Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Staffordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1258091 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned children’s home is registered to care for up to five children who have suffered early life trauma. There is a manager in post who is not yet registered.

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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 declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was last inspected in April 2018 and judged to be good. One requirement was made in relation to staff consistency. Since the last inspection, Ofsted has received various concerns about the home. These concerns relate to how the behaviour of children is managed and how this impacts on the local and wider community. This interim inspection also focused on these concerns.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home has been without a registered manager since December 2017. The acting manager is yet to submit a fully completed registration to Ofsted. As a result, the judgement of this inspection reflects the significant period that the home has now been without a registered manager. The manager has, however, ensured that the regulation from the last inspection has been met. Children now receive care from a consistent staff team. This minimises disruption to children and ensures that they can build relationships with a stable staff team. Inspection report children’s home: 1258091 2 One child has left, and another child has joined the home since April 2018. A planned and well-supported period of transition meant that both events were managed appropriately with minimal disruption for children. The needs of the existing children in placement were fully considered. When children have left the home, they have done so

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

There have been recent incidents which have impacted on the home’s neighbours and local community. Behaviour is, overall, appropriately managed. There have been some incidents of a prolonged nature in the home. Staff are consistent, fair and apply the home’s boundaries and expected levels of behaviour. This ensures that children are developing a sense of ‘right and wrong’ and that they understand that their actions can have consequences. When sanctions are used, they are fair, proportionate and appropriate for the age of the children. The manager and staff have, however, failed to ensure that the views of children are sought and recorded when sanctions are used.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Restraint is used only when necessary and is recorded appropriately. Staff are debriefed following restraint and patterns and trends are considered. However, when the manager has been involved in restraint, there has been no formal debrief completed with the manager by an appropriate person. This means that there is the potential for the manager’s practice not to be reviewed or evaluated by their own manager or other suitable person. A recommendation has been made to improve this area of practice.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Ofsted was notified that there had been some delays in the manager notifying the local authority of the full details of an incident that happened in the home. This delay did not impact on the outcomes of children. The manager has a basic understanding of the local authority’s referral procedures and of Working Together to Safeguard Children. The manager has begun to make improvements to the referral processes used in the home and has devised a simpler form for sending concerns. This is yet to be shared with or reviewed by the designated officers in the local authority. A recommendation has been made to ensure that these procedures are fully embedded into the manager’s practice in the home and are assessed as being fit for use.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Where serious incidents occur, the staff team ensures that appropriate actions are taken to safeguard children. However, the manager does not have a clear understanding of what constitutes a ‘serious’ incident and as a result, there has been one occasion when a prolonged incident took place in the home and was not notified to Ofsted. This incident involved several restraints of a child during the early hours of the morning. While no police attendance or medical assistance was required, the incident was of significance due to its duration and the number of physical interventions used. Furthermore, there have been some residual effects on the local community. Local residents were alerted to the incident due to the noise. The provider has taken steps to positively address this matter with all concerned. Further concerns relating to noise and other potentially anti- social incidents have also been notified to the provider by local residents.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The home’s location risk assessment is out of date. Crime figures, for example, are considered but these are from July 2016. The current and ongoing concerns raised by the local community are also not reflected. This means that there is no clarity for staff or Inspection report children’s home: 1258091 3 shared awareness of how this situation will be managed.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Regular planned visits from the local police are encouraged by the staff team and children are using these visits to take part in a range of fun and engaging activities, for example police cadets and getting to know the local police staff. Staff work hard to engage children in activities and there are plans to further develop the home. For example, some areas of the home are being repurposed to create additional play space. Redecoration is under way, and this is being influenced by children’s choices of decor. Children enjoy living in a large and well-equipped home. Children were observed to be happy and lively. Relationships between staff and children are positive.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Most children have clear educational plans ready for September. When these are not in place, the manager has not ensured that actions have been taken to secure a school placement. This means that there is the risk of children not having the certainty and security of a school place for the new academic year. This has the potential to significantly affect the progress of children.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This inspection has made four requirements and two recommendations.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/04/2018 Full Good 12/12/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but 03/09/2018 Inspection report children’s home: 1258091 4 not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 8 (1) (2) (a) (viii)) The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that 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.

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Recommendations

 Supervision of staff practice should ensure that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home so they understand what they would need to do if they found other staff misusing or abusing their position to the detriment of the safety of a child. This specifically relates to ensuring that where the manager is involved in restraints, there is provision for the manager to be debriefed by an appropriate person who can monitor and review their practice. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 9.14, page 43)  The home’s policies and procedures around the protection of children should reflect any requirements of other relevant legislation. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, paragraph 9.22, page 44) Inspection report children’s home: 1258091 5

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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 Ltd

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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

Pete Hylton, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1258091 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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