Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Lincolnshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC456347 1 SC456347 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 cares for children and young people who have challenging behaviours and/or complex needs.

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Information about this children’s home

An acting manager is in place. At the time of the inspection, she had been working for the home for four weeks. She has applied to Ofsted to be registered.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted issued two compliance notices and a restriction notice following the last full inspection. These notices were monitored during this inspection. Inspection report children’s home: SC456347 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2019 Full Inadequate 28/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/01/2018 Full Good 31/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC456347 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(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

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—

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Requirement 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 (1)(2)(b)) 31/07/2019

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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

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)) 31/07/2019

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 31/07/2019

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Recommendations

 Ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children’s home: SC456347 4

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improvement to be good

There was a short period following the last inspection during which young people’s experiences continued to be poor. However, over the last four weeks, there has been some improvement. This is partly due to the fact that one young person has left the home. This means that the mix of young people is safer and more manageable.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers have not always followed up effectively on issues which could affect young people’s health and welfare. For example, when one young person refused an important health appointment, this was accepted by staff. No further effort was made to try to persuade the young person to attend. Also, managers have not satisfied themselves that a young person is being effectively supported at school following a potentially significant concern.

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improvement to be good

One young person had a poor experience of leaving the home. There has been no contact with him since. This does not demonstrate to the young person that he was cared for and valued during his time at the home. The new manager was not in post at the time and feels very strongly that this would never happen again.

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improvement to be good

Records should be improved to allow young people to better reflect on their time at the home if they choose to do this later in life. The current standard of recording, such as the use of incorrect young people’s initials and inaccurate dates, will make this difficult.

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improvement to be good

Young people have had some positive experiences. They are attending school. Care staff support young people to make educational progress. Staff relationships with young people are more positive. There is evidence of young people having fun with staff. One young person has had their first holiday abroad, which they thoroughly enjoyed. Young people are starting to rebuild their confidence in staff and managers. This has enabled young people to feel better supported and cared for. Staff are now doing all they can to support young people and to help them to move forward.

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improvement to be good

The home provides a more pleasant environment because repairs and redecoration have taken place.

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improvement to be good

Young people are safe. Staff and placing authorities agree that there has been significant improvement in relation to young people’s safety. Young people’s behaviour has settled because the group of young people is more compatible.

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improvement to be good

Staff and managers have had time to examine previous problems, reflect and learn from mistakes. A better safeguarding culture is developing. Staff have also received more training and support in the management of safeguarding concerns. Inspection report children’s home: SC456347 5 Staff are making efforts to listen to young people’s concerns. This is starting to build young people’s confidence in staff. However, there was a delay in responding to an allegation made by a young person against staff. Appropriate action has been taken since, but the delay could have been avoided. Although no harm came to young people, such delays have the potential to put them at risk.

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improvement to be good

Young people have been well supported in some areas relating to their safety and welfare. Good-quality key-working sessions have allowed young people to explore safety issues and to learn how to better protect themselves.

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improvement to be good

More emphasis is needed on risk prevention in some areas. For example, mobile phone internet use is not effectively risk assessed or monitored. The full range of potential risks has not been fully considered. For example, a risk assessment relating to the road at the front of the home has not been completed.

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

There have been four managers in the home in less than a year. This has been very disruptive for staff and young people. However, there is a new acting manager who has already made some positive changes.

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

Staff are not confident about senior managers’ support to the home. They told the inspector that they had tried to tell senior management about the previous shortfalls, but that they were not listened to. There is some work to be done to repair their confidence. Staff remain very committed in their work with young people and there is a feeling of excitement, moving forward. The new manager has done a good job in starting to turn the home around and it is now going in the right direction.

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

Staff now receive some one-to-one time with their manager and their performance is being more closely monitored. However, in one supervision session inspected, there was some ‘copy and paste’ from the previous session. Also, the record was not clear. There is the potential for leaders to not understand or to be unaware of how each staff member is performing.

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

The organisation has provided an independent visitor who has thoroughly inspected and reported their findings. This has proved useful because the staff and manager have listened and responded to the recommendations.

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

Since the last inspection sufficient progress has been made on each of the compliance notices. There are still some shortfalls, but managers have demonstrated a capability to continue to work towards putting things right. Requirements have now been set around the remaining issues.

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

The home is not yet ready to admit more young people because there are still some shortfalls. Ofsted has decided that the current restriction notice will remain in place. If more children are admitted, there is still the potential for them to be at risk. Inspection report children’s home: SC456347 6

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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: SC456347 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: 4th Floor, Waterfront, Manbre Wharf, Manbre Road, Hammersmith, London W6 9RU

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Inspector(s)

Caroline Brailsford, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456347 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 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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