Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in West Northamptonshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 1 SC456719 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

The home is owned by a private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to six children and young people who have experienced serious behavioural, emotional and social difficulties and who require high levels of support. One of the placements is facilitated from accommodation in a separate annex, providing contracted emergency arrangements for one local authority. There is a registered manager who holds the relevant qualification for her role.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 31 July to 1 August 2018

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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: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/05/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 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

Ensure that the registered person only employs an individual to work at the children’s home if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3). The requirements are that— the individual is of integrity and good character; the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform; full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1)(2)(a)(b)(3)(a)(b)(d)) This is with particular reference to agency staff, when the organisation or manager has not seen these checks for themselves. 01/09/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have good experiences. Staff do all that they can to make sure that they lead a life that is enjoyable, happy, safe and comfortable. Young people feel extremely positive about their care. Their comments include: ‘It’s like a dream. I go to bed with a smile and wake up with a smile.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are making progress. An example of this is that one young person is preparing to go back to school, after a long period of not accessing education. Other young people have made enough progress to return to their family home, or to move on to a more independent setting. From their starting points, some young people have made tremendous progress. Young people receive good support to meet their health needs. Health professionals have made positive comments about how staff help young people with their physical health and their emotional health and well-being. Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 4 Care planning has been variable in quality, but improvement is evident. The care provided has not been compromised because staff are clear about how young people’s needs should be met, and they deliver care that is individualised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Shortfalls in the admission process resulted in a young person being admitted without all the important information about them being known. Lessons have been learned and admission processes are now improved. A more recent admission to the home was managed very well. The young person said: ‘I think it’s going to work here.’ The young person had a very positive introduction to the home. This enables young people to settle into the home quickly and to start making progress from the onset.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When the manager feels that young people’s progress is compromised, she works very closely with them and with their placing authority. She makes good decisions about placements and is not afraid to move young people on if it is needed. This is always after full consideration of the young person’s needs and the needs of other young people in the home. The decision made will always be in the best interests of the young person. Young people always leave the home in a positive way. They very often ring to talk to the staff in the weeks after their discharge, and in some cases for months or years afterwards. Young people feel a sense of belonging and attachment to the home, staff and managers.

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

Young people’s safety is a priority. A vigilant approach ensures that very vulnerable young people are as safe as they can be.

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

When young people have been missing from the home and they might be at risk of exploitation, staff have done all they can to protect them and to promote their welfare. Staff try to prevent young people from going missing from the home. If a young person goes missing from the home, staff actively look for them. They work ‘over and above’ to keep on looking, until they return safely. One professional said that during a recent missing episode ‘staff went out of their way to find her’.

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

Staff manage young people’s challenging behaviour well. Staff receive effective training in de-escalation techniques and they remain calm and approachable. Staff only use physical intervention if there is a safety issue. Staff are not afraid to have difficult conversations with young people so that they can learn about socially acceptable behaviour, even if this makes staff unpopular. One young person spoke about how their behaviour has significantly improved since their admission. The young person said: ‘Staff tell it how it is.’ Young people welcome this approach and respond well to clear and consistent boundaries.

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

Staff are creative in their approach to young people, even when they are ‘hard to reach’. Young people engage well and feel that they are invested in their own safety plans.

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

Permanent members of staff are subject to robust pre-employment checks to ensure Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 5 that unsuitable adults do not work at the home. Agency staff are also subject to pre- employment checks, but the manager relies on these checks having been undertaken by recruitment agencies. This means that the manager’s approach to the suitability of agency staff is less robust. Greater vigilance is needed to make sure that no unsuitable adults work at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is tenacious in her approach to providing good-quality care for young people. The manager does not hesitate to advocate on their behalf with professionals when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are led by a strong management team. There is always a manager or senior on shift. Even in the middle of the night, management support is readily available. The manager and deputy manager are ‘hands on’ and they lead by example. They make it their business to know the young people and they are extremely knowledgeable about how the care is being delivered. They make regular adjustments to care, according to young people’s changing and/or complex needs. They make themselves readily available to staff and young people. All are welcomed into their office, where there are many discussions about the operation of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a lot of staff vacancies. However, the home is not operating at full capacity. Leaders and managers know that they need to build up the staff team in order to care for a greater number of young people. There is a current recruitment drive and interviews were taking place on the day of the inspection. The manager is very clear that she will not settle for second best. She is looking for the right staff for the home and wants to make sure that staff are skilled and well suited to the young people. Existing staff, although covering a lot of extra hours, remain enthusiastic and energetic. Staff shortages have not had an impact on young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirement about keeping young people safe, which was raised at the last inspection, has been met. A further requirement made in relation to record-keeping has also been met.

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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. Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 6 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC456719 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: 4th Floor, Waterfront Building, Hammersmith Embankment, Chancellors Road, London W6 9RU

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Inspector

Caroline Brailsford, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456719 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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