Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Derbyshire

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC476289 1 SC476289

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Cambian Childcare Ltd

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children‟s home provides long-term care and therapy for up to five children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The registered provider is a private company operating a range of children‟s homes across the country.

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This monitoring visit

This children‟s home was judged as declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection on 8 January 2018. A compliance notice was issued regarding the leadership and management of the home and six requirements were made. Ofsted also imposed an additional registration condition relating to the admission of any further children to the home. This monitoring visit was undertaken to assess the progress made in meeting the compliance notice. Some of the requirements made at the last inspection were reviewed during this monitoring visit.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice required the registered person to ensure that there are effective management and leadership monitoring systems in place. This was seen as essential in providing stability to children living at the home and in ensuring that children are provided with good-quality care from consistent caregivers. This visit found that the home has continued to experience instability in leadership and management. The home‟s acting manager and deputy manager have been temporarily redeployed in this period. An experienced registered manager from another home has been providing direct management support. This manager has been looking at systems within the home and has been auditing the quality of care. This internal auditing process identified a number of shortfalls. Shortfalls include difficulties within the management team, which has had a negative impact on the staff team. An action plan has been devised as a result of internal auditing, which

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This monitoring visit

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC476289 2 primarily details the need for staff to be recruited and/or developed. While this is an appropriate plan, it does not include any timescales, and is a plan that could have been devised several months ago given the known shortfalls in the home. At present, leadership and management in the home are weak. Leaders are unable to adequately support an inexperienced core team of staff and make the necessary progress. As a result, the registered person has failed to improve the quality and consistency of care provided to children.

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This monitoring visit

The monitoring of records and of staff practice has not been robust. A review of notifications by the inspector highlighted a lack of effective management monitoring by the home‟s acting manager. The inspector identified poor behaviour management practice. Records viewed, including incident report forms, physical intervention forms and accident report forms, identified a lack of appropriate and effective de- escalation strategies being used. Recording of incidents was poor and the terminology used in some records gave an inaccurate picture of what had happened. The home‟s acting manager has failed to identify these shortfalls. She took remedial action after the inspector contacted her to highlight these concerns and to request further information following the receipt of notifications.

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This monitoring visit

During this monitoring visit, the inspector asked for an update about a safeguarding notification relating to two of the children. In the absence of the home‟s acting manager, the responsible individual was unable to say what had happened. This demonstrates poor management oversight, and underlines the need for improved recording so that this information can be accessed. The inspector also queried why, on the day of this visit, a child had not been taken to school after a routine medical appointment. The responsible individual and the managers present were unable to provide an explanation.

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This monitoring visit

The quality assurance visits carried out by the independent visitor are not robust and have not helped to identify important shortfalls in practice.

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This monitoring visit

Since the end of January 2018, nine allegations of physical abuse have been made by children against staff. A review of these allegations identified poor management practice in relation to following safeguarding procedures. On one occasion, the on- call manager failed to inform the responsible individual, who is the safeguarding lead, of an allegation made against a member of staff. A safeguarding strategy meeting convened by the local authority was held about this member of staff without the responsible individual knowing. The inspector also identified that some staff did not fully understand safeguarding procedures. On one occasion, the member of staff to whom a disclosure was made asked the child leading questions. These poor safeguarding practices do not protect children from the risk of harm and abuse.

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This monitoring visit

The lack of management oversight has had an impact on some children‟s behaviour, which is affecting children‟s ability to make progress with their education. One child, who started a new school in January 2018, is now refusing to attend. The school has not provided any support for the child and there is no structure to the child‟s day. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC476289 3 Managers have not liaised with the school to try to address the issue of non- attendance. The inspector was informed that this child‟s refusal to attend school was as a result of another child being in the home during the day due to being excluded from their school. Staff have not been proactive in working with the school and the wider system to promote education. Children are not being adequately supported to meet their academic potential.

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This monitoring visit

The compliance notice required the registered person to provide an appropriately experienced, well-trained and consistent staff team. The provider has failed to recruit to staff vacancies (five full-time posts) and three permanent staff have left since the interim inspection. The inspector was initially told that no staff had left since the interim inspection. A review of the staff rotas by the inspector found that this was not the case. Information about when the staff had left was not readily available to the inspector. Because of staff vacancies, agency staff and a high number of staff from other homes are providing care. Children have been cared for by 26 different staff in this period, which is an increase in the number of staff caring for children since the interim inspection. As a result, children have not received consistent care from a stable staff team and from staff whom they know.

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This monitoring visit

Staff rotas viewed by the inspector during this monitoring visit did not accurately reflect the actual hours worked and by whom. This made it difficult to accurately assess whether staffing levels are appropriate to meet the needs of the children. Furthermore, the responsible individual and covering managers were unaware that the rotas were inaccurate.

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This monitoring visit

A requirement was made at the interim inspection to ensure that all staff have received the required mandatory training and that staff are appropriately qualified. The responsible individual provided Ofsted with an action plan detailing how the compliance notice and requirements would be addressed. One of the main areas was to provide staff with relevant training. This visit identified that very little progress has been made in meeting these shortfalls. Staff have not received the training detailed in the provider‟s action plan and only team leaders have received safeguarding refresher training. This requirement has not been addressed.

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This monitoring visit

Children‟s behaviour has deteriorated since the interim inspection. One child has made eight allegations against different staff and their behaviour has resulted in a significant increase in the use of physical intervention. The same child has been excluded from school twice in the last month and is at risk of being permanently excluded. This deterioration in the child‟s behaviour can be attributed, in part, to the high number of different staff being used and inconsistencies in practice. The responsible individual has failed to arrange a meeting with the child‟s placing authority to discuss the child‟s current situation and how to help the child to make progress.

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This monitoring visit

This inspection found that the compliance notice has not been met. Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC476289 4

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

08/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 13/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 01/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC476289 5

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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— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) 29/04/2018

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home‟s statement of purpose; 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; ensure that the home‟s workforce provides continuity of care to each child; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(c)(d)(e)(h)) 29/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children‟s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the 29/04/2018 Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC476289 6 registered person to ensure— that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home‟s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)) This is with particular reference to the admission of children when the home is experiencing continued high turnover of staff. The registered person must keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must comply with requests by the child‟s placing authority to— provide a suitable representative to attend any meeting the placing authority may hold about a child. (Regulation 17(3)(b)) 29/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development. (Regulation 33(4)(a)) This is with specific reference to ensuring that all staff have received mandatory training and that staff are appropriately qualified. 29/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— Within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”) has spoken to the user about the measure; has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(b)(c)) 29/04/2018

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC476289 7  Any registered manager placed in charge of a children‟s home or staff member in a deputy or supervisory capacity role such as „shift leader‟ should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children‟s home and have successfully completed their induction for the home in which they are employed. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 54, paragraph 10.21.)

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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.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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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

Katarina Djordjevic, social care inspector Inspection report for children‟s home - monitoring visit: SC476289 8 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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