Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 1 SC476326 Registered provider: The Cambian Group

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children or young people. The home specialises in providing care for children and young people who have suffered early life trauma as the victims of serious abuse and/or profound neglect. A private company runs this home. The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced.

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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

Date of last inspection: 23 February 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not judged

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This home was last inspected in November 2017 and judged to be inadequate. Ofsted served a notice of suspension, for 12 weeks, on 28 November 2017 until 20 February 2018. In addition to this action, 15 requirements were raised because of the inspection. The requirements have all now been met. Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/02/2018 Interim Not judged 22/11/2017 Full Inadequate 16/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/08/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard requires the registered person to ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff are not deployed to work in other homes on a regular basis. 09/11/2018

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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 requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, where staff require training to meet a specific need of an individual child, do not admit the child until that training has been completed. 09/11/2018

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person in placement has formed warm and trusting relationships with child- focused and dedicated staff. She is happy living there and says that she loves the staff. She benefits from a welcoming, comfortable and well-maintained home where she has personalised her room. The calm and homely atmosphere offers young people the opportunity to focus on their own needs. Quiet spaces include a play room and a ‘cosy corner’ in the sitting room where young people can have time to themselves and relax.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person in placement says that staff listen to her and respond appropriately, explaining their decisions. They give her verbal and written feedback on her progress in Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 4 an age-appropriate way. Staff involve her in discussing her plans and risk assessments, and value her opinion. She knows how to complain and says that she is confident that staff take complaints seriously. Her one complaint, that the sofa in the sitting room is uncomfortable, is currently being addressed by staff, who are looking for a replacement.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Enthusiastic staff engage young people in a range of fun and stimulating activities. These include horse riding, dog walking, art and craft and trips out. Staff and young people have also enjoyed cooking for each other in a ‘come dine with me’ competition, as well as themed nights. Staff promote healthy eating and food is nutritious and prepared from raw ingredients. Weekly young people’s meetings provide time to plan menus and activities and make suggestions for the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people make significant progress in improving their self-esteem, managing their emotions and behaviour, personal relationships and family contact. Staff provide young people with support to engage in education after lengthy periods when they were not going to school. The current young person is now enjoying attending and achieving at school. She attends full time and says that she is proud of herself. She hopes to move to a mainstream school, and the registered manager is supporting her in this aim. Staff identify and meet young people’s identity needs, for example family contact and religious observance, when requested. This supports their emotional well-being and sense of who they are.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person, who has left the home, was able to settle into another home in the company when her placement at this home was no longer appropriate. Staff that she knew well and liked were deployed to care for her at her new home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Parents and professionals praise the care that staff provide to young people. The social worker for one young person commented that, ‘The staff have excellent warm and caring relationships with her. Management and staff always consider her individual needs and are consistently holistic with her emotional, physical and mental health needs.’ The mother of a young person said that, ‘She used to have a lot of anger, but she is calming down. She goes to school every day. I’m proud of her.’

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

Highly trained staff keep young people safe. Since the last inspection, all staff have undertaken a significant amount of training with regards to safeguarding, self-harm prevention, child sexual exploitation awareness and physical intervention. The registered manager has provided staff with information about county lines, and the police have also provided training to staff with regards to being alert to radicalisation.

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

When a recent match between two young people proved to be unsafe, the registered manager quickly addressed the matter to keep both young people safe. The decision was taken to move one of the young people to another home in the company, which resulted in both young people achieving stability and having their individual needs met. When young people go missing, vigilant staff search for them and follow protocols and individual risk assessments. Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 5 Incidents of going missing, aggression and self-harm have significantly decreased since the last inspection. The young person in placement has become increasingly safe. This is because of skilful key work undertaken by staff. This includes addressing internet safety and child sexual exploitation. Strong relationships with staff are key to supporting young people to express their feelings and enabling them to adhere to guidance and

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

boundaries that keep them safe. Staff engage young people in discussions about the triggers to their behaviour and how further incidents can be avoided.

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

The registered manager regularly reviews the risk assessments, which are thorough, relevant and effective. Behaviour management plans are individualised and up to date, and provide staff with valuable insight and guidance to support their safeguarding practice. There is a strong managerial overview of incidents. The registered manager expects staff to reflect on how they have managed incidents. If issues arise with staff practice, the registered manager addresses them immediately.

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

Staff work closely and effectively with a range of professionals to keep young people safe. They have positive relationships with the police, and the local community support officer calls into the home regularly to talk to staff and young people. Staff liaise with the placing authorities when incidents occur. One social worker confirmed that staff informed her immediately about any safeguarding concerns.

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

The home is well maintained and safe, and staff recruitment processes are safe and effective.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last full inspection and the inadequate judgement, the registered manager has worked hard to address the shortfalls. A significant increase in the amount of support provided to her by senior managers has enabled her to grow in confidence and improve her effectiveness.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has reflected on the need for her to be more proactive and challenging of other professionals. She has met all the requirements from the last inspection and has improved her managerial monitoring and oversight of the service. This has led to improvements to the progress and the experience of young people, the maintenance and decoration of the home, safeguarding practice and the overall effectiveness of staff in the home. She has chased placing authorities effectively for documents and information for young people’s files. There has been good advocacy on behalf of young people with regards to their education.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have undertaken a significant amount of training since the last inspection, which has improved their understanding and practice. The registered manager has shown strong leadership in supporting the staff team to remain committed to the home during, and after, the closure. Staff say that they enjoy working here and feel that the team is supportive. The registered manager provides staff with regular supervision, which is reflective and stimulating. Staff attend regular team meetings and feel that the Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 6 registered manager welcomes their ideas and contributions.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This is a well-run home, systems are clear and guidance for staff is clear and accessible. Staff are either level 3 qualified or are undertaking the qualification. They, and the registered manager, demonstrate excellent knowledge of young people’s needs and the progress that they make. Staff are aspirational for young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager understands the team’s strengths and areas for development and has plans in place to support staff understanding and practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Multi-agency work is a strength, and one social worker says that her work with the team has been, ‘an example of multi-agency at its best’. Staff liaise effectively with the police, schools, health workers and the in-house clinical team to understand and meet the needs of young people. Staff also work closely with family members, laying the foundations for young people to develop positive family relationships which will support them into the future.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager did not ensure that all required training had been completed prior to a young person moving into the home. Furthermore, during the period of this home being closed, staff have been dispersed to the organisation’s other homes. This has limited the cohesiveness of the staff and their ability to work as an effective team from the outset.

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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 children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 7

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Louise Whittle, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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