Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bradford

Inspection report children’s home: SC424141 1 SC424141 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 run by a private company which is a national provider of residential care and accommodation for children and young people. It is registered to care for up to six children or young people who have emotional, behavioural and social difficulties. The manager has been registered with Ofsted since July 2018.

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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 requires improvement to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 4 September 2018

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC424141 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/09/2018 Full Good 09/01/2018 Full Good 22/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/02/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC424141 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 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)) In particular,  ensure that appropriate food hygiene standards are maintained in the home at all times  ensure that sanction records consistently include the children’s views  monitor supervision records to ensure their completion at regular intervals in line with the statement of purpose. 29/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

Keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (3)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, include details about the practice of having locks on the doors of communal rooms in the home. 29/02/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises— is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, record the rationale of locking the doors to the communal areas and identify if/when they are used to manage children’s behaviour. Inspection report children’s home: SC424141 4

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Recommendations

 The design of the home should, where appropriate, enable children to develop independence skills within the supportive environment of the home, including through encouraging independent use of kitchen and laundry areas. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.25)

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Recommendations

Specifically, ensure that young people have full access to facilities to enable them to store their food. Educate the young people on safe food handling to avoid the risk of cross contamination of food products and include this guidance in their individual plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most of the children and young people benefit from a stable home life. They prosper physically, socially and emotionally, which in many respects has started from a position of loss, separation and traumatic experiences. Children and young people who are new to the home are welcomed. They are informed about the home and settle in quickly. Those children and young people who have moved on from the home have mostly experienced planned moves. Any unplanned endings have been managed carefully to ensure minimal disruption to the existing group of children and young people.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff attention towards the children and young people, coupled with the good quality of care, meets the children and young people’s individual needs effectively. The positive relationships between the children and young people and staff has helped them to invest in the clear routines and boundaries and focus on their future plans. The children and young people have opportunities to reflect on their experiences so far and strive towards achieving their personal goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions enable the staff to role model positive behaviour by helping the children and young people to reflect on a range of issues. They also facilitate opportunities for the staff to challenge some children and young people’s negative views, which is changing their mindset. The benefits of such interactions have helped the children and young people feel sufficiently trusting of the staff to disclose sensitive information. This is because they have confidence that the staff will support and protect them with unconditional regard.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people thrive on the learning opportunities through their access to education at school or college, or through home tuition. Consequently, their life chances improve significantly. The staff take an active interest in the children’s learning and aspirations and praise their achievements. Their progress is impressive given that some children and young people have not been in an Inspection report children’s home: SC424141 5 educational environment for several years. Children and young people participate in a range of activities and integrate in different social settings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children and young people’s health and well-being improve due to their access and engagement with primary and specialist health services. This has led to some children and young people engaging in activities that have helped them to see the benefits of healthy living on their overall health. The children and young people know how to complain. The support of independent advocates provides a further level of support to ensure that their views are represented.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Older young people are doing more for their themselves as their plans to move on take shape. However, safe food handling and storage have not been fully explored with them as part of their independence work to avoid contaminating food products. Until very recently, the young people’s limited access to some of their food, due to it being locked in the cellar, has been out of sync with promoting their independence.

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

Safeguarding the children and young people is taken very seriously and the staff team works in partnership with other agencies to secure their safety. Professionals consider the safeguarding practices in the home to be good.

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

No children and young people are subject to exploitative risks. Overall, missing incidents have reduced. When missing incidents have happened, the staff have followed the missing from care protocol and carry out key-work sessions with the children and young people about going missing. On occasions, when children and young people have been located in their area of origin, the registered manager has taken responsibility for ensuring that they are picked up and transported back to the home. This good parent model shows the extent to which the staff team will go to ensure the children and young people’s safe return.

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

The children and young people are safer because the strategies to minimise their individual risks are understood by the staff and implemented effectively. Extra monitoring and safeguards are in place to protect the vulnerabilities of those children and young people who need it. Children and young people are involved in the development of their safety plans, which gives them ongoing support and protection.

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

The children and young people’s trusting relationships with the registered manager and staff provide them with suitable adults to talk to about any concerns and/or sensitive subjects. Children’s behaviours are managed effectively. A clear focus on positive rewards promotes good behaviours. Staff and other professionals’ interventions are helping children and young people to regulate their behaviours and learn from incidents to avoid being criminalised. When children and young people have been subject to physical intervention, they are provided with an opportunity to reflect on the incident. In one example, a young person thanked the staff for helping them when they lost control. Allegations against staff are independently investigated in consultation with the designated officer. Inspection report children’s home: SC424141 6

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good

The registered manager is suitably qualified and experienced, and she has a strong presence in the home. She has the best interests of the children and young people in mind in her care. Her knowledge of the children and young people is thorough. Her good relationships with the children and young people make her approachable to them.

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good

There have been some challenges due to staff leaving and a period of absence from the registered manager. However, the staff have pulled together to ensure minimal detriment to the children and young people. The staff are valued by the registered manager. They are able to develop their expertise and knowledge under the registered manager’s clear direction, training and reflective supervisions. However, some supervision records show gaps. Management oversight has not addressed the issue quickly to ensure that the records reflect the actual supervisions held with the staff.

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good

Inconsistent reasons have been given for locking doors in communal areas of the home. Furthermore, this practice is not included in the home’s statement of purpose, which lacks transparency about how the locks are used. The practice has not been kept under review. These issues combined have at times restricted the children and young people’s movement around the home. Not all records are completed to show the children and young people’s views when they have received a consequence.

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good

The registered manager challenges other agencies without fear or favour to make sure that the children and young people get what they need. Learning from unplanned endings informs the future matching of children and young people with the current group. This is further supported by a temporary block on admitting children and young people to the home to allow for time and space. Independent monitoring visits support the ongoing service improvements in the home.

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good

Professionals regard the registered manager highly. They express satisfaction with the children and young people’s progress. A professional said, ‘I couldn’t have picked a better place if I tried.’ The previous recommendations, in relation to ensuring up- to-date risk assessments and staff training to meet the children’s needs, have been 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 Inspection report children’s home: SC424141 7 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: SC424141 8

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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: Susan Fitzsimmons

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Inspector

Jacqueline Malcolm, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC424141 9 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

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Inspector

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Inspector

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