Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Plymouth

Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 1 SC471058 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 children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation to one child. The home is operated by a national private company.

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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

Date of last inspection: 6 February 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/05/2017 Full Good 12/01/2017 Full Requires improvement 05/12/2016 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 3

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Recommendations

 Staff need the knowledge and skills to recognise and be alert for any signs that might indicate a child is in any way at risk of harm. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12) In particular, the registered person must provide explicit written guidance about how staff are to manage potential risks and triggers for behaviour in order to ensure that all staff can effectively safeguard children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are able to build important trusted and secure relationships with staff. This includes when children arrive and also when they leave the home. Introductions for children to the home are carefully planned. Positive relationships between staff and children are promoted at an early stage. For example, the registered manager and many members of her staff team have travelled a long distance on numerous occasions in order to develop important relationships with a child who is moving to the home. Similarly, when children move on from the home staff greatly support this process. When the last child moved on to another home, some staff moved with them for a settling period. One staff member has remained at the child’s new home in order to provide important consistency of care for them. This careful managing of transitions greatly supports the development of children’s emotional well-being. Both of the children spoken with during this inspection spoke very fondly of staff. One

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

child commented, ‘Basically one of the best periods of my life. The stuff I got to do there was unbelievable.’ Professionals and family members who were spoken with also conveyed a great deal of praise for the care provided to children at the home. The registered manager strongly advocates for the rights of children. This includes being proactive in challenging others involved in care planning when the best interests of children are not being fully considered. Children are supported to maintain regular and meaningful contact with family members and, where appropriate, friends. The registered manager and her staff are very aware of the importance of promoting these positive relationships for children in order to support their long-term emotional well-being. Children’s needs, wishes and feelings are consistently sought and are explicit within care planning. Children’s achievements are celebrated and appropriately rewarded. This

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

supports the development of children’s self-confidence and self-esteem. Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 4

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

Children who live at the home feel protected from harm. Safeguarding practice is of a good standard. The registered manager ensures that safeguarding concerns are effectively acted on and that any learning opportunities from these are taken. This includes the robust completion of internal investigations when required. Physical interventions are appropriately used to protect the child and those around them. Furthermore, children are supported to explore their feelings after any physical intervention or incident. This ensures that children always have a voice. Risk management practice overall is of a good standard. However, the registered manager has not provided explicit written guidance about how staff are to manage potential risks and triggers for behaviour in order to ensure that all staff can effectively safeguard the specific needs of one child. Importantly, children are also supported to take age-appropriate risks as part of their

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

development. Children enjoy free time in the community and have friends home for sleepovers. There is an ethos of nurturing care at the home which supports the development of children’s resilience and emotional well-being. For example, staff take part in fun activities with children rather than sitting and waiting for children. Recruitment practice is safe and the supervision of staff is also of a good standard. Supervision is used robustly to address any practice concerns and to promote reflection. This has enabled some staff to positively develop areas of their practice to ensure that the best interests of children are fully met. The registered manager and her staff team have good relationships with other professionals. This has greatly promoted holistic and considered care planning. Specialist therapeutic advice is also used to inform care planning and to further promote the ability of staff to understand children’s needs and how to keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is effectively and efficiently managing the home. She ensures that the home is properly staffed and that staff are provided with sufficient training in order to meet the individual needs of children. The registered manager actively and regularly monitors the standard of care provided to children. She has a good understanding of areas which require development and seeks to raise the standards of care provided to children by both herself and staff at the home. The registered manager also consistently monitors the progress and outcomes for children. This has created a culture at the home which is characterised by high expectations and aspirations for children. Children’s case records clearly reflect their everyday lives. The narrative used increases the understanding that children have about their backgrounds and experiences should they choose to access their records, both now and when they are older.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are encouraged to maintain their ongoing professional development. They also hold specific responsibilities such as a clinical champion. This has created a sense of shared Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 5 ownership of the home’s practice. Staff feedback further demonstrated that they are well led and managed. The registered manager does not always ensure that multi-agency meetings are held in a timely manner. This means that children may experience periods without educational provision being in place.

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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: SC471058 6

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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 W6 9RH

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Elworthy

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Inspectors

Polly Soper, social care inspector Paula Lahey, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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