Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bedford

Inspection report children’s home: SC476251 1 SC476251 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 provides care for up to four children who are at risk of or subject to child exploitation. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since October 2018.

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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 outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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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: SC476251 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/06/2018 Full Good 25/07/2017 Full Good 12/12/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/10/2016 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC476251 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff have high aspirations for the children. This leads to the children having high expectations of themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children fully engage with specialist therapeutic support. There is excellent communication between the staff and the therapists. These close working relationships with the therapists help the staff to provide well-informed, ongoing support to the children between the children’s therapy sessions. The highly effective staff work cohesively to help the children to confront and understand their past traumas. Excellent relationships with the staff help the children to open up about their past experiences and enable them to move on with their lives positively. The children make excellent progress, because they fully embrace the therapeutic intervention programme.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children’s attendance in education and their academic progress are excellent. For example, one child moved from 47% attendance to 100%. Other children also have 100% attendance rates. One achieved two GCSEs at grade C a year early. This child will reintegrate into mainstream education as part of her transition plan. The communication between the education staff and the residential staff is strong. The residential staff support the children to achieve well. The on-site school is involved in the therapeutic programme, and the school staff attend team-around-the child meetings and reviews. This cohesive approach means that all the staff understand the children’s potential and help them to reach it.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff work closely with the children and social workers to enable the children to develop their independence safely. The highly skilled staff identify when the children are ready to build their independence outside the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff use innovative and imaginative ways to ensure that the children have new experiences, while keeping them safe. The staff expertly source and risk-assess activities to foster the children’s individual interests, including community-based activities and clubs. These activities give the children the opportunity to have the same experiences as their peers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The children personalise their bedrooms within days of moving in. This gives them a sense of belonging and creates a personal safe space for them. Each child named a member of staff whom they would speak to if they were worried or upset. One child said, ‘It’s like living in a family. The staff really look after us.’ The staff bring in their pets, as the children miss this aspect of their home lives. The staff place a strong emphasis on creating a family-style home so that the children feel nurtured and loved.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff help the children to make keepsakes of their time at the home. The staff personalise photograph albums with individual messages to provide an excellent record of positive memories. Inspection report children’s home: SC476251 4

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

In most cases, the children who live at the home have previously experienced a high level of abuse and trauma. The staff implement high-quality risk assessments and behaviour management plans to ensure that the children are now safe. The staff use therapy and key-work sessions to help the children to recognise and understand risks. As a result, risk-taking behaviour has significantly reduced and the children have become safer.

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

The staff work exceptionally well with the children to help them to understand exploitation and its associated risks. The children have a strong, trusting bond with the staff. The children have been able to discuss and understand their past experiences. This has helped them to understand what healthy relationships are and how they can experience these.

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

When children go missing from the home, the staff actively search for them, and they work closely with them on their return. A police officer said, ‘This is by far the best home that I have worked with. The staff look after such vulnerable and high-risk children. The home has a real family atmosphere. The children have invited me for tea.’ This is significant for children who, previously, may have regarded the police with fear or suspicion.

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

The staff consistently implement agreed boundaries and rules. These boundaries help the children to feel safe and to understand the staff’s expectations of them. The staff research any activities to ensure that they are safe. Comprehensive social and community plans outline the responsibilities of the multidisciplinary team and are written in agreement with the children’s social workers. This protects the children from external risks.

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

Safeguarding concerns are managed extremely well. The staff are excellent at reporting concerns. They work together with a wide variety of professionals and services to keep the children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and her deputy work exceptionally well together. The manager has developed a highly positive ethos and culture that permeate the staff team. Together, the staff provide the safe and nurturing environment which they understand is crucial for these children to thrive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and deputy have embedded changes since the last inspection. These include the development of the social and community action plans which have been devised to show both the children’s stages of development in keeping safe and the responsibilities of the staff and other professionals. The manager and clinical team have developed a new monitoring tool to show children’s starting points and progress. This enables good oversight and, when there is a dip in progress, the team can readily Inspection report children’s home: SC476251 5 identify and address it. The records are clearer and the staff work consistently. This consistency has helped the children to understand and accept the boundaries.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff are innovative in their approach to helping the children to recognise and understand exploitation. The joined-up working between the staff and the clinical lead, coupled with the specialist training that the staff receive, means that the staff are fully equipped to understand exploitation themselves so that they can work effectively with the children. The staff helped the children to put together an art exhibition, which was displayed publicly, that explored positive images and celebrated being female. The managers strive for continuous improvement and actively research effective approaches to support this. The manager and staff use a recognised approach to child exploitation that has been developed by young people, for young people. This has provided the staff with extra tools to help the children to understand their past and to overcome trauma so that they can move on successfully.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and the staff have developed trusting relationships with parents. The manager communicates effectively with social workers and other professionals. She has successfully challenged actions or proposed actions when they have not been in children’s best interests. A social worker said, ‘The manager knew the child so well that we listened to how she thought the transition out of the home should work. We followed her guidance and it was very successful.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff attend regular meetings to ensure that they are fully updated about the children. The professional discussion during these meetings helps to reinforce good practice. The clinical lead attends monthly staff meetings to discuss the children or to deliver training to the staff. Inspection report children’s home: SC476251 6

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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 difference 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: SC476251 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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Inspectors

Trish Palmer, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC476251 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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