Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Middlesbrough

Inspection report children’s home: SC454266 1 SC454266 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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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 privately run children’s home is contracted to provide services to a local authority. The home provides care and accommodation for up to four children or young people.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since May 2018 and has applied for registration with Ofsted.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 27 September 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 28 September 2018, Ofsted served a notice of restriction on the accommodation. Following a monitoring visit on 1 November 2018, the restriction was lifted on 5 November 2018.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 9 October 2018, Ofsted served four compliance notices on the home: three notices related to regulation 12 and one related to regulation 8. Inspection report children’s home: SC454266 2 A case review, held on 5 November 2018, considered evidence from the monitoring visits and deemed the compliance notices as being met.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/09/2018 Full Inadequate 19/12/2017 Full Good 15/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/09/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC454266 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, the 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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study; understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to

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Requirement Due date

maximise the child’s achievement; raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but 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. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)(vii)(viii)) This relates to ensuring that education is provided quickly to those young people that do not have an identified place. When transitions are planned into the home, there are robust arrangements for their education to continue. When education is 22/02/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC454266 4 provided in the home, that staff ensure that children and young people engage with the tutor so that education is routinely

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Requirement Due date

attended. The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies; that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12)(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(vi)(vii)(b)(e)) This relates to responding to each child’s or young person’s

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Requirement Due date

risks, reducing the numbers of incidents of going missing and taking steps when managers and leaders identified that the home cannot meet the needs of children and young people and as a result are at risk of harm. 22/02/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (‘the behaviour management policy’) which sets out— how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home. The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and 22/02/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC454266 5 has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 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. (Regulation

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Requirement Due date

35(1)(3)(b)(c)) This relates to ensuring that the full details are recorded following a measure of control, discipline or restraint, including the details of speaking to the ‘user’ about the measure. The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month. When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person— if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44(1)(2)(a)) This relates to ensuring that the independent visitor is able to gather the views of children and young people living in the home. 22/02/2019

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Recommendations

 When establishing the home, the registered person must ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see regulations 12(2)(c)). Under regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. Providers should refer to the non-statutory advice about the location assessment process: ‘Children’s homes regulation amendments 2014: Advice for children’s homes providers’ (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)  The information set out in the Statement of Purpose is an essential part of the process of agreement between the registered person and placing authority that a

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Recommendations

placement in that home is the right one for that child, and that the home will be able to respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.6)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strong feature of this home is the ability of the staff to build relationships with the children and young people that develop into increased levels of trust. The children and Inspection report children’s home: SC454266 6 young people know that the staff want the best for them and that they invest time in them. The children and young people want to stay at the home and state that they feel supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are encouraged to participate in the day-to-day activities in the home. They have regular meetings where their attendance is promoted by the use of incentives. The children and young people are able to make decisions about what they want to eat and which activities they want to take part in. The difference in ages between the children and young people is recognised and activities are tailored to individual preferences while still promoting activities that everyone can take part in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people living in the home know how to voice their concerns. Since the last inspection, two complaints have been received. These relate to incidents when children and young people have felt unhappy. The complaint process has been followed and the children and young people have been responded to appropriately. As a result of the complaints, the manager has introduced a ‘Stainton suggestions’ form, which allows children and young people to share their concerns quickly and informally. This new method of sharing their concerns means that children and young people can share their feelings about living in the home easily and without the need to follow a formal process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some of the children and young people have made good progress in their education. One young person is attending college and sitting exams, passing a National Citizen Service course. Some of the young people are being educated in the home. Their attendance is inconsistent and as a result, their education is not progressing. The manager has plans for both young people to start education, but the progress has been slow due to delays by others. The education being provided in the home is more structured and children and young people are encouraged to engage with the tutor by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people who are preparing to move on to independent living are encouraged to learn new skills which will allow them to succeed when staff are no long supporting them. The home has an information pack that young people work through when preparing for independence. The pack includes information on removing stains from clothes, how to make your bed, and how to wash dishes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are in good health. They are encouraged to take medication when required. Medication is stored securely, and regular checks take place to check quantities and safely dispose of medication that is no longer required. Staff encourage young people to stop or reduce smoking. No smoking takes place inside the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that specialist help is available to children and young people. The provider’s psychologist supports the staff to understand children and young people’s behaviours and works with them to develop strategies. This helps to improve the behaviour of children and young people, and reduce incidents that put them at risk. Support is also provided from external sources such as the police, drug and alcohol support and child and adolescent mental health services, when appropriate. Inspection report children’s home: SC454266 7 Transitions into the home have improved since the last inspection. The manager will not make a decision on any new admission until all information has been provided for consideration. A matching exercise takes place where consideration is given to whether the home can meet the new child or young person’s needs, including whether the staff have the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience. The manager has refused a

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

number of admissions since the last inspection and accepted one young person to the home. This was a positive move, with visits to the young person prior to the young person visiting the home, meeting staff and other residents before moving in.

