Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Somerset

Inspection report children’s home: 1240802 1 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

The home can provide care for up to four children and young people who have social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is part of a large private organisation. The registered manager resigned in June 2018. A new manager is in post and has applied to register with Ofsted. The company employs its own clinical team. This resource is shared between this home and two other homes within the organisation.

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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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1240802 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/11/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/01/2017 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: 1240802 3

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Recommendations

 For children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9). In particular, improve the quality of the outdoor/garden areas, making them more usable, child friendly and homely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children spoke highly about the quality of care that staff provide to them. Positive relationships develop quickly between children and staff. Although many of the care team members are new, children receive stability and consistent care because agency staff are no longer used.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The internal environment is homely. Children love their bedrooms. Each room is personalised to the child’s taste. Thoughtful touches such as soft furnishings and lavender room spray help to create a calm and soothing environment. A parent said, ‘It is lovely here, like a home and like a family.’ Currently, the garden and outside areas are not up to the same standard as the interior of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The new manager has improved the process of assessing the suitability of children moving into the home by considering the attachment styles of all children. Staff think carefully about how to support children moving into the home. Children who already live in the home write letters to new children moving in to welcome them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress, and their attendance at school improves quickly after they move in. Staff create a positive focus on achievement and progress. With good support from staff, one child recently secured a full-time job. Staff help the child to travel to and from their place of employment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children now have more freedom and independent time, which can be spent going out alone or with friends. Staff support children to make positive friendships and join clubs or events in the local community. Children can also have their friends over to the home. This assists children to develop skills to socialise more appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good access to health services. The clinical team delivers an effective therapeutic model of care. The therapeutic model is integrated well into children’s care plans. Inspection report children’s home: 1240802 4

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

The new manager has successfully reduced the number of restrictions imposed on children, which were aimed to keep them safe. As a result, children have become more independent, enabled to take proportionate, well-managed risks and live in a less restrictive home.

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

Children feel safe. Staff provide good parental support; they spend time with children talking about safety and risks. This helps children to progress safely as they start to use mobile phones, spend time independently away from the home and visit their families at home.

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

Children either stop going missing from home all together, or the frequency significantly reduces. Staff correctly follow comprehensive guidelines if children go missing. This includes searching for them and working appropriately with the police. Children have an independent return home interview when they return. The manager is persistent in requesting that these interviews take place by the placing authorities. Information from independent return home interviews is used well to inform risk assessments to reduce ongoing risks further.

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

Leaders and managers follow child protection policies effectively. Appropriate referrals are made to safeguarding professionals to protect children. Staff have sufficient training in child protection.

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

Children have effective incentive charts to support them to behave positively. Children are thoughtful and respectful of one another. The home is calm. Staff de-escalate any potential behavioural incidents successfully. No restraints have occurred for over 18 months.

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

Some significant behavioural incidents occurred when other children were previously living in the home. Leaders and managers identified that children were not well matched, and one child moved on quickly after moving into the home. The new manager supported staff to reflect on that period and identified where improvements could be made. The changes to practice were implemented, and two children successfully moved into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Changes have occurred in the leadership and management of the home since the previous inspection. The registered manager resigned in June 2018. The new manager has previously been registered with Ofsted and has applied to register for this home. New leaders and managers show a passion and commitment to provide children with a high quality of care. As a result, significant improvements have occurred in changing the culture and ethos of the home. Leaders and managers accurately understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. An effective action plan details the improvements that leaders and managers are Inspection report children’s home: 1240802 5 making. Leaders and managers have significantly improved the quality of care provided to children and positively developed the relationships between staff and children. Children’s views shape the development of the home. One child said, ‘The manager holds it together, even when she is not here. I love her.’ Another child said, ‘The

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

manager is amazing to us all.’ The manager has good relationships with other professionals and is confident to advocate on behalf of children. The new manager has improved the monitoring and oversight of the home. She uses research competently to underpin her quality assurance, analysis and learning. Inconsistencies in staffing and the frequent use of agency staff have stopped under the new management. The staff team is providing children with more stability than before. It is too early to see whether this improvement is fully embedded, as many of the staff are new. Staff receive regular supervision and said that they feel supported. The clinical team provides staff with therapeutic supervision, which is tailored to enable staff to reflect on the needs of the children. Staff complete mandatory training and attend specialist training courses to develop their skills.

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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: 1240802 6

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Elworthy

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Inspector

Nicola Lownds, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1240802 7 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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