Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Worcestershire

Inspection report children‟s home: SC478134 1 SC478134 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 provides care and accommodation for up to four children who have social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager is qualified to level 5 in leadership and management and was registered with Ofsted in 2019.

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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 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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children‟s home: SC478134 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/07/2018 Full Good 18/12/2017 Full Good 15/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 01/11/2016 Full Good Inspection report children‟s home: SC478134 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 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— help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child‟s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(1)(a)(x)) 31/12/2019

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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 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)) 31/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that they maintain in the home the records relating to schedule 4. (Regulation 37 (2)(a)) This is specifically in relation to having a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home and hours worked. 31/12/2019

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out— how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children‟s home; and the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (“the authorised person”)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the 31/12/2019 Inspection report children‟s home: SC478134 4 record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b)(3)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the feedback and opinions of children about the children‟s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it. (Regulation 45 (1)(2)(b)) 31/12/2019

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Recommendations

 Any registered manager placed in charge of a children’s home or staff member in a deputy or supervisory role such as ‘shift leader’ should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children’s home and have successfully completed their induction for the home in which they are employed. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.21)  Staff supervision must enable staff to reflect and act upon how their own feelings and behaviour may be affected by the behaviour of the children they care for. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.15)

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently offer the necessary support to enable children to thrive educationally. For example, during the inspection it was observed that staff had not ensured that one child had a clean uniform ready for school. This resulted in the child being late for school.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not always familiar with children‟s prescribed medication. This leaves staff without essential information to promote children‟s ongoing health.

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improvement to be good

Children have many social opportunities. They are encouraged to see their friends and are volunteers for a local horse-riding stable. Children enjoy putting on musical Inspection report children‟s home: SC478134 5 performances for the staff team. These varied opportunities help children to develop new skills, increase their confidence and form friendships away from the home.

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improvement to be good

The home is currently undergoing refurbishment. This improvement work is helping to create a stimulating environment in a high-quality building with space that supports nurture and allows for children‟s privacy.

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improvement to be good

Staff encourage children to stay in touch with their families and friends. This enables children to rebuild important relationships.

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

Staff use different strategies to help to keep children safe. The support provided by staff means that children have not gone missing from the home and are not subject to child sexual exploitation or criminal exploitation.

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

The management team is in the process of reviewing the home‟s behaviour management. This is having a positive impact on children and has led to fewer incidents around bedtime routines.

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

During times of crisis, children have made allegations against members of staff. These have been investigated promptly and strategies put in place to keep children and staff safe.

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

There are well-established vetting processes in place before staff can start to work with children in the home. As a result, safe recruitment is effective.

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

Despite the many strengths of the service, there is a lack of oversight of the quality of care by the registered manager.

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

The registered manager has not ensured that the six-monthly review of care has considered the views of the children. Supervision records vary in quality and do not consistently demonstrate that any reflection has taken place to help to improve staff practice.

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

There has been a lack of oversight by the manager to ensure that staff and children are spoken to after a physical intervention has taken place. Consequently, there has been a missed opportunity to enable staff and children to reflect on incidents and to find new ways of helping children to safely manage their emotions.

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

There have been some changes in the leadership and management team and some staff have left. Senior managers have tried to sustain a consistent staff team by bringing in staff who are known to the children. However, only half of the staff have the necessary level 3 qualification in working with children in residential childcare. Consequently, there have been occasions when there have been no qualified or skilled staff in charge of Inspection report children‟s home: SC478134 6 children‟s care.

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

Staff rotas do not accurately reflect which staff are working on any given day. This leaves a risk of not knowing who has worked with children and whether there are sufficient numbers of staff to meet children‟s needs.

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

The registered manager is about to leave the home for a short time. A new, experienced manager has been brought in to cover this period of absence. This has allowed for a good handover to take 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: SC478134 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

Louise Battersby, social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC478134 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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