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improvement to be good

Young people continue to go missing from the home. When they do, the young people are subject to risks, such as drug and alcohol misuse and sexually harmful behaviour. The staff have used the knowledge they have gained from recent training to work directly with young people in relation to these risks. This has resulted in a reduction in incidents of going missing from home for some young people. Recent incidents of young people going missing from home have resulted in significant risk to their health, which has required admission to hospital. Other incidents have resulted in police involvement. Young people are offered independent return interviews, but they are often declined.

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improvement to be good

The staff looking after the children and young people have a good understanding of the risks that children and young people face; risk assessments are kept up to date. They use their strong relationships to convey that knowledge to children and young people so that they understand the risks that they can expose themselves to. In some cases, this has helped the children and young people to recognise those risks and gives them the knowledge they need to make better choices. This is work in progress, but there have been recent improvements which could be sustained.

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improvement to be good

Positive behaviour is promoted in the home. The staff have improved skills and knowledge to manage behaviour more effectively. The staff also now work better together to develop strategies to manage behaviour and to implement consistent boundaries. A recent positive strategy was the temporary care of a pet from another home. This has resulted in a decrease in negative behaviour for one of the children and young people. The success has resulted in the home taking steps to discuss with the children and young people the possibility of them homing a pet permanently.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there has been only one incident of physical restraint. This restraint was necessary due to the location of the incident, which took place at the top of the stairs and represented a danger to the child and to staff. The restraint was low- level and only for a necessary period of time.

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improvement to be good

Internet use is monitored in the home, which is appropriate given some of the known risks. Blockers remove the ability to access inappropriate websites. The manager reviews a report detailing access and this forms key-work sessions with young people. Children and young people’s rooms have door alarms which staff use to monitor when children Inspection report children’s home: SC454266 8 and young people are in their rooms or are socialising together. This allows them to manage any known risks.

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improvement to be good

There has been a significant amount of training since the last inspection, which has equipped the staff team with knowledge and skills appropriate to the challenges posed by children and young people in the home. Staff spoken to confirmed that training has been effective and is put into practice. Staff said that they felt more confident in dealing with any escalations in behaviour, and were able to better identify trends that suggest children and young people may be at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

There has been a positive increase in the numbers of staff working with children and young people. Recruitment has been undertaken, including input from managers in the home. Checks prior to staff starting to work in the home are appropriate. This ensures that staff who work with the children and young people are safe to do so.

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improvement to be good

The staff work well with other agencies to keep children safe. They gather information about risks in the community and have effective mechanisms for sharing information with the police. The sharing of information flows both ways and the home is notified of incidents in the area and of others in the vicinity that may pose a risk to children and young people living in the home.

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improvement to be good

The physical environment of the home is in good order. Children and young people have rooms decorated to their preference. Plans are in place to redecorate areas of the home and purchase new furniture to make the environment homelier.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has been in place since May 2018 but is not yet registered. The home is now fully staffed following a period of recruitment. This has enhanced the established staff team. The team has undertaken a significant amount of training to give them the necessary skills and knowledge to manage the needs of the children and young people. The staff report that they have felt the team has bonded more since the last inspection. They support each other and recognise that consistency in how they deliver care to children and young people has significantly improved in the last few months.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervisions are regular and are supported by ad hoc one-to-one meetings which allow the managers to capture instances of good or poor practice in between more formal supervisions. Supervisions include elements of reflective practice, validation of any learning and discussions around the individual children and young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The managers ensure that staff remain up to date with knowledge around areas of need. They source training and keep training records current so that continuous development takes place. The managers use team meetings to test the knowledge of staff, which ensures that learning is used in day-to-day practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring of the home is undertaken by the manager and an independent visitor. The manager has completed a review of the quality of care. Since the last inspection, the Inspection report children’s home: SC454266 9 reports from the independent visitor have not included any consultation with children and young people living at the home. Staff must support the visitor to gather views for future reports.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and leaders ensure that they look to continually improve the quality of care. The strengths and weaknesses of the home are recognised, and the manager uses a development plan to identify and plan for improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a good relationship with all its neighbours and the children and young people take advantage of local activities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There was evidence during this inspection of areas of performance that had been improved by the manager. The regular monitoring of records allows the manager to rectify any shortfalls. One aspect of recording to improve is in relation to the records of any measure of control or discipline. There is no record of the member of staff using the restraint being spoken to after the event.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The location risk assessment was reviewed in August 2018 but is awaiting validation of information from another agency. The assessment demonstrates that the location of the home poses no additional risks to those living there.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The statement of purpose was updated prior to this inspection. However, it contains reference to the use of a questionnaire and a scale of intent that are no longer used in the home. The statement should be updated to reflect these changes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The previous compliance notices and requirements set at the last inspection have 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.

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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: SC454266 10

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 4th Floor, Waterfront, Manbre Wharf, Manbre Road, Hammersmith, London W6 9RH

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Inspector

Mark Broomhead: regulatory inspection manager Inspection report children’s home: SC454266 11 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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