Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257796 1

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Cambian Childcare Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered for up to 16 children who have mental disorders. It is privately owned and has a separately registered school on-site.

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This monitoring visit

On 28 and 29 November 2017, an inspector carried out a monitoring inspection of the home. At the inspection, the inspector found that there were not enough qualified and experienced staff at the home to manage effectively the challenging behaviour of the children. There was significant damage to the furniture of the home, and the management’s monitoring of the home had not identified a number of errors in recording. Ofsted served a notice restricting accommodation and a compliance notice relating to the leadership and management on 6 December 2017. On 9 January 2018, an inspector undertook a monitoring inspection to evaluate the progress made in meeting the compliance notice. The organisation had made some progress. However, it had not yet met the compliance notice. Due to the progress made, Ofsted served a further compliance notice, rather than escalating to a higher level of intervention.

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This monitoring visit

On 20 February 2018, two inspectors carried out a monitoring inspection of the home to evaluate compliance with the notice in place restricting accommodation. At this inspection, the inspectors found:

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This monitoring visit

 The provider has not admitted any further children to the home since the notice restricting accommodation was served on 7 December 2017.

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This monitoring visit

 There was a lack of sufficient action taken to ensure the safety of children and staff while the electric gate to the home was not working.

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This monitoring visit

 An alleged failure by the registered manager to implement the safeguarding policy following concerns raised regarding staff practice. An internal Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257796 2 investigation is ongoing in relation to this matter.

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This monitoring visit

 Insufficient action taken following a child stating that she felt bullied by a teacher.

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This monitoring visit

 A lack of clear guidance regarding implementation of some children’s behaviour management risk plans.

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This monitoring visit

 A lack of effective strategies to reduce the risk of recurrences following some incidents of children’s self-harm.

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This monitoring visit

The senior management has suspended the registered manager following an alleged failure to follow the organisation’s safeguarding policy on 1 January 2018. This failure does not sufficiently safeguard children. An internal investigation is underway. The interim management arrangements have been defined and the assistant manager is acting as manager, with four senior managers providing separate daily support to the acting manager during the week. However, due to these being very recent arrangements, this may have the potential to lead to a lack of consistency in the daily support of the acting manager and senior managers’ oversight of all day- to-day operational matters. It is unclear what the impact of these management arrangements will be on the children and the staff.

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This monitoring visit

The electric gate to the home is part of a strategy identified to reduce the high-risk assessment of the location of the home, to a moderate level of risk. The gate stopped working and as a result has been permanently open since 10 January 2018. This is of significant concern because the location risk assessment, reviewed in January 2018, identified that the local area immediate to the home was assessed as high risk. This is due to the home being located on a road with a national speed limit of 60mph, no street lighting and an intermittent and none maintained pavement with dykes that run along the road and near to significant water hazards, including tidal and none tidal rivers, with little to no lifesaving equipment along the riverbanks. An additional identified strategy to reduce the risk to children was the use of a grab bag which should contain items that the staff require to keep children safer.

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This monitoring visit

However, a mobile phone and a 30 metre rope identified as required were missing from the bag. The management has failed to assess the risk of the broken electric gate and was unaware of the missing items in the grab bag. This failure places children and staff at considerable risk of harm. This serious risk is further evidenced by an incident on 22 January 2018, in which a child had to be physically restrained to prevent them from leaving the home when the fire alarm went off. The child is deemed as at high risk of suicide ideation and had attempted to run into the road with the intention of being hit by a car. In the child’s debrief following the physical intervention the child said that she wanted to run into the road to be killed. The failure of the home’s management to ensure that risk reduction strategies are implemented to reduce such risk places children at serious risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

The children’s risk management plans identify recent incidents, potential risks to children and contain some guidance for staff on risk reduction. However, some Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257796 3 children’s plans were not up to date and lacking in detail and clarity for staff. For example, some children’s risk assessments lacked clear guidance for staff around having ‘no bathroom privacy’ to keep the identified children safe. In addition, there was a failure to obtain written evidence from placing authorities of their agreement to such a strategy. There was a lack of consideration to alternative strategies or approaches and key-work sessions, identified as a means of risk reduction, are not consistently completed. These shortfalls fail to ensure that the staff are provided with clear guidance, all identified measures to reduce risk are implemented and alternative strategies are considered to keep the children safe and reduce incidents.

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This monitoring visit

The staff do take action during incidents to keep the children safe. Some incidents identify steps to reduce recurrence. However, the inspectors found that there was a failure to consider reflection of the potential cause and a lack of proactive practice. For example, strategies identified to reduce risk include key-work sessions, room searches, staff to ensure that any items that children buy do not contain obvious self-harm objects and placing children on supervised spending. In discussions with the acting manager and the regional manager, it was acknowledged that not all possible strategies to reduce recurrence had been identified. This shortfall fails to ensure that all possible action is taken to keep children safe.

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This monitoring visit

The inspectors identified an incident on 6 February 2018 at 11.30am, when a child alleged that she felt bullied by the teacher. The acting manager stated that she had held a meeting with all the children regarding engaging in education. However, there is no evidence of any documentation that a manager or the staff member has spoken to the specific child about feeling bullied. This failure does not ensure that children are effectively safeguarded.

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This monitoring visit

The progress towards meeting the requirements and compliance notice from the previous inspection were not looked at on this occasion. The home is likely to be subject to further enforcement action.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257796 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 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 to aspire to fulfil their potential and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to 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 and use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)(h)) 02/03/2018*

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and any regulations made under it are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)) 14/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 48 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so has spoken to the user about the measure and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii)) 14/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that no measure of control is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations. (Regulation 19 (1)) In particular, the registered person must ensure that children are not routinely deprived of their liberty without a court order, as set out in the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 50, paragraph 9.63. 14/02/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be 14/01/2018 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257796 5 serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12 (2)(c) (the protection of children standard). (Regulation 46 (1)) In particular, ensure that in the absence of a working electronic gate to the property a review takes place to identify additional and alternative methods to keep children and staff safe. 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff assess whether each child is at risk, 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 (2)(a)(i)) 09/03/2018

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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 that staff take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. This is with particular regard to taking effective action and identifying new strategies to reduce the risk of recurrences following incidents. (Regulation 12 (2)(a)(vi)) 23/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The procedure to be followed in the event of an allegation of abuse or neglect must, in particular, provide for the prompt referral of an allegation about current or ongoing abuse or neglect in relation to the child to the placing authority and, if different, the local authority in whose area the home is located. (Regulation 34 (2)(b)) 09/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257796 6

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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

Natalie Burton, social care regulatory inspector Clive Lucas, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1257796 7 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 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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