Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 1 SC476326 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 children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children who have suffered early life trauma as the victims of serious abuse and/or profound neglect. As a result, the children have serious emotional difficulties that include development and attachment problems. A private company runs this home. The registered manager is suitably qualified.

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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 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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/03/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/10/2018 Full Good 23/02/2018 Interim Not judged 22/11/2017 Full Inadequate Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 3

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Recommendations

 Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) In particular, ensure that staff record all the work that they undertake with children and evidence, in the child’s records, that they have read all relevant updated information about the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit hugely from warm and trusting relationships with staff. Children say that they really like the staff and feel that staff care about them. The children run in to see the registered manager after school to tell her all about their day. Children receive highly individualised care as staff are aware of each child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is comfortable and welcoming and children like their bedrooms, which are personalised. They enjoy the chill out corner in the sitting room and the play room, which is furnished with low seating and colourful books and games. The children have their own pets, which they keep clean and look after properly. Children have fun together and with staff. They gather in the kitchen to bake cakes and enjoy talking. Staff support each child’s interests. For example, they take them ice skating and to play ice hockey regularly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the children well and have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of their personal histories and the impact that these have on children’s emotional well-being and behaviour. Children express their views, wishes and feelings confidently to staff in regular young people’s meetings, in daily conversations and in key-work sessions. Staff skilfully engage children in work that enables them to address difficult issues, including relationships and behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make significant progress. They feel settled and secure, become more independent and make friends. They engage in school, benefit from improved contact with their families and become better at regulating their emotions and behaviour. Staff skilfully support children to develop and maintain friendly relationships in the home. This supports their social development and their ability to make a positive contribution.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children move into or out of the home, they are consulted about how staff can help them to feel less anxious. Children are invited to visit and meet staff before they move in and benefit from opportunities to visit new placements with staff before they leave. Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 4

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

Highly trained staff understand the reasons behind children’s behaviours. Detailed risk assessments (which are regularly reviewed by the registered manager) identify triggers for behaviours and provide staff with clear, effective guidance to meet each child’s safeguarding needs. Over time, the approach that staff take results in a significant reduction in the number of incidents and the use of physical interventions.

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

Since the last inspection, new children have moved in. Initially, staff and children experienced an increase in incidents and disruption to their homelife. With strong support from each other and the registered manager, staff have managed some very challenging behaviours effectively. Staff are highly skilled in behaviour management and the use of de-escalation techniques. Consequently, the home is now calmer and more settled.

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

Staff work with children to help them to understand how to keep themselves safe. Staff skilfully manage relationships between children to provide a calm and nurturing environment where children feel secure.

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

Staff respond quickly and appropriately when children go missing. They follow protocols and work closely with the local police and social workers. Staff are vigilant and well informed about child exploitation. Working with other professionals is a strength of this team. Staff share intelligence with the local police daily and the police visit the home to talk to children. For example, the registered manager has requested that a specialist police officer comes in to speak to children about racist behaviour. Diligent staff ensure that children are closely monitored and supported to keep safe when they are out of the home.

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

Sometimes the safeguarding needs of a child become so complex that staff cannot keep them safe. The registered manager liaises with placing authorities and the police to establish if the child’s needs would be better met in an alternative placement. This ensures that all children in the home are safeguarded and their specific needs are met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of the experienced, reflective and child-focused registered manager. They feel that she strongly supports them both personally and professionally and that she encourages them to develop their careers. Staff either hold a level 3 qualification or are undertaking the relevant diploma.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well run. Staffing levels are good, which means that staff provide children with consistent care. Staff demonstrate enthusiasm about meeting the needs of children and speak warmly about each child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from regular team meetings and supervision sessions where they contribute to discussions about the needs of the children and learn from each other and from the Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 5 clinical team. The registered manager proactively promotes the application of the home’s model of care to ensure that it is embedded in staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager and her deputy understand the strengths and areas for development in the team and have strategies in place to address these, carefully monitoring the team and quickly addressing any shortfalls in practice. The registered manager is aware of the dynamics between team members and their relationships with each child and actively adjusts shift patterns and staffing if necessary to ensure the best service for each child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager advocates on behalf of children. She is not afraid to challenge placing authorities and other professionals if a child is not receiving the services that they need. Other professionals comment very favourably about the registered manager and staff. They highlight effective communication and planning as particular strengths. The registered manager gathers feedback from children, staff and other professionals to develop the service and drive up standards even further.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Areas for improvement are that staff do not always record the work that they undertake with children and do not always sign updated assessments and plans to evidence that they have read them. However, these are recording issues rather than practice ones and do not have a negative impact on children.

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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: SC476326 6

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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 Whittle: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476326 7 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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