Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Inspection report children’s home: SC457175 1 SC457175 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 home is owned by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for one child who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since 5 March 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 19 to 20 September 2019

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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 requires improvement to be 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

One compliance notice was issued on 13 March 2019 under section 22a of the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report children’s home: SC457175 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 22/01/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/10/2017 Full Good 23/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC457175 3

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Statutory requirement

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 that staff help each child to understand how to keep safe; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(ii)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, young people should be taught about stranger danger, car keys should be secured, and alarms should be removed from the young person’s bedroom door. 04/10/2019

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Recommendations

 Where young people placed in a home are not participating in education, staff should support them to regain their confidence in education by providing them with good routines and suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should undertake a review that focuses on the quality of the care provided by the home, the experiences of children living there and the impact the care is having on outcomes and improvements for the children. Reviews should be underpinned by the Quality Standards as described in regulations 5 to 14. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, pages 64-65, paragraph 15.2)

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Recommendations

In particular, the registered manager must ensure that the review provides a clear analysis of the care provided and how this is impacting on young people’s progress and experiences. Inspection report children’s home: SC457175 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff expertly establish positive relationships with young people, helping them to settle into their home and gain a greater sense of belonging and stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff make sure that young people’s physical and emotional health is promoted. With the team’s support and encouragement, young people engage with counselling services, which helps them to improve their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people benefit from personalised care that is tailored to their individual needs. The manager and staff have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of young people’s backgrounds, needs and vulnerabilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager works tirelessly to arrange a suitable school placement for young people when they move into the home. Her collaborative working with the virtual school and social worker ensures that education remains a high priority. However, poor daily routines and lack of structured educational activities are potentially compromising young people’s successful return to education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff provide young people with guidance and support on a range of important matters, such as sexual health, healthy living, and developing skills to live independently. As a result, young people are better prepared for their future and adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand their important role in promoting young people’s social development and emotional health. To achieve this, they provide young people with opportunities to take part in hobbies and to follow their interests, such as boxing, army cadets and visits to the zoo.

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improvement to be good

Help and protection are not yet good because some staff do not always follow the strategies in place to reduce significant harm. For example, they do not make sure that car keys are locked in the home’s safe to prevent young people from accessing and driving cars.

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improvement to be good

Inconsistent staff practice is undermining the team’s efforts to teach young people how to keep themselves safe. For example, some staff have allowed a young person to approach a stranger in the street and attempt to purchase cigarettes from them. This is not helping young people to understand the potential risks of stranger danger or smoking.

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improvement to be good

Despite this, incidents of going missing from home, aggression towards staff and Inspection report children’s home: SC457175 5 cannabis use have reduced considerably for the young person living in the home. This is down to the trusting relationships that staff have established, as well as the high level of supervision and support.

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improvement to be good

The staff are skilled in managing challenging behaviour. As a result, the use of physical restraint is rare. The staff’s successful approach to reducing aggressive behaviour is making the home a calm and safe environment.

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improvement to be good

The home and local area are routinely assessed for potential risks and hazards. Regular monitoring of the home and the local community ensures that the home remains a safe place for young people to live.

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improvement to be good

The company and manager make sure that all staff are thoroughly vetted before they start working in the home. Robust safer recruitment practice at this home enhances young people’s welfare and safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager resigned in March 2019. The deputy has been promoted to the role of manager and her application to register with Ofsted is progressing.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is highly experienced and extremely child-centred. She is committed to the continued development of the service and has made noticeable improvements since taking up the post. In particular, the revised impact assessment and safeguarding management plans are more comprehensive and informative.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads by example and is a strong advocate for young people. When necessary, she will challenge local authorities when they delay in securing services to meet young people’s needs, for example education.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people are being cared for by a suitably qualified and experienced staff team. All but one new member of the team is suitably qualified; new staff members are enrolled onto the relevant qualification once they have successfully completed their probation period.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff speak positively about the support that they receive from the manager. All staff, including the manager, have regular supervision and attend a range of training opportunities, including safeguarding practice and child sexual exploitation. Furthermore, regular team meetings and good communication ensure that staff are kept updated about any changes in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager undertakes regular monitoring of the service. However, the quality of care review reports lack analysis of how the care provided to young people improves their lives. Inspection report children’s home: SC457175 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: SC457175 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: Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Road, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Marina Tully, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457175 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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