Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stockport

Inspection report children‟s home: SC359818 1 SC359818 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is part of a large organisation providing care services. The home provides care for up to four young people. It is situated in a busy, multicultural and ethnically diverse suburb. The statement of purpose indicates that staff provide young people with structure, boundaries, care and support and that staff help young people to prepare for the next step in their lives, whether it is a return home, a move to another placement or the transition to independence. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 1 October 2019 and is currently undertaking her level 5 qualification.

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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: sustained effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC359818 2

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This home was judged requires improvement to be good at the last full inspection. At the last interim inspection, it was judged that it had sustained effectiveness.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 25 April 2019, Ofsted undertook a monitoring inspection in response to a serious incident that had occurred involving a young person at the home. Inspectors identified serious shortfalls in safeguarding, behaviour management and monitoring and reviewing the home. Ofsted served a suspension notice and issued a compliance notice.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 28 May 2019, Ofsted undertook a further monitoring visit. The inspector found that staff had received training in behaviour management, to enable them to better manage young people’s risk-taking behaviours. Although managers and staff had met the compliance notice, staff and the manager failed to address all the shortfalls identified at the last interim inspection. Consequently, the suspension notice remained in place.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 1 July 2019, Ofsted undertook a monitoring inspection and the manager and staff had addressed all shortfalls. Subsequently, the suspension notice was lifted.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/05/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 02/01/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/09/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children‟s home: SC359818 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. (Regulation 8 (1)) 07/02/2020

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to 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 risk of any harm to the child; help each child to understand how to keep safe. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)) 07/02/2020

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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— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(h)) 07/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home; is necessary and proportionate; is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (c)(i)(ii)(iii)) 07/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees— receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c)) 07/02/2020 Inspection report children‟s home: SC359818 4 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”)— has spoken to the user about the measure; 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 (3)(b)(i)(c)) 07/02/2020

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Recommendations

 When establishing the home, the registered person must ensure that it is suitably located so that children are effectively safeguarded and can access services to meet needs identified in their relevant plans (see Regulations 12 (2)(c)). Under Regulation 46, the registered person should review the appropriateness and suitability of the location and premises of the home at least once a year. The review should include the identification of any risks and opportunities presented by the home’s location and strategies for managing these. (‘ Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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improvement to be good

Staff and the manager want young people to do well with their education. Information obtained from the virtual school head confirms that staff have been proactive in sourcing school provisions for young people. Staff have carried out some work to understand young people’s barriers to learning to try and help them to better support young people. However, young people are not yet engaging consistently in educational activities offered by staff and home tutors. Consequently, young people are not yet making measurable academic progress.

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improvement to be good

The two young people living at the home have recently moved in. Staff are getting to know them and are building good relationships with them. Young people are slowly settling in at the home and they report that they are able to speak with staff about any issues that might be worrying them.

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improvement to be good

Staff, together with the clinical team, promote young people’s health and well-being. When young people struggle to attend their health appointments, staff find creative ways for them to do so. For example, they encouraged one young person who was quite anxious about stepping into a doctor’s surgery to do so by getting him involved in completing his registration form. They followed this up with a key-worker session to Inspection report children‟s home: SC359818 5 teach him about the importance of staying healthy and attending appointments.

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improvement to be good

Young people are able to express their wishes and feelings through house meetings and key-work sessions and they have access to an advocate. These opportunities enable young people to contribute to the day-to-day running of the home and more complicated decisions about their care. The staff and the manager act on young people’s wishes and feelings. As a result, young people feel listened to and respected.

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improvement to be good

Young people access activities in the local community. This is significant progress for one young person in particular, who was not engaging in any constructive activities before he moved to the home.

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improvement to be good

Staff support young people to develop good independence skills, for example attending to their personal hygiene, doing their laundry and cooking meals. As a result, young people are beginning to feel more confident and have increased self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Staff and the manager provide some good support for young people moving into the home. However, impact risk assessments do not contain all known risks as outlined in young people’s care plans. This has the potential to adversely affect matching of new young people to those already resident.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of policies and procedures to follow in the event that concerns are raised about young people’s safety and welfare. No young people have gone missing from home since the home reopened. No complaints have been raised. Staff recruitment is safe, which helps to ensure that only suitable adults care for young people.

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improvement to be good

Restraint is used by trained staff as a last resort to protect young people and others from harm. However, restraint records are not compliant with regulation as the manager does not ensure that staff and young people receive a debrief following incidents of restraint. This does not give young people and staff the opportunity to say how they felt about what happened and about the way that staff managed the restraint. In addition, this is a missed opportunity for the manager to analyse and evaluate staff practice and to identify any potential concerns and gaps in staff training.

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff have not been proactive in carrying out internet safety work with young people. This is despite young people having access to online gaming video games where young people can potentially communicate with other unknown gamers online. This does not support young people to learn about how to keep themselves safe when accessing the internet at the home or within the community.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s risks assessments do not contain all known risks to enable staff to keep young people safe. The manager has recently reviewed the locality risk assessment. However, she has not identified all areas of risk that young people within the local area are known to gravitate to. Furthermore, it is not clear from the risk assessment if Inspection report children‟s home: SC359818 6 information gathered from partner agencies is current as this document is not dated. This does not fully promote young people’s safety.

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

The manager’s monitoring and reviewing of the service requires improvement. The manager and senior manager’s auditing tools have not been able to identify some of the shortfalls identified during this inspection. This does not help to improve practice and the quality of care provided to young people.

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

Some staff have not received regular supervision and their annual appraisal. This does not give staff consistent opportunities to reflect on their practice and development and to discuss any issues of concern they might have. It is also a missed opportunity for the manager to review staff performance, to identify any development needs and to give them praise when they do well.

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

Electronic alarms are installed on young people’s bedroom doors to alert staff when young people leave their rooms at night. However, the use of these alarms has not been risk assessed to ensure that they are necessary and proportionate and primarily used to keep young people safe. The manager told the inspector that she did not know that bedroom door alarms needed to be risk assessed if in use. This does not promote young people’s right to privacy within the home.

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

Partner agencies and staff speak positively about the manager’s practice and report that she prioritises the needs of young people. Staff feel supported by managers and say that they are able to raise any issues and concerns. Staff state that the home promotes equality and diversity for staff and young people. They confirm that staff work as a team and provide consistent care that helps young people to progress.

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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: SC359818 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

Rumbi Mangoma: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC359818 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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