Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Walsall

Inspection report children‟s home: SC476270 1 SC476270 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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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 is operated by a private company and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 December 2017

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children‟s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 15 February 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

This children‟s home requires improvement to be good because:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Some children do not benefit from full-time education.  Children are not cared for by a consistent group of staff. Inspection report children‟s home: SC476270 2  Some areas of the home are damaged and do not provide a positive living environment for children.  Records of physical restraints do not hold all the information necessary to safeguard children.  New staff do not receive regular formal supervision.  Staff do not always ensure that medication is safely managed.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The majority of children are making progress.  Children are happy living in the home.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/07/2016 Full Good 03/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 03/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC476270 3

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so. (Regulation 8 (1)) 01/02/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that-

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Requirement Due date

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) and (2)(d)) 01/02/2018

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1) and (2)(e)) 01/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received into the children‟s home. (Regulation 23 (1)) 01/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 01/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to 01/02/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC476270 4 a child in the home, a record is made which includes the details of the name of the child; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; and 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 and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(vi)(b)(i)(ii))

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improvement to be good

Children have varying experiences living in this home. Three children have lived here for a considerable period of time and are making good progress. However, two children are new to living in the home, and their experiences and progress have been hindered due to a dip in the efficiency and organisation of managers and staff.

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improvement to be good

There are positive relationships between staff and children. Children are involved in, and benefit from, individualised care planning that takes their views into account. Children who move into the home are visited by staff prior to their move and are provided with a children‟s guide. This helps to alleviate some of the anxieties children may have. However, children do not benefit from having a consistent staff group. Although there is a stable core staff team, four further staff are required in order to ensure that the home can fully meet the needs of children. Despite this shortfall in staffing, the registered manager admitted another child. One child said the worst thing about living in the home is being, „cared for by different adults I don‟t know… It is too overwhelming. I do not feel comfortable talking to them about anything.‟ As a result, children are not feeling comfortable in their own home and are unable to form attachments with consistent care-

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improvement to be good

On the whole, children‟s health needs are met. They are registered with all necessary medical practitioners and attend all appointments. However, staff do not ensure that medication is always safely and effectively managed. There have been a small number of administration errors in relation to controlled medication. As a result, it is not clear whether children have been given their medication as prescribed.

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improvement to be good

The majority of children are doing very well in their education. One child is preparing to sit their GCSEs this year, and has a clear revision timetable. However, two children are not benefiting from 25 hours per week education. One child is only attending for one hour per day. This means that children are not reaching their full potential academically, and are missing an essential opportunity to develop socially. Inspection report children‟s home: SC476270 5 Staff recognise and aim to meet the diverse needs of children. For example, children attend church, and staff ensure that children‟s identity and heritage are always positively promoted. This helps children to feel proud of who they are and where they have come from. Children benefit from positive time spent with family and friends. Some children see their families who live a considerable distance away. Staff also encourage children to have their friends around to their home. This was observed during the inspection, when

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improvement to be good

a child‟s friend was visiting and enjoyed eating dinner with all of the staff and children. This provides children with a sense of belonging and a sense of self-worth.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy activities of their choice and are supported to engage in community groups. Activities include BMX, slot cars, dancing, football, and taekwondo. This helps children to engage and have fun with peers outside of their home, which builds confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Children do not benefit from living in a home where all areas are maintained to a good standard. For example, there are two broken windows, one of which is covered by a card on which offensive language has been written. Although these incidents occurred recently, the maintenance issues are not responded to quickly. Children should be able to feel a sense of pride in their home and, in turn, themselves.

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improvement to be good

Children generally feel safe living in this home. One child said that the best thing about living in the home is that it is, „the safest place I ever felt‟. However, another child feels „safe most of the time‟ but struggles to feel safe during the night. The manager has responded swiftly in respect of the child who does not feel safe at night.

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improvement to be good

Children do not tend to go missing from this home, nor are there any children at risk of child sexual exploitation. Staff ensure that there is clear plan in place to protect children if they do go missing.

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improvement to be good

Sanctions are recorded well, and staff also use more restorative approaches. For example, children who clean up any damage will not have a financial „consequence‟. This helps children to consider the outcome of their behaviour in a meaningful way. The ethos of the home is to reward children for positive behaviour. Children are rewarded with marbles, which equate to rewards of their choice when they reach a certain number. This gives children a goal to work towards, while promoting positive behaviours.

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improvement to be good

There have been 45 occasions since February 2017 when staff have physically intervened with children to prevent them from putting themselves or others at risk. Records of these restraints do not always provide accurate information, such as the full name of the child involved and a full account of the staff involved. The manager has not ensured that shortfalls in records have been followed up with staff. Furthermore, the registered manager has not followed the home‟s procedures in respect of reviewing physical interventions. The registered manager was involved in an incident of restraint, Inspection report children‟s home: SC476270 6 and then proceeded to review the restraint herself. The registered manager did not, as per procedures, request a review by the responsible individual. This demonstrates a failure to appropriately review incidents and to take effective action.

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improvement to be good

Appropriate referrals are made to safeguarding professionals when children make allegations against staff. Immediate arrangements for safeguarding are implemented, and the correct procedures followed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has been in post since July 2015. The manager is currently in the process of completing the level 5 diploma in leadership and management. The registered manager has a clear understanding of the skills of the current staff group. However, formal supervisions for new staff have not taken place as prescribed by the home‟s policies and procedures. As a result, the manager has not ensured that staff have the right skills to ensure that children‟s needs are met. Consequently, children may be cared for by adults who do not have the skills to meet their needs, and may require additional support.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staffing levels in the home at specific times are not sufficient to enable staff to respond flexibly to the diverse needs of children, or to unexpected events that occur in the home. For example, when a child was admitted to the home, additional staff were not scheduled onto the staff rota to take into account a period of assessment and settling in. This is in contradiction to the impact risk assessment, which states that one child will be subject to one-to-one supervision for a period of assessment. On one day, there were only two members of staff on duty. This has a negative impact on all children, and does not provide them with the continuity of staff and the stability that they deserve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The provider employs safe recruitment procedures which ensure that children are cared for by adults who are safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has met the requirement made at the last inspection. Consequently, the home‟s statement of purpose reflects the aims and objectives of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Managers and staff develop positive working relationships with partnership agencies. All are positive about the commitment, the quality of communication and the care the children receive.

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC476270 7 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: SC476270 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

Sandra King, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC476270 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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