Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC457182 1 SC457182 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 has 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, a manager has been appointed. She is very experienced, suitably qualified and registered with Ofsted. She is also the registered manager of one of the company’s other children’s homes. An experienced and qualified deputy manager, who is permanently based at the home, supports the manager effectively in the day-to- day running and development of the home. The registered manager and the deputy manager have strong working relationships with the placing authority, which enables them to plan the young person’s care effectively. The young person has only been living at the home for a few days. He has settled in well and is starting to make positive relationships with the staff. He said, ‘I trust the staff and everyone is helping me to feel at home.’ The registered manager and the deputy manager agreed that the young person could only move in once they were satisfied that they can respond effectively to his assessed needs as set out in the local authority’s

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

plan. They completed a thorough assessment to ensure that his needs can be met by the qualities, skills and experience of the staff team. The assessment highlights where additional resources are needed to equip staff to fully understand and respond to his Inspection report children’s home: SC457182 2 needs, including training for staff around the risks of sexually harmful behaviour. The registered manager has requested that this training be made available, as well as training in e-safety. The assessment also carefully considered factors in the local area that would help to protect the young person from harm. For example, that there is a low risk of child sexual exploitation in the local area and good access to support services and community resources. The young person’s plan clearly sets out the arrangements for him to see his family, his access to health services and the introduction to his new school.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager, the deputy manager and members of staff have recently helped a young person move on successfully to another children’s home nearer his family. They worked effectively with the young person, his social worker, his family and the staff at the new children’s home. His move was carefully and sensitively planned to make sure that the new home was the right place for him. He was fully involved in the decisions about where he was going to live. He visited his new home several times, including staying overnight, in order to help him feel comfortable there. This young person had made pleasing progress while he was living at this home. He built trusting relationships with staff and was able to talk to them about his feelings and his worries, and accept physical affection when he needed it. He was taking part in education and feeling confident enough to do more activities outside of the home,

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

including going to the gym to keep fit. His health outcomes improved because he had a healthier diet and stopped smoking. He had developed good life skills and particularly enjoyed cooking curries from scratch. During the time the young person lived at the home he continued to struggle with high levels of anxiety, which resulted in him showing aggressive behaviour at times. Even so, he made measurable progress in managing his feelings and controlling his behaviour. He was willing to accept help from staff and the child and adolescent mental health service. Members of staff showed a clear understanding of the factors that affected the young person’s emotional well-being and health. They built warm relationships with him that promoted positive behaviour and helped him to develop coping strategies that worked for him. The staff’s calm approach, clear communication and consistency of practice resulted in a reduction in the number of times the young person showed aggressive

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

behaviour. On occasions that the young person did show aggressive behaviour, the registered manager talked to the young person about what had happened and sought to find the best ways to help him. The registered manager took the young person’s views seriously. She investigated his concerns thoroughly, including complaints about members of staff. The registered manager reports complaints appropriately to the social worker and the designated officer. There are clear and detailed records of each complaint that show the action taken and the outcome of the investigation, including letting the young person know the decision. At times, the situation was extremely stressful for the young person and members of staff. Sometimes he struggled with members of staff that he usually got on with extremely well. The registered manager took effective action to relieve the pressure on Inspection report children’s home: SC457182 3

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

these relationships by giving the young person and members of staff breaks from each other. This included a member of staff focusing on paperwork, while someone else spent time with the young person. The registered manager also allowed staff to work at another home for a short period of time. This was managed in a way that did not impact negatively on the young person’s sense of stability or emotional well-being, and meant that positive relationships could be sustained over time. The staff receive effective support and guidance through regular practice-related supervision from appropriately qualified and experienced managers and through team meetings. Consequently, they have the regular opportunities they need to discuss the young person’s needs, reflect on their practice, share skills and highlight any areas for their development. Through supervision, managers also provide staff with the time to reflect on the emotional impact of their work. The staff have their performance and

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

suitability to carry out their role formally appraised by the registered manager and the responsible individual each year. However, the appraisals do not take into account the views of the children and the other professionals who work with the staff. This information would provide a more detailed picture of each member of staff’s qualities and skills, and how well children feel individual staff support them. The registered manager and the organisation’s human resources team now take all reasonable steps to make sure that their recruitment practices protect and minimise potential risks to young people. Since the last inspection, they have explored applicants’ employment histories thoroughly, and have gathered more detailed references to help them make good decisions about people’s suitability to work with young people. The house is in a poor state of repair and does not provide young people with a pleasant

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

and comfortable environment in which to live. It is not decorated to a high standard. The living room does not have skirting boards and one wall is waiting to be decorated. The bathroom is in a poor state of repair. The furniture throughout the house is old and showing significant signs of wear and tear. For example, there are not enough dining chairs for everyone to sit together for a meal. The staff and the young person are having to use a garden chair and the other chairs are damaged. There is no desk or chair in the education room. The sofas and tables in the lounge are damaged, as is the furniture in the young person’s bedroom. The registered manager and the deputy manager have provided the organisation with a full and extensive list of the repairs that are required, but no action has been taken to improve things. The house had not been redecorated and refurbished before the new young person moved in.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The external monitoring undertaken by an independent person provides a more detailed evaluation of the home’s effectiveness in meeting young people’s needs. However, the most recent internal review of the quality of care provided did not reflect critically on the standard of support that young people get and the impact it is having on their lives. This limits managers’ understanding of the difference the quality of the care is making to young people’s experiences and outcomes, and does not them to identify and make further improvements.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children’s home: SC457182 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/06/2017 Full Good 27/10/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 16/05/2016 Full Requires improvement 10/02/2016 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 quality 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 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 ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to meet the needs of each child, and enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6(1)(2)(c)) This is about making sure that children live in a pleasant and comfortable home that is maintained, decorated and furnished to a good standard. 31/03/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert to any signs that may indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12). This is specifically in relation to ensuring that staff complete training about e-safety and sexually harmful behaviour.  All staff must have their performance and fitness to carry out their role formally appraised at least once annually. This appraisal should take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report children’s home: SC457182 5  The registered person should undertake a review (as set out in regulation 45) that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of

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Recommendations

children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.2)

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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

Nick Veysey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457182 6 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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