Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Durham

Inspection report children‟s home: SC456602 1 SC456602 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home accommodates up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A private company operates this home. The current manager was registered with Ofsted on 10 May 2018.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children‟s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 18 December 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC456602 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/12/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 15/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 31/05/2016 Full Good 23/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC456602 3

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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 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— 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)(a)(b) and (2)(c)(i)(ii)) 05/07/2018

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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 that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(h)) 05/07/2018

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)) 28/06/2018 Inspection report children‟s home: SC456602 4

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Recommendations

 The design of the home should provide staff that sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 17, paragraph 3.26)  Expectations of standards of behaviour should be high for all staff and children in the home. These standards should be clear and unambiguous. Children should be supported to develop understanding and empathy towards each other. Positive behaviour and relationships should be reinforced, praised and encouraged; poor behaviour should be challenged and discussed. The development of safe, stable and secure relationships with staff in the home should be central to the ethos of the home and support the development of secure attachments that, where appropriate, persist over time. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 39, paragraph 8.11)

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Recommendations

 The capacity and competence of staff to build constructive, warm relationships with children that actively promote positive behaviour, provides the foundations for managing any negative behaviour. Where necessary they should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 39, paragraph 8.14)  Children should be encouraged by staff to see the home‟s records as „living documents‟ supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 58, paragraph 11.19)  Keep children‟s records up to date, specifically that children‟s case files are well organised. („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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improvement to be good

The children‟s progress is being impaired by disruption to their daily routine. This has caused them to be up all night on some occasions, displaying disruptive and challenging behaviour. The children are supported to develop positive friendships with peers, and family contact is encouraged and supervised when required. When conflicts occur, they are managed well by reflecting on issues as a multi-agency care team and amending plans where necessary. This helps children to maintain a sense of identity. The staff team places the well-being of children at the centre of its practice, irrespective of behaviours presented. The children engage in education and their attendance has been high. Their progress, however, has been impaired due to them displaying disruptive behaviours in school and Inspection report children‟s home: SC456602 5 subsequent short-term exclusions. The staff team ensures that re-engagement is swift,

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improvement to be good

which shows commitment to ensuring that children understand and receive appropriate education. The children are listened to and put their views, choices and opinions on aspects of their care forward in regular house meetings. However, children do not routinely comment on their individual records, thus their voice is not always evident on decisions made in relation to their care. The staff team encourages children to take part in a variety of activities. These are identified in key-working sessions and help develop trusting relationships with staff. Although disruptive behaviour is a regular occurrence, positive changes in behaviour have been noted from external professionals. Comments have been made about the „massive‟ changes in attitude and appearance and strong relationships with specific members of staff. However, progress has not been sustainable for individual children and, as a result, they are not developing a sense of well-being and stability.

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improvement to be good

The children are encouraged and, where required, supported to develop independence skills such as safe time in the community, personal care and engaging in meal preparation from the starting point of choosing menus and purchasing food. These are all basic skills that develop individual confidence and promote positive self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

A comprehensive range of risk assessments contribute towards protecting children. The high number of missing from home episodes has reduced significantly. The staff team follows individual missing from home protocols and consistently goes looking for children. The recording of incidents is not always completed in a timely manner, thus delays occur in notifying Ofsted. The recruitment of new staff enables high levels of supervision for children at the home. However, relationships with children are not yet strong. This is affecting the consistency of practice in managing behaviour, which frequently escalates. As a result, children fail to learn, resulting in staff calling the police to assist them to manage these behaviours. Physical intervention is rarely used. Where appropriate, it is only used as a last resort and for the minimum time necessary. The staff team is proactive in undertaking work with children to help them to understand

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improvement to be good

how to keep themselves safe. This includes work around positive relationships, online safety and consequences of negative behaviours. The staff team is passionate about the children and works closely with the provider‟s own mental health practitioner to understand children‟s behaviours. As a result, specific training and consultations help staff to understand and respond to children in times of crisis. This helps staff develop skills in recognising different attachments and traumas suffered. Inspection report children‟s home: SC456602 6

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has been in post since May 2018. There were a few requirements made at the last inspection that have been completed. However, this has required the manager to be highly visible in the home and accessible when off duty. As a result, the monitoring and auditing of children‟s files and daily records has not routinely been completed. This diminishes analysis and evaluation of work completed with, and for, children. Thus, actions are not identified to make sure that children receive the care that they deserve. The recruitment of staff has been thorough. The registered manager has a strong leadership team that knows and understands the children. The staff team feels highly supported by a passionate manager, who demonstrates a strong commitment to children. The supervision of staff is comprehensive, and the staff team feels well supported by the registered manager. One member of staff commented: „He is very

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

“hands on” and supportive. I like constructive criticism and he creates a reflective environment.‟ This helps staff to feel valued as individuals and as a group. The home has been damaged as a result of negative behaviours and subsequent incidents, which have left it in need of repair and new furnishings. The damage is reported immediately, and a requisition order has been made. However, on further inspection, children and staff bedrooms require improvement and are not providing a homely, well-maintained environment. This results in low aspirations for children and reinforces low self-esteem. The registered manager works closely with other professionals, such as the police, education and social workers. He escalates concerns swiftly, such as ensuring children receive return home interviews when they have been missing and changes in social workers. This results in children getting access to a consistent service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There have been a few requirements and recommendations made to improve the service as children are not receiving consistently good care.

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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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC456602 7 children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟. Inspection report children‟s home: SC456602 8

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

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Inspector

Michael Dack, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC456602 9 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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