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

Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 1 SC456719 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd Interim 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 national 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. One of the placements is facilitated from accommodation in an annex, providing contracted emergency arrangements for one local authority.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has not yet improved in effectiveness. This is due to a failure to provide a consistently stable environment. Additionally, there have been a number of concerning incidents, often requiring the involvement of the police. Incidents since the last inspection include significant concerns about interactions between children and young people, criminal damage and physical aggression. During one incident, a child and a young person were able to climb on to a roof, putting themselves at risk of serious physical harm. The lack of stability, alongside the high number of incidents, means that children and young people are not always benefiting from their time at this home. However, it is positive that through these difficult times the manager and team learn from incidents and act to improve service arrangements. An example of this is Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 2 eliminating possibilities for children and young people to access the roof in future.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The failure to fully consider potential risks when a young person stayed for a brief period in a hotel, supported by a member of staff, resulted in the young person being exposed to additional risks. This young person was able to leave the hotel without staff being aware. The decision-making process was poor, and it remains unclear whether the placing authority agreed to the use of a hotel in response to a safeguarding incident. The registered manager has used learning from this incident to strengthen the recording of decision-making processes. A requirement is set within this report to ensure that care arrangements reduce the risk of harm.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been several placements that have ended in an unplanned way, due to escalating safeguarding concerns. While the decision to end placements may have been taken in the best interest of an individual, the service and/or peers, the negative impact of placement changes for vulnerable children and young people cannot be underestimated. During the inspection, a young person spoke positively about how hard the staff work to manage difficult behaviour. However, it was apparent that there had been a detrimental impact on this young person from the level and frequency of incidents and escalating behaviours. She talked about how her frustrations about what she described as ‘others always kicking off’ had led her to cause damage in the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The progress made by children and young people is mixed. One young person said: ‘Since I came here, I have made massive changes. I really struggled with my mental health before. Now I feel stronger and able to control my emotions, even feeling happy sometimes.’ For another young person the outcomes are not so positive. While the young person’s first few weeks were positive, the young person is not now engaging in the placement and is currently not attending school, college or a work placement. Regardless of the undesired outcomes for this young person, the placing social worker spoke very positively about her confidence in the team and talked about the lengths staff have gone to engage the young person.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A weakness is found in relation to an area of record keeping. While there is no detrimental impact on children and young people, a requirement has been set in relation to the maintenance of the home’s admission and discharge register. This will ensure that information about children and young people who have resided in the home is fully detailed in the register.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two young people spent time talking with the inspector, both saying that they have very positive relationships with staff. One young person said: ‘The staff genuinely care, and they prove this in their actions.’ Another young person said: ‘I know that they see when something is wrong with me, even before I say even anything.’

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A strength of the service is the resilience shown by the registered manager and the core of longstanding staff during some difficult times. Managers have decided not to operate at full capacity until current staff vacancies are filled. The registered manager demonstrates that she understands the strengths and weaknesses within the service, and she remains focused on service improvement and staff development. An example of Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 3 this is facilitating a two-day workshop for staff on positive behaviour support, described as a process for understanding and resolving difficult behaviours, adopting positive reinforcement as a key behaviour management strategy.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager has taken action to address the requirements and recommendations set at the time of the last inspection. In relation to safeguarding arrangements, the manager has worked with the team to improve its understanding of roles and responsibilities. Refresher training has also been facilitated. Practice has improved to ensure that children are collected promptly when they need to be returned to the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The environment is improved by the replacement of some windows, new flooring and new items of furniture. While the kitchen has not yet been replaced, repair work has been undertaken and plans are confirmed for the kitchen to be replaced this year.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Placement planning has improved. The involvement of children and young people in behaviour management planning is a positive introduction. While this new way of planning behaviour management strategies is at an early stage, this is likely to mean that children and young people feel more involved and consulted.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The management team has also strengthened the placement matching process, describing learning from specific issues. Managers feel that this process will lessen the potential for inappropriate matches within the peer group in future. While progress has been made in relation to how complaints records are maintained, further work is needed to ensure that full records are always readily available. Full records will provide an audit trail of complaint investigation, actions and responses, rather than some information being kept in other departments. The manager has worked with staff to ensure that recording is objective and relevant.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Good 18/11/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 4 person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (2)(a) and Schedule 4, paragraph 1)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to the need to keep the full details required in relation to the home’s register. 07/03/2018

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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 (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. (Regulation 12(1) and (2)(a)(i)) 07/03/2018

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 5 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: Alison Blyth-Bishop

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Inspectors

Mary Timms, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 6 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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