Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Warrington

Inspection report children’s home: 1225371 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is one of a number of children’s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children or young people. The home offers a holistic care package for children and young people with individual complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered since 2012.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1225371 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/04/2017 Full Good 18/01/2017 Full Good 19/10/2016 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: 1225371 3

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Recommendations

 The registered person should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11) This specifically relates to the manager ensuring that staff understand any training that they have completed and that they can apply this learning in practice.  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  The home’s record of the event must include a description of the action taken

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Recommendations

and the outcome of any resulting investigation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.14) In particular, ensure that any actions recommended as an outcome of an investigation are actioned and recorded as being completed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make good progress due to the quality of care and support they receive from staff in this home. Young people like living in the home and describe it as, ‘one big family’. Positive relationships exist between staff and young people and this has contributed to the progress that young people have made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well maintained and homely. It has recently been redecorated and the young people were fully involved in choosing the new decor. The home is personalised with photographs of the young people enjoying a range of activities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place high priority on young people’s education, and as a result the young people are engaged in further education. This is good progress for both of the young people in the home. Staff are proactive in working with educational professionals to secure educational provision for young people and provide support to the young people to maintain their attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s experiences on a day-to-day basis are positive. Staff ensure that young Inspection report children’s home: 1225371 4 people have positive experiences out of school hours, such as attending their prom or activities such as going to Blackpool. Staff capture these experiences for young people by taking photos and putting them in scrapbooks which young people can keep.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are well prepared for independence. Staff ensure that each young person has an individual independence plan. This provides the detail of what young people can do and what areas they still need to develop. As a result, young people learn a wide range of skills that they will require for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support young people well with transitions out of the home. Case records demonstrate that young people and staff have an input into individual transition plans. The manager is assertive and challenges placing authorities to ensure that young people have pathway plans and that they are supported appropriately with the transition out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people’s views are integral to all aspects of their care. Staff undertake regular and meaningful key-work sessions with young people and ensure that young people’s meetings take place. Consequently, young people feel listened to and are fully involved in decisions about their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are proactive in supporting young people’s contact with people who are important to them, sometimes travelling a distance to promote contact in line with the young people’s plans. Staff have regular contact with social workers to ensure that they have the most up-to-date contact arrangements and can raise any areas of concern.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people become increasingly safe because of the care and support that they receive from staff. One young person reported that, ‘They keep me safe; when I am low in mood or being out of character they know how to help me; if it was not for the staff I wouldn’t be here now.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff know and understand each young person’s known risks and vulnerabilities and know what actions to take to reduce risks such as self-harm. As a result, self-harmful behaviour has reduced for some young people in the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people rarely go missing from this home. For some young people, there has been a reduction in the times that they do go missing from home. When young people do go missing from home, staff are proactive and consistently follow the missing from home protocols. However, it is not always clear whether return home interviews have been carried out or how the information provided by such interviews is used to assess the risks for each young person.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff undertake a good range of direct work with young people on how to keep themselves safe, such as internet safety and the safe use of mobile phones. This ensures that young people are educated about the current risks and are supported to keep themselves safe from harm. Inspection report children’s home: 1225371 5 Young people have individual plans detailing the indicators of child sexual exploitation and the actions for staff to follow to minimise this risk. Staff complete screening tools and attend strategy meetings when young people are at risk. Staff have all completed training so that they are aware of the issues involved in child sexual exploitation. However the manager needs to ensure that staff understand the training that they have completed and can apply this to practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Restraint is not used in the home. Staff promote positive behaviour through the use of positive rewards and direct work with young people. Young people understand reward systems and feel that they work effectively. As a result, the home is settled with few behavioural incidents. Any negative consequences are proportionate to the behaviour and are fully evaluated by the manager.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

All staff are up to date with safeguarding training. Staff know what to do if an allegation is made and follow the required procedures. However, it is not clear from the records whether the manager has taken action to follow the recommendations from investigations with the staff to help improve practice.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff recruitment is safe. All staff are carefully vetted before starting in the home. This ensures that young people are cared for by people who are assessed as safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by an experienced, child-focused manager who has high expectations for the children in his care. He has a clear understanding of the progress that young people make. The manager is supported by an experienced first-line manager who is confident and passionate in ensuring that young people receive the best possible care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is staffed by a stable and experienced staff team. Staff like working in the home and feel well supported by the manager. They receive regular supervision and training to support them in their roles.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings occur regularly and are well attended. The manager is proactive in ensuring that other professionals, such as those from the child and adolescent mental health service, attend team meetings to ensure that staff have a full understanding of young people’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the home’s strengths and weaknesses well. He is proactive in addressing shortfalls from previous inspections and has improved the monitoring systems in the home. He has met the recommendations from the last inspection. This demonstrates the manager’s ability to learn and develop the home. The home is successful in meeting the aims and objectives as outlined in its statement of purpose. Staff work effectively with professionals, such as the police, social workers and other local services, to ensure that the safety and well-being of young people are promoted. The manager regularly consults with professionals, parents and young people and uses this feedback to make continuous improvements to the quality of care. Inspection report children’s home: 1225371 6

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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

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: 1225371 7

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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, Waterfront, Hammersmith Embankment, Chancellors Road, London, Middlesex W6 9RU

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Inspectors

Sarah Billett, social care inspector Jo Hornby, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1225371 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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