Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC436372 1 SC436372 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 registered to provide care and accommodation for six young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is owned by a large private provider, and offers medium- to long-term placements for young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged 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 gone through a difficult period since the full inspection. This can be attributed in the main to inappropriate admissions. Poorly managed admission processes have had an impact on the stability of the home and on existing young people‟s progress, and staff have been unable to adequately protect young people from the risk of harm. This means that living at the home has not been a positive experience for all young people in recent months. Significant shortfalls in leadership and management have been identified and this has resulted in a deterioration in the quality of care.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Two new young people were admitted to the home in quick succession in October 2017. A review of the home‟s admission documents, including impact and compatibility risk assessments, identified poor matching. As a result, there has been a significant increase Inspection report children‟s home: SC436372 2 in aggressive behaviours, with assaults on some young people and staff. Staff have been unable to manage young people‟s behaviours and consequently there has been increased police involvement at the home.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The increase in behavioural incidents has affected staffing. Along with an increase in staff turnover, there have been high levels of staff sickness and staff morale is low. Four new staff have been employed and four staff have left since the last inspection. There are currently four full-time vacant posts. Staff shortages have come at a time when there is a need to increase staffing levels. This has led to existing staff working in excess of their contracted hours. Staff from other children‟s homes and agency staff have also been used to cover staff shortages. Young people have not received consistent care due to the changes in the staff who are on shift.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The independent regulation 44 visitor has referred to staff being exhausted, and noted that staff morale is low. A police officer who has regular involvement with the home also referred to the impact on staff of working long hours and managing difficult behaviour. Young people have been cared for by staff who are tired, and by staff who do not know them. This is not safe practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A young person who has lived at the home for a long period of time told the inspector that they get on really well with the staff, and that they find staff are very supportive. This young person could identify the positive progress they had made since living at the home. However, recent events have resulted in a lot of changes of staff. The young person expressed concern about staff being „tired and worn down‟.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff have not been able to successfully manage the group dynamics and young people‟s aggressive behaviours. In particular, staff have failed to protect one young person from being bullied by older peers, which has resulted in the young person being assaulted on at least two occasions. Staff have not been able to successfully de-escalate situations, leading to incidents of aggression. This has included aggression towards staff, with staff being assaulted. The inspection found evidence that, at times, staff did not seem to be in control of situations, and their work was reactive. Some previously settled young people became involved in a lot of the recent incidents, sometimes leading to staff using restraint to manage behaviour.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The pressures with regard to staffing have affected the leadership and management of the home. The management team members have had to work on shift regularly to support staff. This has had an impact on the capacity of managers to carry out their tasks and effectively monitor the quality of care provided. Management decision-making has been reactive, and has not always been conducive to keeping young people and staff safe. For example, waking night staff were used to try and manage young people‟s behaviour during the night. However, agency staff who did know the young people‟s needs were used to cover these shifts, resulting in an increase in negative behaviour at night.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, shortfalls have been identified in the quality of record-keeping. Referral documents and risk assessments do not contain enough information. This Inspection report children‟s home: SC436372 3 means that the individual needs of young people have not been identified or responded to. This has the potential to place young people at risk of harm. The inspection also identified that one young person‟s risk management plan referred to another young person‟s needs. This is poor practice and does not ensure that staff have the correct information.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

In one young person‟s risk management plan, the section on bullying had not been completed. This should have included strategies for reducing the risk of bullying. This is of concern as this particular young person was being bullied, and had been assaulted by their older peers.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Some physical intervention records were confusing and lacked detail about where the incident took place, what actually happened and the de-escalation strategies used. Terminology used in some of the physical intervention records viewed was inappropriate.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

A number of individual records were not signed by staff to confirm that they had read the documents.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

None of these shortfalls had been identified through the internal management monitoring systems.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the time of this inspection, only one young person was in full-time education. Two young people who were admitted in October 2017 were found to be without appropriate education provision. The registered manager‟s attempts to escalate this with placing authorities had not improved the situation and there was some drift. There is very little structure in the home during the day to engage the young people in meaningful education. The provision of education is not in line with the statement of purpose, which refers to striving for young people to „not only attend but also achieve in education to the same levels of their peers who are not in care‟.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

At the last inspection, a requirement was made to ensure that return interviews take place after an incident of a young person going missing. Although there is some evidence that one interview was arranged by the placing authority, this is not happening routinely. As a result, care is not in line with the home‟s statement of purpose. This requirement has not been addressed, and has been repeated at this inspection.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Transitions for young people moving on have been reactive and poorly planned since the last inspection. This does not enable the young people to feel confident about their next moves.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Ofsted has not received copies of the home‟s revised statement of purpose. This affects the regulator‟s ability to monitor the care provided. Inspection report children‟s home: SC436372 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2017 Full Good 16/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 19/07/2016 Full Good 02/09/2015 Interim Sustained 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— help each child to achieve the child‟s education and training targets, as recorded in the child‟s relevant plans; understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment; help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(ix)(x)) 28/02/2018

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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 staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child‟s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make 28/02/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC436372 5 arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child‟s welfare. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This is with reference to ensuring the children receive safe and appropriate care in the home, underpinned by robust, individualised risk assessments.

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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. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This is with reference to incidents of missing from care and ensuring that independent return interviews are taking place as defined in „Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care‟, January 2014. 08/02/2018

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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— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers 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; ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child 28/02/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC436372 6 and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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; that arrangements are in place to— plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child‟s placing authority. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(iii)) 08/02/2018

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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)) 08/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out— how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children‟s home.

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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. 08/02/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC436372 7 (Regulation 35(1)(a)(3)(b)(c))

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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

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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: Alison Blyth-Bishop

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Inspectors

Katarina Djordjevic, social care inspector Bev Allison, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC436372 8 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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