Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Warrington

Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 1 SC456800 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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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 registered to provide care and accommodation for up to two young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is part of a large private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered for this home on 29 April 2018.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two young people were in placement, both of whom spoke with the inspectors about their experience of living in the home.

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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

Date of last inspection: 28 February 2019

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This children’s home was judged declined in effectiveness at the interim inspection on Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 2 28 February 2019. Compliance notices were subsequently issued under regulation 12, 13 and 14 of the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted carried out an unannounced visit to the home on 8 April 2019 to monitor the actions that the provider had taken to comply with the notices issued following the last inspection. At this visit, it was identified that the provider has taken sufficient action to meet the actions identified in the regulation 12 and 14 compliance notices. The provider had not, however, taken sufficient action to meet the required actions set out in the regulation 13 compliance notice. As a result of this, a further compliance notice was issued under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted carried out a further unannounced visit on 23 May 2019 to monitor the actions the provider had taken in respect of the regulation 13 compliance notice. At this visit, it was found that the provider had not taken sufficient action to meet the required actions in this notice. A number of further regulatory breaches were identified during this visit, which compromise the safety and well-being of the young people in the placement. Due to the serious safeguarding concerns identified, Ofsted has issued an emergency suspension notice.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted carried out two monitoring visits to the home during the period of suspension. At the second monitoring visit undertaken on 6 August 2019, it was found that the registered manager had continued to successfully address the shortfalls remaining at the last monitoring visit. As a result, the suspension notice was lifted.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/02/2019 Interim Declined in effectiveness 18/10/2018 Full Good 27/09/2017 Full Good 29/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 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

In order to meet the protection of children standard the registered provider must ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

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 risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health;

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12(2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(d)) 07/01/2020

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 07/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 4 understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(2)(a)(c)(e)(f)(h)) 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

the individual is of integrity and good character;

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Requirement Due date

the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform;

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Requirement Due date

the individual is mentally and physically fit for the purposes of the work that the individual is to perform; and

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. 07/01/2020 Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 5 (Regulation 33(4)(b)) The registered person must maintain records (‘case records’) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4.

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improvement to be good

Following enforcement action, the home did not move any new young people in until August 2019. Two young people, who are siblings, were then supported to move into the home. Transition plans were carefully drawn up, and the young people had the opportunity to visit prior to the actual move date. Both young people said that the move had been fine, although they provided different views about the setting. One young person said, ‘Staff met us first and then showed us around this home. I suppose it’s OK here.’ The other young person was adamant that they did not want to live at the home, although was not unhappy.

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improvement to be good

Since they moved into the home, the education outcomes for both young people have improved. One young person is now attending school on a regular basis and is reported to be making progress. The other young person has a home tutor, which he enjoys. He talked positively to the inspector about recent subjects he has covered, including mathematics, history and art and of what he has learned during the process.

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improvement to be good

Staff have considered the cultural needs of young people within the home environment. They have provided information to young people about local religious buildings and purchased new cooking utensils and equipment. However, staff have failed to follow the placing authority’s care plan in regard to supporting young people consistently to meet Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 6 their cultural needs. An example of this failure is to provide food that is prohibited by a young person’s religion.

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improvement to be good

Young people maintain relationships with people who play a significant role in their lives. They are encouraged and supported to sustain and develop family contacts with appropriate people. Staff are available to assist young people during and after contact sessions, when needed. They have a good understanding of the support young people may need and will contact local authorities if concerns arise. One young person said, ‘The staff always take me to see my mum and sometimes my brother. They check everything’s ok before they leave us.’ This improves young people’s sense of identity and belonging and supports their emotional well-being.

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improvement to be good

Although a range of risk assessments are in place to address behaviours, risk levels are not always clear and insufficient action has been taken to ensure their consistent review and update. For example, a young person had been missing from care and is reported to be at a high risk of being exploited. Not all relevant assessments had been updated to include the new information and re-assess the risk levels. Consequently, the registered manager cannot be assured that all staff are aware of the risks associated with behaviours or whether additional safeguards are required to reduce risks to the young person or others.

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improvement to be good

There are clear strategies in place to follow when young people go missing from care. Staff are all fully aware of the procedures in place and respond appropriately to both young people who have been absent without permission, as well as young people who are reported as missing from care. They take appropriate steps to escalate concerns, using the emergency duty team, allocated social worker and line managers. If appropriate, parents are also updated about all incidents. Independent return home meetings are arranged. These are used as learning episodes, to further reduce risks and ensure young people’s safety.

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improvement to be good

Room searches of the young people’s bedrooms are undertaken, when necessary, to help to keep young people safe. However, the information recorded in a room search record differs from the information recorded in the incident record and the young person’s risk assessment. This recording inconsistency is indicative of shortfalls in the recording and monitoring of the home’s records. Therefore, records do not clearly reflect the young person’s current situation and could potentially have an impact on the care and support the young person receives.

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improvement to be good

The home has continued to develop positive networks and relationships with a wide range of agencies and professionals. For example, staff work closely with social workers and independent reviewing officers. There is regular communication about safeguarding issues, for example missing from care. This takes place in a timely way, and all relevant information is shared. The agencies and professionals all reported that the staff team Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 7 works hard to actively promote the needs of young people. A social worker said, ‘The team [members] are friendly [and] approachable, and its clear they care about the young people.’

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improvement to be good

Some parts of the premises are not suitably maintained to meet the needs of each young person. For example, one young person’s bathroom was dirty, and there was mould and damp on the walls. This is a potential hazard to the young person’s health and does not provide children with a safe, supportive, warm and welcoming environment.

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

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced. She also has the proven ability and confidence to appropriately and successfully challenge and advocate in young people’s best interests, especially if she feels other stakeholders are not fulfilling their specific roles. Recent examples include securing suitable education arrangements for children and implementing appropriate and safe contact plans for young people.

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

The registered manager is very committed to improving the outcomes for young people. She is gradually improving the paperwork in the home and staff practice. She is realistic about the improvements still required in the home and is working hard to ensure that the staff team members develop a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities and work together as a consistent team.

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

Not all staff have been given opportunities to reflect on their practice, performance and development. Supervision is not consistently taking place and is variable in quality. For example, supervision records do not include detailed information of the discussions the registered manager reported to inspectors or the actions agreed from the sessions. Furthermore, records do not demonstrate that all staff have individual time to reflect on their practice and the needs of young people. Effective supervision is of vital importance to improving the quality of care provided to young people.

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

Staff continue to undertake regular training to ensure that they fully understand their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. They are vigilant to any signs which could suggest that a young person is at risk and are clear in relation to what action they would take. Staff spoken with during the inspection demonstrated a good understanding of child sexual exploitation and the procedures to follow. They have also worked closely with the police and missing from care coordinators to ensure that they have up-to-date knowledge and skills to support young people when they return home, and report immediately any concerns that may arise. Feedback from the police confirmed that staff are proactive in their approach and ensure young people’s safety at all times.

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

Staff duty rosters fail to accurately detail the actual hours when the staff or the manager are on duty. During discussions with the registered manager, she accepted that the rotas did not contain all the required information. The lack of transparency of who is on duty potentially places children at risk and compromises the continuity of care. Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 8 Safer recruitment practice at the home is not consistently robust. For example, verification of references is not consistently carried out. This does not ensure that only the most suitable staff work at the home and care for the children.

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

There are gaps in the monitoring and review systems, which depletes the analysis and evaluation of the care provided and their impact on outcomes for young people. This means that staff are unable to adequately address shortfalls in order to improve the service being provided.

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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: SC456800 9

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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

Lisa Mulcahy, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456800 10 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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