Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report children's home: SC457435 1 SC457435 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 is a privately owned and managed children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two children and young people who have emotional and/or behavioural needs. The newly appointed manager was registered in January 2019.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 5 February 2018

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children's home: SC457435 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/02/2018 Full Good 02/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/11/2016 Full Good 22/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children's home: SC457435 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirements Due date

Ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to–

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Requirements Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6(2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirements Due date

This is with particular reference to the concerns about the maintenance, decoration and furnishing of the home. 14/03/2019

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Requirements Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45(4)(a)) 14/03/2019

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Requirements Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure–

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Requirements Due date

that each child has access to appropriate equipment, facilities and resources to support the child’s learning. (Regulation 8(1), (2)(b))

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Requirements Due date

This is with particular reference to the residential staff being responsible for the teaching of a child. 14/03/2019

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Requirements Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure–

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Requirements Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about 14/03/2019 Inspection report children's home: SC457435 4 a child’s welfare;

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Requirements Due date

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. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(vi)(b))

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Requirements Due date

This is with particular reference to the staff not carrying out a room search as a proactive measure when police intelligence suggests that a young person may have an illegal substance in their procession. In addition, the staff should consistently look for the young person when they are missing from home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to–

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Requirements Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(2)(h))

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Requirements Due date

This is with particular reference to the manager’s oversight of records, including their factual accuracy. 14/03/2019

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Recommendations

 When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home 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)  Regulation 19(2) details sanctions that are prohibited in behaviour management. Any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature, to help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves, other children, the staff caring for them and the wider community. In some cases it will be important for children to make reparation in some form to anyone hurt by their behaviour and the staff in the home should be skilled to support the child to

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Recommendations

understand this and carry it out. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38) This is with particular reference to the need for clear records of sanctions.  Regulations 35–39 detail the records that must be kept in children’s homes. All children’s case records (regulation 36) must be kept up to date and stored securely while they remain in the home. Case records must be kept up to date and signed and dated by the author of each entry. Children’s case records must be kept for 75 years from the date of birth of the child, or if the child dies Inspection report children's home: SC457435 5 before the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of his or her death. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) This is with particular reference to the children who have left the home, so that their records are available for inspection. In addition, the case records should

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Recommendations

consistently be signed by the staff and refer to the current needs and risks of the children and young people. Inspection report children's home: SC457435 6

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improvement to be good

The children’s and young people’s progress is sporadic. The young people are showing an escalation in poor behaviours, and this is impacting negatively on them. For example, substance misuse has increased, and there are significant concerns about their friendships within the community. The staff continue to provide advice and guidance and gain support for the Children and young people from outside agencies. The young people are routinely educated about the impact of their behaviours, but do not always accept the advice given. One independent reviewing officer reports that ‘(Name of child) was making progress, but this has changed very recently.’

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improvement to be good

The children and young people are helped to manage their health and care needs. The staff use creative approaches to encourage the children and young people to live a healthy lifestyle. However, one young person is refusing to attend routine dental appointments, affecting the condition of their teeth. In addition, the young people continue to smoke cigarettes and misuse illegal substance which has a direct impact on their health. The staff are trying to help the children and young people to manage their emotional well-being. They work closely with specialist mental health services to formulate clear plans when children and young people are in crisis.

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improvement to be good

The children and young people have difficulties attending formal education and training. One young person refuses to attend, while professionals identify that another child’s school placement is not suitable. Until a suitable provision is found, the staff have been given the responsibility to engage him in daily education, through worksheets. The manager has not effectively challenged the school for placing this responsibility solely on his non-teaching staff. The children and young people do enjoy some success. One young person received positive feedback from his apprenticeship, however he has chosen to leave, and is currently not in any education, training or employment.

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improvement to be good

The children and young people have a positive experience when they are admitted to the home. Their admission is planned and informed by a thorough assessment. The children and young people have complex needs, and the staff receive regular clinical guidance to support the implementation of effective strategies.

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improvement to be good

Significant damage has been caused to the home, and the standard has fallen below what would be expected. Potential hazards are quickly addressed, but the general maintenance and decoration are not prioritised. Currently, the home does not present as a welcoming environment, and this would impact on a child or young person’s initial perception of the home.

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improvement to be good

The staff help the young people to develop their skills in preparation for living independently. One young person has built confidence in the completion of daily tasks and is described as a good cook. However, the staff identify that the young person is not Inspection report children's home: SC457435 7 meeting their own needs, for example not buying food, and implement strategies to ensure that the young person’s basic needs are met.

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improvement to be good

The children and young people have been supported by the staff through some difficult incidents. However, the young people are not consistently kept safe. The staff have not adequately followed a young person’s missing-from-home plan. They do not always go looking for a young person when they are missing. In addition, despite the manager’s challenge to the children’s and young people’s placing authority, independent return- home interviews are not consistently completed. The staff do demonstrate, within specific situations, the ability to take immediate action when responding to risk, for example requesting police assistance for a ‘stop and search’ if they have concerns about items in a young person’s possession.

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improvement to be good

The staff have been unable to prevent bullying behaviours between peers at the home. This was not anticipated upon matching and admission. This is currently being appropriately managed. The staffing levels have been increased, and the staff are implementing effective strategies. In addition, key-working sessions are undertaken to educate the children and young people about the impact of bullying. However, concerns remain about the safety and protection of the children.

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improvement to be good

The children and young people do not always respect or respond to the boundaries at the home. The staff relentlessly implement these to help the children and young people to develop an understanding of socially acceptable behaviours. The staff physically intervene with the children and young people to manage their complex and challenging behaviours. This is only to ensure the safety of the child, young person or others. Clinical support and guidance help the staff to understand the impact of their intervention on the children and young people and, where appropriate, strategies are reviewed. Records are not clear about the reasons for any given sanction, and there are no comments or feedback from the children, young people or manager.

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improvement to be good

The staff are aware of the safeguarding concerns in respect of the children and young people. They work with other agencies and in line with the local authority’s plan to prevent further harm. However, the staff did not respond proactively upon receiving intelligence about a young person bringing an illegal substance into the home.

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

The manager is aware of the developments required, and he has started to implement changes at the home. The home has been without a registered manager since the previous manager’s departure in October 2018. The current manager has oversight of this and another home nearby, and he splits his time between the two homes. Gaps have been identified in his oversight of records, and elements of the children’s and young people’s paperwork are not accurate and relevant. Moreover, the last completed Inspection report children's home: SC457435 8 regulation 45 report was not sent to the regulator, and this is linked to a recommendation at the last full inspection.

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

The staff are passionate about their work and are dedicated to the children and young people. The staff consistently provide the children and young people with help and guidance to achieve positive outcomes. The manager is building on staff practices and developing the fledgling relationships within the staff team.

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

The children and young people benefit from effective partnership working. The staff communicate well with professionals and attend all meetings in respect of the children and young people. This ensures that current needs and concerns are shared and plans implemented to create improved outcomes. A social worker reports that communication is a strength of the home, as they receive all pertinent information. In partnership with professionals, the manager identifies when his staff team is unable to meet the needs of the children and young people, and transition plans are initiated. When children and young people leave the home, their records are archived, meaning that these were not available for review during the inspection. Inspection report children's home: SC457435 9

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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 difference 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: SC457435 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, Middlesex W6 9RH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Fitzsimmons

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Inspector

Jennifer Fenlon, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC457435 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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