Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC476289 1 SC476289 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

This children‟s home provides long-term care and therapy for up to five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered provider is a private company operating a range of children‟s homes across the country.

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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 declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has continued to experience instability since the last full inspection, with more changes in management and continued high staff turnover. This has affected the quality of care delivered to children. There have been three different managers since the end of September 2016. The registered manager resigned at the end of August 2017. A new manager started at the beginning of November 2017 and is in the process of applying for registration with Ofsted. These management changes do not allow for consistent leadership and direction and this may have contributed to the high staff turnover. Since the full inspection in June 2017, eight new staff have been appointed and 10 staff have left. There are four full-time posts and one part-time post vacant. Staff from other homes and agency staff are being used to cover vacancies, staff holidays and sickness. On the day of this inspection, the manager was leading the shift with a member of staff

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Inspection report children‟s home: SC476289 2 from another home and an agency member of staff who had not worked at the home before. This means that children were mainly supported by adults that they did not know. The inconsistency of staff caring for children does not reflect the statement of purpose, which refers to the home being „unique‟ and „offering stability, consistency and continuity of care‟. Children who are traumatised and have significant attachment difficulties need the opportunity to build up safe and trusting relationships with staff. This is not happening. It is of concern that two children have been admitted to the home during this period of instability, and this calls into question how the home can meet individualised needs and keep children safe. Some children have commented about the constant staff changes and how this has affected them. One child told the independent visitor that they thought the home should

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

close for a month to give staff the chance to have „proper training‟. Professionals have also identified that staff changes have had a negative impact on some children‟s behaviours. One child‟s personal education plan stated that the child may be experiencing significant levels of anxiety due to the impact of adults that are important to them leaving in the previous six months. Staff shortages have had an impact on reviewing children‟s care with the placing authority. A social worker told the inspector that, at a recent 28-day looked after review, there were no managers present to represent the home. A member of the care staff attended the meeting for short periods of time as they were part of the shift supporting the children. As a result, decisions could not be made about care planning. This was particularly important as the child had only recently been admitted to the home. Additionally, there are shortfalls in how recommendations from reviews are disseminated

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

to staff in the home. This has an impact on how decisions and plans made at such meetings are implemented. This shortfall has the potential to affect the ability of staff to provide safe, appropriate and individualised care. The majority of staff are relatively new to residential care. As a result, the home does not have a core team of staff who have experience of working with traumatised children. This means that the care provided is not in line with the statement of purpose. Some staff left in charge of shifts do not have substantial relevant experience of working in a children‟s home. With the exception of the deputy manager, none of the care staff have the level 3 qualification in working with children and young people. A review of training records for new staff highlighted that some staff had not completed safeguarding or behaviour management training. However, the responsible individual has since provided additional information that indicates that the staff have received

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

safeguarding training. It appears that staff training records are not kept up to date, which makes it difficult for the manager and organisation to have a clear picture of staff skills and areas for development. Management monitoring systems are not robust. Minutes for looked after reviews were not available for some children. It was also unclear if a planned looked after review had taken place as there were no minutes or documentary evidence to suggest that the meeting had gone ahead. This shortfall had not been identified by the management team. This underlines concerns that children may not be receiving care based on the decisions made at reviews with the placing authority. Inspection report children‟s home: SC476289 3 A requirement was made at the last inspection requiring the manager to review physical intervention records within 48 hours of the incident and to speak to the child. A review of the physical intervention records by the inspector identified poor recording in some

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

instances and, on one occasion, the record was incomplete. It is unclear in one record what actually led to the use of physical intervention. Another record did not state if the child had been offered medical treatment. Recent records had not yet been subject to review by the manager, which does not ensure that restraint practice is appropriate and safe. Furthermore, the children have not been given the opportunity to discuss the relevant incident with the manager. This requirement has, therefore, been repeated. Ofsted has not received copies of the home‟s revised statement of purpose. This affects the regulator‟s ability to monitor the care provided. Furthermore, this inspection identified that practice is not always in line with the statement of purpose. This is particularly the case with staffing, as staff turnover is high. Members of the team will not know each other‟s strengths and vulnerabilities, making shift planning and delegation of

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

roles problematic. A requirement regarding the statement of purpose has been made.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Good 15/02/2016 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 person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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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. 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. (Regulation 13(2)(a)) 25 February 2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC476289 4 The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children‟s home. 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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(c)(d)(e)(h)) 25 February 2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home‟s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) This is with particular reference to the admission of children when the home is experiencing continued high turnover of staff. 14 February 2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16(3)(a)(b) (5)) 25 February 2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must comply with requests by the child‟s placing authority to— provide a suitable representative to attend any meeting the placing authority may hold about a child. (Regulation 17(3)(b)) 14 February 2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC476289 5 The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33(4)(a)) This is with specific reference to ensuring that all staff have received mandatory training and that staff are appropriately qualified. 25 February 2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— Within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”) has spoken to the user about the measure; has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(c)) 14 February 2018

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 Any registered manager placed in charge of a children‟s home or staff member in a deputy or supervisory capacity role such as „shift leader‟ should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children‟s home and have successfully completed their induction for the home in which they are employed. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 54, paragraph 10.21.)

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC476289 6 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

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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

Katarina Djordjevic, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC476289 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 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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