Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Nottingham

Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 1 SC457500 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a private organisation. It cares for six children and young people with mild to moderate learning disabilities. The aims of the home are for every child to be provided with opportunities to gain positive experiences and for children to be given support in a nurturing environment. The manager has been registered since 2015. She is suitably qualified.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: SC457500 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/08/2017 Full Good 04/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/07/2016 Full Good 27/10/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)) This is in relation to monitoring care plans, risk assessments, one-to-one work and recording. 10/10/2018

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  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 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)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people have been through an unsettled period and there have been a lot of changes to the staff team. However, the home is much more stable now and, overall, young people have made good progress. Young people’s comments include: ‘It’s nice and friendly’ and ‘Staff absolutely care so much.’ Professionals and parents agree that young people are doing very well and making good progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 4 Young people, who have very complex behaviours and high anxiety when they arrive at the home, settle in quickly. Staff consider young people’s anxiety levels and admissions are managed at the young person’s own pace.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people receive education according to their personal needs. Many young people have made good progress. The manager ‘speaks out’ to make sure that their education arrangements are suitable.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Transition planning is good. The attached semi-independence flat has been instrumental in some young people’s progress. Young people can learn by experiencing independence first hand. This prepares young people for their adult life and for their transition out of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There are shortfalls in the care planning process and in the way that one-to-one work is planned and delivered. However, each young person has a good support system. Where young people do not have contact with their family, the staff and manager make them feel cherished and special. One young person who has no contact with family members telephones the manager each night to say goodnight. Young people know that staff are there for them. Young people regularly speak about their issues and problems, gaining a lot of support and direction.

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

Overall, young people make very good progress with their safety issues. They come to the home with some very risky behaviours, such as being very vulnerable while out in the community and putting their health at risk. Young people’s sense of safety has started to emerge because of the support and direction that they have received from staff.

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

Some young people have struggled to regulate their behaviour recently. This is largely down to their personal situation, rather than any shortfall in staff practice. There was a sharp increase in physical interventions in May, June and July 2018. However, each restraint was necessary to protect young people from the risk of harm. In the last month, there has been a significant decrease in physical interventions, demonstrating that the staff responses to young people are working well.

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

There is a strong and effective safeguarding culture. Staff are well aware of their responsibilities to protect young people. When there are safety issues, staff make sure that they tell their manager swiftly. Safeguarding matters are referred to the appropriate agencies. Young people’s safety is always top priority.

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

When young people have been missing, staff always notice straight away and take prompt action to ensure their safe return. Risk assessment documents in relation to going missing, and other risks such as being vulnerable on the internet, are not up to date. They do not all reflect the current and complex situation for young people. Also, the wording in one risk assessment, in relation to when a young person goes missing, was confusing. However, there is evidence that staff do take the correct action to Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 5 protect young people.

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

The home has been through a difficult period in recent months. Young people’s behaviour deteriorated as they came to terms with difficult periods in their lives. High staff turnover, combined with a period when the manager was absent, has also contributed to a decline in the effectiveness of some important systems in the home. For example, care planning is not currently well organised and one-to-one sessions with young people are not well planned. Also, risk assessments are not all up to date and some recording in the home has been poor. There is the potential for young people’s care to be affected if these shortfalls are not put right.

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

The manager and staff generally work effectively with parents and professionals. However, the manager does not always challenge other agencies when they do not take the right action. For example, some interviews with young people after they have been missing have not been conducted within suitable timeframes. Also, important information from these interviews has not been shared in a timely way. In these instances, leaders and managers settled for poor practice, rather than actively challenging on behalf of the young people.

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

The manager has prioritised young people’s needs. She has made sure that their progress is not disrupted. Her commitment and drive have ensured that young people are now much more settled. She acknowledges that some systems need to be improved and is well aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses. She feels confident that she can make the required improvements now that the home is more stable.

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

The organisation continues to recruit staff after a period of high staff turnover. The turnover has generally been because of staff relocation or their decision to further their careers, rather than them having problems with their work. The manager remains focused on ensuring that her staff team continues to grow in confidence and becomes more stable.

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

Young people have a very strong voice in this home. The manager always ensures that they are at the centre of everything that she does. They have their say about their care and about what is happening in their own life. Young people learn that their views are very important and that they can, and should, have their say. The recommendation in relation to this, which was made at the last inspection, has 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 Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 6 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: SC457500 7

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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, Middlesex W6 9RU

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Inspector(s)

Caroline Brailsford: social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457500 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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