Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report children’s home: SC483846 1 SC483846 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for six young people who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

It is owned and managed by a large national organisation, and is located on the same site as one of the organisation’s registered schools and another of its children’s homes.

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Information about this children’s home

There is currently no registered manager at the children’s home, but an application has been received by Ofsted.

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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

Since the last inspection, there has been a deterioration in the management of this home and in keeping young people safe. At the last inspection, six requirements and three recommendations were raised. This inspection found that two of the requirements have not been met. These are in relation to staff understanding their roles and responsibilities regarding child protection, and all staff receiving practice-related supervision. In addition, a recommendation has not been actioned with regard to ensuring that rules, boundaries and consequences implemented are consistent across staff and management. Inspection report children’s home: SC483846 2 Since the last inspection, two young people have moved on from the home. One moved on to semi-independence and one moved to another of the organisation’s homes. Both transitions were planned. However, there is a lack of evidence to demonstrate how the staff ensured that these young people had positive transitions. There has been no

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

communication from the home to ask after their well-being and to enquire about any progress the young people may have made.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Three young people have been admitted to the home since the last inspection. Although these were planned admissions, they took place at a time when the home was unsettled due to other young people’s negative behaviours and an inconsistent team of staff working in the home. This has an adverse impact on the emotional well-being of the young people.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people’s risk-taking behaviours remain a concern. An increased number of missing episodes and aggressive outbursts has led to young people causing damage to the home and threatening the safety of other residents A This relates, in particular, to the two young people who have since moved on from the home. However, aggressive outbursts have continued to happen in the home with the young people who have recently been admitted. This has resulted in the racial abuse and the physical assault of a staff member by a young person during an incident. In addition, the walls of the corridor have been damaged with a chair leg and staff have been threatened with a butter knife. Risk management plans contain information that advises staff on how to manage incidents of violence, and how to keep young people safe both in the home and when in the community. However, they are not signed to indicate that they have been seen and

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

understood by the care staff team. Risk assessments are not always readily available, as they are kept on the home computer, which is not always accessible to all staff. This issue was raised at the previous inspection and remains unmet.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff do not learn from incidents and they do not implement new ways of working with young people in an effort to prevent future occurrences. For example, staff asked young people to give 10p from their pocket money every time that they kicked the office door. The manager had written in her evaluation of this sanction that it was not a suitable consequence; however, the practice continued. In addition, staff removed a pet hamster from the home for the weekend. This had no relation to the behaviour that had been displayed by the young person. Furthermore, when a suitable consequence was implemented, it was not actioned or implemented by staff. Although the young person had signed to agree to the consequence some weeks previously, he did not learn from his actions due to the inconsistent approach of staff to applying rules and boundaries. This inconsistency was raised at the last inspection. This requirement remains unmet

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

and the requirement is therefore raised again as a result of this inspection.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Staff refer serious incidents to safeguarding professionals appropriately, when young people make allegations about staff. However, the staff do not then consistently complete follow-up work, such as investigations or direct work, with young people and staff in order to try to prevent future occurrences. For example, in December 2017 an allegation was made that a member of staff had pushed a young person on the stairs. Inspection report children’s home: SC483846 3 The home informed the designated officer for the local authority, who made the recommendation that an internal review should to be completed. During the inspection, a copy of the internal review was requested along with the supporting evidence that concluded that the staff member was safe to return to work. This internal review was not provided and the member of staff had returned to work at the children’s home. Is he manager confirmed that it had not been completed. This fails to safeguard young

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

people, as the organisation has not followed its own safeguarding procedures and a directive by the designated officer for the local authority.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Supervision of staff continues not to meet the required regulations. Staff members do not routinely receive regular supervision and, furthermore, when serious incidents of assaults on staff occur their supervisor does not ask about their welfare or feelings about the incidents. This fails to provide the supervisee with an opportunity to discuss their concerns, and does not give the supervisor an opportunity to learn from the incident and prevent its reoccurrence.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Management oversight in the home has declined. The manager of the home has been absent due to personal reasons. This, coupled with a lack of experienced deputy management, means that the overall management oversight has not been as robust as it was at the last inspection. Decisions regarding staffing and management have been poor, and have not therefore promoted young people’s safety and welfare. Senior management oversight is also weak. The responsible individual has not reviewed or reflected on risk-taking incidents; the poor boundaries in place for young people; the supervision of staff; or the management of an allegation against a member of staff. This has not enabled the home to find alternative ways of managing risk, and has not assisted the home in keeping young people safe. Furthermore, the managerial arrangements in the absence of the manager have left the new staff in deputy positions vulnerable and lacking in support. As a result, the home has declined in its effectiveness.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/05/2017 Full Inadequate 10/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 21/07/2016 Full Good

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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: SC483846 4 person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure that staff understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. 12(2)(a)(v)

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Requirement Due date

This is in regard to continued training for staff in the completion of consequence records, risk assessment plans and internal safeguarding reviews. 19/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered person must ensure that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. 12(2)(b)

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Requirement Due date

This is in regard to following safeguarding procedures when allegations are made against staff. 19/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

In order to meet the Leadership and Management standard the registered person must ensure that they enable, inspire and lead a culture in the home that

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Requirement Due date

understand the impactthat the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. 13(1)(b)(2)(f) 19/02/2018

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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. 33(4)(b) 19/02/2018

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Recommendations

Inspection report children’s home: SC483846 5  Expectations of standards of behaviour must be high for all staff and children in the home. These standards should be clear and unambiguous (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 8.11, p.39).

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Recommendations

This relates specifically to rules, boundaries and consequences being implemented consistently across staff and management.

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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 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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Inspector

Elaine Clare, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC483846 6 Inspection report children’s home: SC483846 7 and inspects to 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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