Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in County Durham

Inspection report children’s home: SC059180 1 SC059180 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

The home is run by a private organisation and is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to five children and/or young people who have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered in January 2017 and is appropriately qualified.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC059180 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

15/05/2018 Full Good 12/09/2017 Full Good 21/12/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 17/05/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC059180 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, the 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 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— ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(a)(b)(2)(c)) 22/02/2020

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Recommendations

 Children must be consulted regularly on their views about the home’s care, to inform and support continued improvement in the quality of care provided. Due consideration should be given to the child’s cognitive ability in the development and implementation of any consultation processes. Children should be able to see the results of their views being listened to and acted upon. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 22, paragraph 4.11)

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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)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The home is warm, welcoming and very well maintained. A large noticeboard is filled with a vibrant display of the children and young people’s most recent individual achievements which include a weekly award that has been developed by the team. This Inspection report children’s home: SC059180 4 fun visual approach creates a sense of celebration so that children and young people can share in one another’s successes, which helps to promote harmony within the group.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people’s views have been carefully considered throughout the physical updates that have been made to the home. Quiet and calm areas have been furnished to specifically meet sensory needs, and large spaces are available for group activities. Children and young people are cared for by a team of staff who understand the importance of the physical surroundings and the affect this may have. The staff use the versatility of the home well to respond swiftly to the needs or presenting behaviours of children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people receive an excellent standard of individualised care and, as a result, make exceptional progress from their starting points. For some, it is the significant increase in their levels of independence that is strong evidence of this progress. For others, it is the development of self-awareness which means they can now manage aspects of self-care and increase their sense of control over their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The care team is innovative and has used research to develop creative tools to open lines of communication with the children and young people who communicate non- verbally. This practice has enabled some children and young people to be able to share their feelings and emotions with their caring adults. This helps trusting relationships to form that enable children and young people to feel secure.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people take part in a broad range of activities which include frequent trips and holidays. Some of these activities are new experiences for children and young people that have been made possible due to the level of support the staff team offers. Children and young people take part in events to support their local community such as raising money for charity. This means that children and young people are learning about and contributing to the world around them, which helps to develop a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Children and young people move into the home following excellently planned introductions. Feedback from parents and professionals states that children and young people are happy and that their lives benefit from the high-quality care that they receive.

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

The manager takes a collaborative approach to safeguarding and consults other agencies to keep his team current in their practice. There have been no safeguarding concerns reported. Staff demonstrate that they confidently know what to do should a concern arise, which is a protective factor for children and young people.

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

The manager identified that physical interventions were taking place regularly, so he carried out focused work with his team to develop their de-escalation skills. Since the last inspection the use of physical intervention has reduced dramatically and has not been used for almost a year. The process in place to gain the views of children and young people after a physical intervention does not consider each of their Inspection report children’s home: SC059180 5 communication needs. This limits the possibility to learn from children and young people’s views or evaluate such incidents effectively should they occur.

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

Risk assessments identify the vulnerabilities of children and young people and the risks they may pose either to themselves or each other. There are clearly defined strategies in place to mitigate those risks. This demonstrates that risks are understood and well managed by staff, which helps to ensure that children and young people are protected.

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

Children and young people are helped to understand what it means to be safe. Key-work sessions are used to teach them about topics such as personal safety. Children and young people are helped to develop an awareness of what appropriate boundaries are so that they can become increasingly safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a passionate and motivated leader who has a creative approach to his staff’s development. Team meetings incorporate exercises and tasks to help the staff develop reflective practice and use their learning to improve the care that children and young people receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

This team has a broad range of skills and knowledge. Children and young people are allocated specific staff who have completed training to help them meet their needs. However, not all staff are trained in these presenting behaviours, and this could lead to a shortfall should staffing levels change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good auditing processes which he uses to monitor the care that children and young people receive. Occasionally, handwritten entries into records were difficult to read. This means that children and young people would not be able to gain full information from the record.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff are a highly committed and stable team. This consistency helps children and young people to feel secure, develop attachments and make exceptional 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. Inspection report children’s home: SC059180 6 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

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Information about this inspection

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: SC059180 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(s)

Paula Kelly, social care inspector Cath Heron, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC059180 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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