Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Inspection report children’s home: SC457183 1 SC457183 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 privately run children’s home can accommodate one young person who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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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 sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the previous interim manager is no longer managing this home. A new interim manager is in post and her registration with Ofsted is in the process of being completed. The home has taken suitable action to address the requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection, with demonstrable improvements in areas such as the quality of the assessments and plans for the young person, general recording of information, and the safe administration of medication. However, further improvement is required to ensure that the education needs of the young person are met and action is needed to improve the condition of the physical environment at the home. The young person has made progress in some areas such as safeguarding and engagement, but limited or inconsistent progress in other areas such as education and behaviour. Inspection report children’s home: SC457183 2 The home’s staff recognise the importance of formal education being in place for the

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

young person. They are proactive in ensuring that professionals work together to arrange a suitable education provision. However, during the times that the young person is out of formal education due to his lack of engagement and/or inappropriate behaviours, the staff do not have appropriate arrangements in place to support the young person to sustain or regain confidence in education and to be engaged in structured activities. Consequently, the young person’s education needs are not being met. On a positive note, due to the work that the staff have undertaken with a young person, there has been a marked improvement in his level of engagement. The young person now regularly attends health appointments, which has resulted in his health needs being met. This is a significant improvement, as he previously had a history of not engaging with professionals and refusing to attend appointments, specifically relating to his health.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home does not provide a nurturing and supportive environment. Parts of the home’s environment are poor. The young person’s bedroom was unclean and untidy and some of his belongings were strewn across the floor. There was limited storage space for his belongings, the bedroom door was damaged and partly hanging off, and the curtain rail and window locks were broken, meaning that the windows would not close properly. There were profanities written on the bedroom wall and the surface of a chest of drawers was dusty and dirty. Two computer games that were rated as aged 18 years were in the young person’s bedroom. The managers acknowledged that the young person’s bedroom was of a poor standard and took immediate action to improve the conditions. For example, attempts were made to remove the profanities, and the maintenance team was called to undertake repairs. While immediate action was taken to rectify the issues raised during the inspection, the home’s daily routine had not enabled

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

staff to take effective action sooner. Safeguarding practice at the home is robust and effectively safeguards the young person. The home has systems in place to identify risks to the young person and the measures required to manage and reduce risk. For example, the measures that are in place to manage substance misuse include supervision of the amount of money the young person has to spend, and appropriate support and sanctions. In addition, there are planned placement sessions to raise the young person’s understanding and awareness about the risks he is exposing himself to, as well as to explain the support that is available to him. The staff are supporting the young person to recognise the risks associated with fire following a fire-related incident involving the young person. Arrangements were made for the local fire safety officer from the fire service to speak with the young person to help him to understand the risks and consequences of such

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

behaviour. Consequently, the young person’s substance misuse has recently reduced. Behaviour management in the home is clear to the young person and staff. The staff manage the behaviours of the young person appropriately in line with his individual plan. This has resulted in incidents being less frequent and severe. The young person has also developed his own strategies to take ‘time out’ to reflect on incidents. However, more recently there has been a dip in the young person’s behaviour. This is due to his reaction to the restrictions in place to manage his substance misuse. The staff expected this decline in the young person’s behaviour and they spent time together preparing and Inspection report children’s home: SC457183 3 planning for this so that there was a consistent response established prior to the measures being implemented. Physical intervention is only ever used as a last resort to ensure that the young person or staff do not suffer any harm. Consequently, incidents of

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

challenging behaviour are dealt with appropriately. Recording systems at the home have improved and developed since the last inspection. Assessments and plans are more detailed and clearly demonstrate the young person’s journey and current situation. Systems are in place to ensure that the staff team views and discusses any changes or updates to the young person’s records. Furthermore, records demonstrate that the staff team has read and understood them. Consequently, this supports the home to provide a consistent quality of care that meets the identified needs of the young person. The home’s monitoring and review systems support the manager to identify the home’s strengths and weaknesses and prioritise areas for development. The systems enable the manager to regularly review the quality of care and experiences of the young person and to monitor safeguarding practice. As a result, the manager is able to identify the impact

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

that the quality of care and safeguarding practice has on promoting the welfare of the young person and the outcomes for him. The manager recognises that the monitoring and review systems in place help her to drive up standards for the young person. However, the manager’s response to the monthly reports produced by the independent person who visits the home do not always include the manager’s response. Therefore, the regulatory body is not kept up to date as to how the home intends to make improvement to address any shortfalls.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/06/2017 Full Good 16/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/07/2016 Full Requires improvement 09/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC457183 4

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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. 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; support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete the independent study; 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; promote opportunities for each child to learn informally; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access

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Requirement Due date

educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(b)) 14/03/2018

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— the staff help each child to understand how to keep safe; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at 14/03/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC457183 5 risk of harm; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with the home’s child protection policies; that the home’s day to day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and protect each child effectively from harm; that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child

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Requirement Due date

from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and that they use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; ensure that staff understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose; protect and promote each child’s welfare; treat each child with dignity and respect; provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) In particular, ensure that the home’s environment provides a

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Requirement Due date

comfortable, nurturing and supportive place for young people to live. 14/03/2018

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Recommendations

 The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. Those undertaking the role should be skilled in anticipating difficulties and reviewing incidents, such as learning from disruptions and placement Inspection report children’s home: SC457183 6 breakdowns. They are responsible for proactively implementing lessons learned and sustaining good practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) In particular, ensure that, if the information provided is inaccurate, that this is challenged and amended.  The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children

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Recommendations

from receiving the continuity of care that they need (regulation 31(1)). As outlined in 10.1, the registered person should plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. Staffing structures should promote continuity of care from the child’s perspective. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1 and 10.15)

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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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC457183 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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Inspector

Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457183 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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