Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Somerset

Inspection report children’s home: SC457327 1 SC457327 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 children’s home is registered to provide care and accommodation for a maximum of three children and/or young people who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is operated by a private national provider of children’s homes.

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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 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

Date of last inspection: 27 February 2019

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: improved effectiveness

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC457327 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 05/11/2018 Full Good 01/02/2018 Interim Improved effectiveness 06/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC457327 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people arrive at the home with a range of complex care needs. The young people flourish at this home and achieve exceptionally positive outcomes. This is due to the nurturing care and the trusting relationships that the young people build with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The progress the young people are making is exceptional. The young people have learned to trust adults and build their confidence, and are no longer self-harming. They are now able to confidently live a life that most young people aspire to live, including attending music festivals, travelling abroad and meeting friends in the community. One young person said: ‘It’s brilliant here. Coming here saved my life.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people gain a sense of belonging and permanence from living at this home. All of the young people have lived at the home for a long time. The manager carefully and sensitively ensures that the mix of young people in the home is positive. The manager undertakes an extensive and creative admission process that she has devised. The young people are fully involved in this process.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The staff succeed in supporting important relationships for young people. They understand how important it is for the young people to remain in contact with their friends and family, particularly when a young person’s family live many miles away.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people make exceptionally positive educational progress from their starting points. The young people’s attendance at school and college is excellent. Young people who were not engaging with education when they arrived at the home are now submitting university applications. Other young people have an aspirational career planned and are working towards this aim. The manager and the staff tirelessly challenge professionals to make sure that the young people have the educational provision that they deserve and that meets their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people’s health needs are fully met at the home. The young people benefit from regular professional support to build their emotional resilience. Innovative and creative strategies are used to help the young people to understand their life stories. The staff are well trained and have the right skills to deal with the young people if they need support and help with their emotional well-being.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

A healthy diet and exercise are promoted in the home. Young people who struggled to maintain a healthy lifestyle before coming to the home have lost weight and are now taking part in regular exercise to remain fit and healthy.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The young people are supported to successfully learn independent living skills such as shopping, cooking, budgeting and using public transport. When young people leave the home, the staff maintain relationships with them to provide continuity and a sense of Inspection report children’s home: SC457327 4 security. The staff work closely with the placing authority and the young people to ensure that moves out of the home go smoothly.

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

Safeguarding procedures are effective. The young people report that they feel very safe living at the home. They could name the members of staff that they would speak to if they ever felt worried or unsafe.

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

The staff use the trusting and nurturing relationships that they have built with the young people to support the young people to manage their own behaviour. The staff successfully implement creative behaviour management strategies and fully involve the young people. This helps the young people to learn to take responsibility for their behaviour, manage their feelings and take the appropriate action to help themselves to calm down.

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

The manager and staff have high expectations of the young people and ensure that routines in the home run smoothly. The staff successfully implement effective boundaries that the young people have learned to respect and adhere to. There are clear guidelines for the young people, for example in relation to the use of the internet and bedtimes. The staff consistently help the young people to learn from their mistakes and reward them for positive behaviour.

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

The young people do not go missing. The staff succeed in achieving a balance of allowing the young people to take age-appropriate risks, while keeping them safe.

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

The staff are knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures in the home. Any safeguarding concerns are promptly and appropriately reported to the relevant safeguarding professionals.

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

The staff in the home are recruited in accordance with safer recruitment procedures. The manager intends to improve this process further. This will be achieved by obtaining additional recruitment checks should a prospective member of staff’s former employer fail to provide an extensive reference.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager is experienced and appropriately qualified. She is committed to achieving positive outcomes for the young people in her care. She works tirelessly to obtain the services that the young people need and deserve. She provides strong and stable leadership to the staff, who comment on how much they appreciate the support and direction she offers to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has been instrumental in supporting the young people to build trusting relationships with all the staff. She is innovative and creative in her approach to caring for the young people. The children’s guide and the matching document that she has created are innovative, effective and worthy of dissemination to other providers. Inspection report children’s home: SC457327 5 The staff receive regular and good-quality supervision from the manager. Their supervision sessions are comprehensively recorded and focus on professional development and the care needs of the young people. During team meetings, the manager quizzes the staff on recent research and policy developments, to ensure that they are aware of current best practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home offers an extremely homely environment to the young people. There are framed photographs of the young people, the staff and pets around the home. The manager has paid attention to detail. She makes sure that the little touches that make a house a home are put in place. For example, coloured fairy lights are placed around the home. The home is very well maintained. Throughout the home the hobbies and interests of the young people are evident. The young people can keep small pets and learn to be responsible for their care and welfare.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has worked hard to recruit a consistent and appropriately skilled and trained staff team. The staff will fill vacant shifts rather than the young people having to be cared for by an agency member of staff they do not know. The team members work closely together. They have a clear commitment to the young people and are dedicating to ensuring that the young people make progress and succeed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and the staff have very positive working relationships with other professionals. Feedback from these professionals is very positive. They comment on the excellent progress their young people are making and how efficient and effective the management of the home is.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The monitoring of the quality of care given to the young people is effective. Each month an independent visitor visits the home. Any recommendations arising from these visits are promptly acted on by the manager and the staff. The manager undertakes regular quality monitoring checks. She is constantly seeking ways to improve the quality of care and provide additional training and skills to the staff team to improve outcomes for the young people. The recommendation from the previous inspection is fully met.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC457327 6 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: SC457327 7

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicola McClements

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Inspectors

Tina Maddison, social care inspector Michelle Oxley, regulatory inspection manager Inspection report children’s home: SC457327 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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