Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Warrington

Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 1 SC456800 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is part of a large private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered for this home on 29 April 2018. She is currently on maternity leave. There have been three acting interim managers since November 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two young people were in placement, both of whom spoke with the inspectors about their experience of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 18 October 2018

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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 good at the last full inspection. At the interim inspection, Ofsted judges that it has declined in effectiveness.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Since the last inspection, there have been two young people admitted to the home and two discharged. Plans for one young person, who had lived at the home for several years, were detailed and the transition to independence was a positive experience. However, since then, admissions to the home have not had sufficiently strong consideration given to the matching of young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 2 Impact assessments have been completed. Although behaviours of young people have been identified, there is insufficient consideration given to the management of these. As a result, one placement ended sooner than initially planned. During the time of the placement, there was increased police involvement, and one young person was subject to verbal and physical abuse, which staff failed to manage effectively. Police have raised this as a concern with the responsible individual and Ofsted.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Recently, another young person has been moved to the home following her placement breaking down at another home within the same company. One of the reasons for the placement breakdown was staff’s decreasing ability to positively influence the young person’s behaviour or to fully understand her behaviours. Although the placement move was planned, identified risks were not addressed through the impact assessment. In addition, relevant paperwork, including the placing authority’s paperwork, has not been transferred to her current placement. This means that the staff have little insight or understanding of her needs to facilitate progress.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Both young people have school placements but are currently not attending. One young person has a fixed exclusion for four weeks. Staff were unaware of this and did not attend the meeting at school to discuss this. There has not been a formal exclusion letter sent to the home, and staff do not understand the legalities of education exclusion and have not challenged whether the exclusion is appropriate. School work is being sent home, but staff are not teachers, and the young person reported that she is having difficulty completing some of the work. The other young person is on a reduced timetable. However, when she attended the school, a group of pupils attempted to physically and verbally attack her. As a result, she is currently not attending the school while the school is looking at alternative ways to ensure her safety and well-being. This means that both young people are not receiving the education they should be. In

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

addition, missing paperwork includes personal education plans. This means that staff are unaware of the education needs, targets and strategies to help young people achieve their full education potential.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

The registered manager commenced maternity leave in early November. Since then, there have been three interim acting managers. This does not provide continuity to staff or young people. As a result, there has been weak internal monitoring and lack of required information, reviewing of paperwork and oversight of the home. Young people’s files do not contain all relevant and important paperwork to assist staff to understand and manage behaviours. A significant safeguarding incident has not been notified to the regulator or placing authority and was only identified during the inspection. This does not demonstrate effective multi-agency working. Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/10/2018 Full Good 27/09/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/12/2016 Full Good

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who ─

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Requirement Due date

Understand the children’s home’s overall aims and outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s need and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff ─

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking into account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(b)(ii)(iv)) 11/04/2019

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure ─ that staff ─ 11/04/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 4 help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

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)(vii)) *The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)) 7/04/2019

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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—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 07/04/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 5 lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(b)(2)(a)(c)(h)) *The care planning standard is that children receive well- planned care from the home and have a positive experience of admission and transition processes.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of need of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(2)(a)(c)) 7/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is not registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)) 11/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which ─

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documentation listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

Case records must be kept securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there. (Regulation 31 (1)(a)(b)(c)(2(c)) 11/04/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each relevant person without delay if ─

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; or 11/04/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 6 there is any other incident relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(e))

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should only accept placements for children where they are satisfied that the home can respond effectively to the child’s assessed needs as recorded in the child’s relevant plans and where they have fully considered the impact that the placement will have on the existing group of children (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.4). In particular, consult with social workers and existing young people at the home, making reference to this in the impact assessments.

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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’. Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Sarah Oldham, social care inspector Marina Tully, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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