Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Leeds

Inspection report children’s home: SC428895 1 SC428895 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 is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for up to three children or young people for a short-, medium- or long-term period.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in June 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 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC428895 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/08/2018 Full Good 21/11/2017 Full Good 05/01/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/09/2016 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC428895 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff build good relationships with children and young people, enabling them to form trusting bonds. The staff team is well established, and two of the young people have been there for a long time. Staff know the children and young people well. When children and young people are new to the home, the staff prioritise building relationships and getting to know them. This helps children and young people to settle in quickly and built stable attachments.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are making variable progress, however the staff have a clear understanding of why this is. Staff are aware of the children and young people’s individual difficulties, and there are good plans in place to address the issues. One young person is making good progress with their education. Before coming to the home, they had not attended school for a significant length of time, and they now have 100% attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are encouraged to develop their independence in the home and community. Their plans show that they are learning to cook, help around the home and go to the local shop independently. A young person is able to use public transport and spends independent time with friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff prioritise the health needs of children and young people. When children and young people are taking medication for specific health needs, these are well managed and support better health outcomes. When children and young people are not engaging with health services, staff continue to encourage them to attend appointments and look after themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Healthy eating is a priority in the home, and the manager is restricting the number of unhealthy choices in the home. Staff also promote a range of activities for the children and young people. Children and young people have been on holidays, gone swimming or horse riding and pursue other interests by request. The manager promotes a healthy, active lifestyle for children and young people. She has introduced a light-hearted policy of doing something active before doing something inactive, for example encouraging children and young people to go for a walk before sitting down to watch television.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are encouraged to share their views in several ways. There are weekly meetings and also key-work sessions which capture their thoughts and feelings, wishes and views. There are new ‘I Said, You Did’ forms, which demonstrate to children and young people that their views and wishes are valued, heard and acted on when appropriate.

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

Children and young people are kept safer by good safeguarding practice. Risk assessments identify individual risks and there are safeguards in place to mitigate Inspection report children’s home: SC428895 4 those risks. Children and young people do not self-harm and there are no identified risks in relation to sexual or criminal exploitation.

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

Staff make a coordinated and effective response when children or young people go missing from the home. Staff attempt to keep in contact with the missing child or young person, visit known addresses and encourage them to return home. Staff have a good understanding of one young person’s particular circumstances, are sensitive to his needs and advocate strongly on his behalf. While they are currently unable to prevent his ‘missing’ episodes, they use the information from return interviews to fully understand where he goes and whom he is with. This means that they have a thorough understanding of his vulnerability and risks when he is missing from home.

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

Restraints have not been used and staff apply their knowledge of the children and young people to de-escalate challenging behaviours effectively. Other professionals say that interventions by staff have been effective in significantly reducing negative behaviours. Staff support children and young people to express their feelings in a safe and appropriate way, learning how to manage their emotions better. This creates a home which is a safer, calmer environment for them to live in.

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

When allegations have been made or poor practice identified, the staff prioritise the safety and well-being of the children. Investigations are well managed and carried out in line with the home’s policy and statutory guidance.

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

There have been some instances of bullying and children and young people using racist language towards staff. Incident reports capture the details of these incidents, and how this behaviour was challenged at the time. Risk assessments reflect any new behaviours and there is a record of key-work sessions. However, there is a lack of evaluation in respect of how effective this work is in helping the children and young people to reflect on their behaviours and experiences. The key-working sessions could be strengthened to demonstrate learning and restorative activities undertaken to better protect children, young people and staff from being subjected to this behaviour.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably qualified and experienced manager. She has demonstrated that she strives to achieve good outcomes for children and young people and has a dedicated staff team to support her in achieving this. There are good monitoring systems in place, giving the manager oversight of the progress of the children, young people and the home. The manager uses feedback from a range of sources to deliver improvements to the quality of care that children and young people receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is decorated to a high standard and the manager has completed a programme of refurbishment throughout the communal areas. Children and young people’s bedrooms are decorated to their own taste. The property feels like a family home with personal touches, such as photos of the children and young people, Inspection report children’s home: SC428895 5 pictures, ornaments and homemade furniture. All these things help the children and young people to invest in their home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a clear understanding of the progress that children and young people are making in the home. When children’s progress is not moving forward, the manager is proactive in utilising her team and multi-agency partners to source solutions, finding ways to support children and young people. When necessary, timely referrals are made to specialist services.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has demonstrated that she will challenge professionals when their responses are not effective in keeping children and young people safe or securing their welfare. This challenge promotes safer practice for children and young people and demonstrates that they are the main priority.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager continues to make improvements when admitting children and young people to the home. The transition plan has been developed and it now records how children and young people will be introduced to the staff, when visits are planned and what has been done in advance of them moving in. This means that children and young people feel welcomed, get to know staff and are ready to move into the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

When the home is unable to meet the needs of children or young people, the manager will prioritise what is in the child or young people’s best interests. If a decision is made that the home can no longer meet their needs, the manager ensures that the children and young people move in a planned way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have regular supervision with a manager or senior member of staff. This is supportive and challenging, addressing any areas of practice or issues that staff may be experiencing. Supervision could be strengthened by considering all the children and young people. This will allow staff to reflect on the effect that they have on children and young people, and on their contribution to their progress and experiences. Inspection report children’s home: SC428895 6

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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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure–

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Requirement Due date

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all issues of bullying behaviours and racist language are addressed and reinforced through effective key-working sessions. 03/04/2020

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Recommendations

 The registered person must have systems in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive supervision of their practice from an appropriately qualified and experienced professional, which allows them to reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report children’s home: SC428895 7

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, 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: SC428895 8

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Fitzsimmons

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Inspector

Deb Duffy: social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC428895 9 to 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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