Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Birmingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC412175 1 SC412175 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to four young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties and complex needs. The home is owned by a private provider.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC412175 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people receive good care.  Young people make good progress and can identify improvements in their behaviour.  Staff recognise risk and make appropriate safeguarding referrals. Young people say that they feel safe.  The registered manager and the staff work in partnership with the placing authority and other agencies to promote the progress and well-being of young people.  Key-working records are focused on the individual needs of each young person.  Staff develop nurturing, sensitive and caring relationships with young people.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 Bedroom door alarms are not reviewed to ensure that this measure of surveillance on a young person’s movement is necessary and proportionate.  The registered manager has not consistently challenged poor practice from partner agencies.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 31/10/2016 Full Good 23/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/01/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC412175 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5(c)) 07/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21(c)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 07/03/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in a safe and caring environment that enables them to make good progress in many aspects of their lives. There are notable improvements in young people’s outcomes, especially in their safety and school attendance. Committed staff work hard to get to know young people and to understand how best to support them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is well supported. Young people benefit from individual education packages that reflect their learning needs. When young people do not have suitable school placements, staff work in partnership with specialist education agencies to reduce disruption to young people’s learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s views are taken very seriously. Staff encourage young people to express their views through young people’s meetings and informal conversations and during mealtimes. Young people say that they understand how decisions are made and the Inspection report children’s home: SC412175 4 degree to which they are able to influence these. This enhances their day-to-day experience of living in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Regular key work takes place. These sessions help young people to reflect on their progress and to consider their future needs. The quality of this work is good, and helps the young person to focus on his or her own specific needs. For example, one young person has shared that they have engaged in relationships beyond the home. Sensitively delivered key working about healthy relationships has taken place. This means that young people are supported to make safer choices and are protected from becoming involved in negative or exploitative relationships.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When appropriate to do so, young people are encouraged to develop their level of responsibility in preparation for their move to adulthood. For example, some young people are supported to plan, shop and cook their own meals. Young people are also encouraged to manage a budget for their money and to make plans for the future. This ensures that young people are able to improve their own resilience and life skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with the placing authorities to ensure that young people are able to maintain relationships with their friends and families. When family contact restrictions are in place, staff sensitively explain these to young people.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people feel safe and cared for. Staff have excellent insight into young people’s histories. For some young people, this includes risks such as going missing from care, child sexual exploitation, criminality or self-harming behaviour.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff ensure that boundaries and expectations are clear for young people to follow. Socially acceptable behaviour is encouraged, both inside the home and in the community. Staff model positive behaviour and are skilful in defusing situations when necessary. When young people’s behaviour escalates and causes concern, the manager and staff follow young people’s behaviour management plans. As a result, physical intervention is only used as a last resort and has not been necessary in safeguarding the current young people in placement.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There are detailed missing from home plans in place. When young people do go missing from the home, these plans are put into action. The staff work closely with key partners, and actively search and maintain contact with the young person. However, during a recent missing episode the police did not take into account the risks to the young person if they have unsupervised contact with family. The staff failed to challenge this at the time. The registered manager has now taken action and issued new guidance to staff over how to challenge the police.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Assessments to identify potential risks to young people in the home and in the community are in place. These documents highlight the strategies used in order to reduce the risks. The registered manager has assessed that it is necessary to use bedroom alarms to safeguard young people. However, the risk assessments for the use Inspection report children’s home: SC412175 5 of these alarms are not routinely reviewed to ensure that the measure continues to be necessary and proportionate.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff understand the risks to young people of child sexual exploitation and radicalisation. Those young people who have historically been highly vulnerable to exploitation have detailed plans in place to support and protect them from harm. Staff have completed training to raise their knowledge base. Staff proactively monitor all young people at the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The registered manager notifies key partners and parents about significant events in a timely manner. This helps to make sure that any action required to keep young people safe is suitable and appropriate. There are good relationships with key partners which promote the safety of young people. Staff are well trained, which enables them to fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Regular safety checks are completed on gas, electrical and fire-safety systems to ensure that they all remain in good working order. A fire-risk assessment is undertaken annually.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The registered manager has ensured that the home’s location risk assessment is reviewed on an annual basis. This means that staff have local intelligence regarding risks in the community. This promotes the opportunity for staff to protect young people from known areas of risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is suitably experienced and qualified. The registered manager ensures that regulation 44 and 45 reports are completed in a timely manner. This includes having good evidence of learning and development. Staff are well established, experienced and suitably resourced to meet the needs of the young people. Staff have been suitably vetted and either have or are working towards their level 3 diplomas in residential childcare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good evidence of the staff introducing new learning into their practice. An example of this was the use of ‘affirmation mirrors’ when young people were encouraged to design their own mirrors containing positive statements about themselves.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff support young people to access local leisure activities. For example, one young person has been introduced to a local football team. The young person said, ‘No one has ever done that for me before.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff regularly attend important meetings to ensure that young people progress. Staff have built good relationships with parents and as a result parents now regularly participate in meetings about their child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and appraisal. These sessions enable staff to reflect on their practice. Inspection report children’s home: SC412175 6

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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

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: SC412175 7

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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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Inspectors

Lisa Walsh, social care inspector Gareth Leckey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC412175 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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