Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Leicestershire

Inspection report children’s home: SC436372 1 SC436372 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home provides care and accommodation for up to five children and young people aged between nine and 17. The home accepts children and young people on a planned basis. The children and young people accommodated at Abbeyfield may have previously experienced abuse, neglect or exclusion. Abbeyfield offers medium- to long-term placements for children and young people, where they can prepare for the next stage in their lives. There is no registered manager at this home because the previous registered manager left the position on 13 July 2018.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

p.1

Enforcement action since last inspection:

After the last full inspection, Ofsted issued a restriction notice to prevent any further admissions. Ofsted also issued two compliance notices. A monitoring visit took place on 22 May 2018. The compliance notices were found to be met and the restriction notice was lifted. Inspection report children’s home: SC436372 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/04/2018 Full Inadequate 15/01/2018 Interim Declined effectiveness 25/07/2017 Full Good 16/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC436372 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

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; 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— 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(2)(b)(iv)) This is specifically in relation to care planning. 19/08/2018

p.3

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 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. (Regulation 13(2)(c)) This is in relation to staff training. 19/08/2018

p.3

Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be a nurturing, supportive environment, they will in most cases be homely, domestic environments. This is in relation to the garden which is in need of attention, the glass ceiling which presents as dirty, and the two windows in a young person’s bedroom which are cloudy. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report children’s home: SC436372 4

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have made good progress since the last inspection. Staff are spending good-quality time with young people. The support and guidance from staff enables young people to explore issues relating to risk and well-being. Young people learn how to protect themselves, how to be healthier, and how to feel better about themselves. At present, there is a consistently high staff to young person ratio. One placing authority commented that staff have been proactive in encouraging a young person and supporting the young person with their complex educational needs. The home’s care planning process is weak and, at present, is overcomplicated. Although planning takes place, work to meet young people’s care needs is not well organised. There is the potential for care needs to be overlooked if this is not put right. Young people have the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities and they can choose what they would like to do. Young people have regular trips out and a holiday is

p.4

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

planned. Young people have a say in how the home is run. They contribute to procedures and guidance where appropriate. They have recently contributed to writing about each member of staff for the ‘young people’s guide’. This will assist new young people to settle in quickly and have a sense of who the staff are. Some areas of the garden present as unsightly and require attention. Some further areas of repair were identified, such as panes of glass that need replacing.

p.4

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

Young people are safer as a result of living at this home. One young person’s missing from home incidents have dramatically reduced over time. Staff manage incidents of missing from the home effectively. Staff have been particularly proactive recently and their creativity in managing the situation was over and above what would normally be expected when a young person goes missing from the home. Young people learn to manage their emotions and regulate their behaviour. They have fewer angry outbursts and self-injurious behaviour is reduced. Staff provide young people with the right support in response to unsafe behaviour. When safeguarding concerns arise, there is a swift and thorough response. The young person’s safety and welfare is prioritised. If allegations have been made, the initial risk assessment is protective for the young person. Recording is clear and provides evidence of a thorough response.

p.4

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

Staff and managers reflect on how risk is managed. Opportunities are identified to reduce risk in the future and ensure that young people are safe. Inspection report children’s home: SC436372 5

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All of the requirements made at the last inspection have been met. There have been no new admissions to the home since the last inspection, but matching processes have been very well considered. Improvements have been made in making sure that young people’s health needs are met and in safeguarding young people. Safe staff recruitment processes are now followed. Leadership has significantly improved. The registered manager has stepped down from her role, but will continue to work at the home as the deputy manager. She, along with the seniors, has been instrumental in positive change. They are committed to continued improvement and to providing good-quality care to young people. Leaders and staff now feel ready to admit more young people. They understand the importance of building up the numbers gradually, so that the quality of care can continue to improve. Some staff are still relatively new, but are settling into the team well. Staff deployment is

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

being managed more effectively. There is always a more senior member of staff on duty and there is increased consistency for young people. Leaders are good at managing staff as they have clear expectations. Staff know how to meet young people’s needs and have a good understanding of how to deliver individualised care. They are knowledgeable and skilled in their role. However, training needs to be improved. Some staff have not had formal training in how to recognise and protect children from sexual exploitation, or in how to support young people to reduce their self-harmful behaviour. A requirement has been made to address this.

p.5

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.

p.5

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: SC436372 6

p.5

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cambian, Waterfront, Hammersmith Embankment, Chancellors Road, London W6 9RU

p.6

Inspector

Caroline Brailsford, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC436372 7 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.

p.6

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7