This move has, to an extent, reduced the risks to the other children in the short term.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notices and the restriction of accommodation will continue to be monitored. A meeting is being convened with a representative from the organisation to discuss the considerable concerns relating to the failure to keep children safe.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 13/09/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 01/06/2017 Full Good 08/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC456330 4

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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 positive relationship standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on mutual respect and trust, an understanding about acceptable behaviour and positive responses to other children and adults.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(x)) 19/11/2017

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff: assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; and that the home’s day-to- day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)) 19/11/2017

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(d)) 19/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. 19/11/2017 Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC456330 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 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; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; use monitoring and

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Requirement Due date

review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(f)(h)) *Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. In particular, ensure that they retain a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home, and a record of the actual rosters worked. (Regulation 37(2)(a) Schedule 4(3)) 19/11/2017

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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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Inspector

Debbie Young, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home – monitoring visit: SC456330 6 to 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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