Children's Home, Residential special school run by Cambian Autism Services Limited in Dorset

Inspection report children’s home: SC065261 1 SC065261 Registered provider: Cambian Autism Services Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered for up to 60 children. It provides care for children who have autism spectrum disorder and/or learning disabilities. The home is owned and run by a private national organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

This service operates as a residential special school which also provides accommodation for a number of children for 52 weeks of the year. As a result, it is registered as a children’s home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home’s manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

This interim inspection was aligned with an inspection of the provider’s school.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has sustained effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Although leaders and managers of the children’s home have acted to address the weaknesses identified at the last inspection, not all of the previous three requirements and four recommendations have been met in full. Two requirements and two recommendations have been re-issued at this inspection along with one new Inspection report children’s home: SC065261 2 requirement and one new recommendation. Several systems to improve the quality of care provided to children have been implemented but are in the early stages of embedding and therefore, it is not possible to assess fully, the improvements.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Relationships between staff and children continue to be strong and positive. Permanent staff understand children’s needs well and work hard to keep them safe. Risk assessments now include details of the actions staff will take to reduce identified risks, and safeguarding matters are dealt with swiftly and shared appropriately with safeguarding agencies and families; children are protected as a result. Despite this positive work, and while the school notified the designated officer appropriately and managed the incidents effectively, Ofsted has not been notified of three safeguarding incidents.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The number of staff who are working towards, or who have completed, a level 3 childcare qualification has increased. This positive work is benefiting children. Children’s long-term plans now contain targets that relate specifically to their behaviours and provide documented evidence of the actions staff take to support children to achieve these targets.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers of the children’s home have developed several new monitoring systems. Overall, the quality of monitoring by these leaders and managers requires further improvement because it is not yet used evaluatively in all areas. For example, restraint records are not evaluated for their effectiveness and the quality of debrief discussions is not explored thoroughly. However, the monitoring of medication has improved significantly. It is now completed more often and means that any errors are identified and addressed promptly. Medication errors have decreased significantly since the last inspection.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Progress has been made to provide staff with more regular and good-quality supervision. However, this is not consistent for all staff. For example, although the registered manager meets regularly with his line manager, formal recorded supervision is not taking place. A requirement to address weaknesses in supervision has been raised at eight previous inspections. The action taken to fully meet this requirement is slow.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Leaders and managers of the children’s home continue to act to reduce the number of staffing vacancies. Overall, the use of agency staff has reduced.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Inspectors found that the staff who work in one house provided children who live there with a range of stimulating and imaginative activities on site and in the local community. This creativity is not replicated in every house, and at times the activities are repetitive.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, the use of restraint has decreased. Debrief discussions are taking place more often, but they are not always used effectively to help children to explain their feelings or to look at ways to avoid a reoccurrence of the incident that led to restraint being used. Leaders and managers of the children’s home do not always evaluate whether the use of restraint is effective or not. Inspection report children’s home: SC065261 3 Leaders and managers of the children’s home now undertake detailed assessments to understand children’s needs. They use the information from these assessments effectively to decide on the houses that will best meet children’s needs and which children will be suited to living together. Children presented as much happier in the house groups they are now living in.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Work is needed to ensure that information about children’s needs is shared effectively with all staff. On one occasion, an incident occurred because the member of agency staff supporting a child was not briefed well enough beforehand about the child’s needs.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/07/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/10/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/06/2017 Full Inadequate 01/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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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

13: The leadership and management standard

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) and (2)(h)) 31/03/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC065261 4 In particular, ensure that monitoring is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the services provided and findings from this evaluative assessment are used to improve services for children. 33: Employment of staff

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— undertake appropriate continuing professional development; receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— a child protection enquiry involving a child is instigated or concludes; or there is any other serious incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 31/03/2019

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Recommendations

 Children’s home staff should seek to identify and provide appropriate opportunities for children to develop themselves in accordance with their wishes and feelings and as part of the home’s plan for their care. Each child’s talents and interests should be understood and nurtured, with children selecting activities based on their personal preferences and abilities, so far as is reasonable. Staff should also support children to try activities that are ‘new’ for them, where appropriate. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 31, paragraph 6.4) In particular, these activities should be creative and stimulating. Leaders and managers need to ensure that staffing levels are such to enable all children to be able to access the community for activities.  Any child who has been restrained should be given the opportunity to express their feelings about their experience of the restraint as soon as is practicable,

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Recommendations

ideally within 24 hours of the restraint incident, taking the age of the child and the circumstances of the restraint into account. In some cases, children may need longer to work through their feelings, so a record that the child has talked about their feelings should be made no longer than 5 days after the incident of restraint. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.60) Inspection report children’s home: SC065261 5 In particular, ensure that debrief discussions after an incident are used effectively to help children to express their feelings and for staff to identify ways to prevent a reoccurrence of the incident.  The registered person is responsible for ensuring that all staff consistently follow the home’s policies and procedures for the benefit of the children in the home’s care. Everyone working at the home must understand their roles and

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Recommendations

responsibilities and what they are authorised to decide on their own initiative. There should be clear lines of accountability. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20) In particular, ensure that all agency staff understand the specific support and care needs of each child they are responsible for and implement the care plan effectively.

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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

This inspection focused on the effectiveness of the home and the progress and experiences of children and young people since the most recent full inspection.

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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’.

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Autism Services Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Virginia Bellard Inspection report children’s home: SC065261 6 Registered manager: Neil Johnstone

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Inspector(s)

Wendy Anderson, social care inspector Sharron Escott, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC065261 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 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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