Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stockport

Inspection report children’s home: SC457506 1 SC457506 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd Interim inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is operated by a private organisation. It offers care and accommodation for up to two young people who may experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. A new manager was appointed to the home in February 2019. Although the manager intends to make an application to become the home’s registered manager, an application has not been received.

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: N/A

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

This home was judged requires improvement to be 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

Placements being made at this home are not sustained. Since the last full inspection in June 2019, four young people have moved into and been discharged from the home. Placements have only lasted for six months, two months and one month. At the time of this interim inspection, there are no young people living in the home. Placement planning for young people requires improvement. Although referral information provides some detail of the challenges a young person faces, the manager has not taken effective steps to verify information and seek out additional information prior to accepting a placement. As a result, where challenges occur, staff are not Inspection report children’s home: SC457506 2 equipped to manage the behaviours exhibited by young people. Therefore, placements are not sustained, and young people are frequently discharged from the home. Behaviour management strategies are ineffective. This is because staff lack the

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

experience and skill to manage the complex challenges for some young people. As a result, young people present behaviours which are left unchallenged and/or managed. This has resulted in a serious level of property damage and assaults on staff. On reviewing the records for these instances, it is clear that staff are intimidated by some young people. Therefore, staff do not have the confidence or experience to intervene in order to stop the damage occurring in the home or to safeguard the young person from sustaining injury. Overall, the educational attendance and attainment of young people accommodated in the home is poor. This is because the placement lacks stability with frequent episodes of crisis. As a result, young people are not emotionally settled and regularly refuse to engage in any form of education. The impact of a continued cycle of crisis results in placements breaking down and young people being discharged from the service.

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

Young people are rarely missing from home. However, on the occasions when this has occurred, staff are active in searching for young people and encouraging them to return to the home. Nevertheless, where a young person remains missing for a period of time, return home interviews are not consistently undertaken. Those that are completed do not include any information that may be pertinent to the continued risk management of young people. The home has been run without a registered manager since January 2019. Although a new manager was appointed to the home in February 2019, an application for registration has not been received by the regulatory body. It is imperative that the service is run by a registered manager and that urgent action is taken to address the delay in the registration documentation being received. The impact risk assessments for new referrals to the home and risk management of young people accommodated in the home require further development. Some

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and young people since the most recent full inspection

assessments outline the presenting difficulties for young people. However, a full review of the capabilities of staff to manage such behaviours is not consistently undertaken. Likewise, strategies to guide staff in the management of complex behaviours are ineffective. The manager said, ‘Staff feel empowered when I am here, and young people’s behaviours are generally settled. Problems occur when I leave.’ The manager must assess and review the skills and abilities of the whole staff team to ensure that staff can suitably meet the needs of any new referral to the home. As a result of this interim inspection, four requirements and four recommendations are made to improve practice in the home. Inspection report children’s home: SC457506 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 17/01/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 07/11/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/07/2018 Full Inadequate

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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

12: The protection of children standard The registered person must ensure that staff 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 risks of any harm to the child. Specifically, the manager must make thorough and informed impact risk assessments prior to accepting a new referral to the home. (Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)) 22/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard The registered person is required to lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the homes statement of purpose. The registered person must ensure that staff have the experience, skills and qualifications to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(2)(a)(c)) 22/11/2019

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard The registered person must ensure that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of 22/11/2019 Inspection report children’s home: SC457506 4 purpose. (Regulation 14(2)(a)) 27: Appointment of manager The registered person must appoint a person to manage the home. (Regulation 27(1)) Specifically, the person appointed to manage the home must make application for registration with the regulatory body. 22/11/2019

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Recommendations

 The behaviour management policy should set out how staff are trained and supported to meet the child’s needs. Regulation 13(2)(d) and (e) require children’s homes to employ a sufficient number of suitably qualified, skilled and experienced person’s in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.37)  Where children placed in the home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some reason, the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. In the interim, the child should be supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. If no education place is identified by the placing authority, the registered person must

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Recommendations

challenge them to meet the child’s needs under regulation 5. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)  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 the information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 45 paragraph 9.30)  Regulation 20 sets out the only purposes for which restraint can be used and includes preventing injury to any person and preventing serious damage to the property of any person, including the child who si being restrained.. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 48,

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Recommendations

paragraph 9.48) With particular regard to staff having the skill and confidence to manage challenges and intervene when a child is causing serious damage to property and/or assaulting staff. .

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Information about this inspection

Inspection report children’s home: SC457506 5 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’.

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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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

Maria McGranaghan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457506 6 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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