Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458352 1 SC458352

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Cambian Childcare Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home provides care and accommodation for up to three children or young people who have complex care needs. It is operated by a private national company.

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This monitoring visit

During the current COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis, Ofsted is not carrying out routine inspections of social care provisions. When Ofsted has judged a service to be high risk, we need to determine what activity is needed to mitigate the risk.

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This monitoring visit

Due to off-site inspection activity raising concerns, an urgent on-site inspection was carried out. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was an announced inspection and no grading was given.

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This monitoring visit

Since the previous inspection in December 2019, the registered manager has moved to manage another home within the company. The interim management arrangements have not been sufficient to ensure effective leadership in this home. As a result, the quality of care has declined.

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This monitoring visit

Despite additional support given to the home, leadership is weak. Leaders and managers have not ensured that all staff are suitably skilled and effectively directed. This lack of good leadership has led to staff not always following children’s support plans effectively, resulting in incidents that have placed children at risk of harm.

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This monitoring visit

Inspectors recognise that this period has resulted in difficulties with staffing sufficiency. The provider has worked hard to mitigate this, ensuring that agency staff are not used, and the children have adults who they know supporting them. Despite this positive work, there are fractured dynamics within the staff team that Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458352 2 need addressing. Staff and children told inspectors that this sometimes results in inconsistency of approach among the staff teams, leading to children receiving mixed responses.

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This monitoring visit

Two children told the inspectors that currently they do not feel safe in the home. One child feels pressured by another to comply with their requests, and another child feels that one staff member has not responded well to keep her safe.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have not ensured that children are always provided with the consistency of care, good routines and stability that are typically found in this home. At times, children eat meals in their bedrooms, rather than together at the table where adults can support good social skills. Staff told the inspectors that they have only recently gained access to children’s bedrooms to support them with maintaining hygienic living conditions. However, this current access is not effective, as the manager was unaware of items in one child’s room that are inappropriate for their age. In addition, the manager was unaware that another child’s regular use of consoles includes unsupervised online gaming with unknown people. The risks from these items have not been dealt with, exposing children to unsafe activities.

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This monitoring visit

Internal monitoring and review of the service are taking place regularly. However, the impact of this is not currently effective. Several experienced senior managers have supported the home by completing in-depth audits. During these audits, many of the concerns identified at this inspection were recognised in May and June of this year. Leaders and managers have set actions to improve, but they have not been carried out swiftly enough to ensure that the quality of care does not deteriorate further.

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This monitoring visit

A new manager has been appointed but is not yet in post. The responsible individual took urgent action during the inspection to strengthen the interim management and staffing arrangements.

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This monitoring visit

Statutory requirements have been set to address the regulatory beaches found at this inspection. Ofsted will continue to monitor this home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/12/2019 Full Good 04/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/05/2018 Full Good 08/06/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458352 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

6: The quality and purpose of care standard

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose and ensure that staff understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(i)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the team should consistently deliver good- quality care that appropriately provides children with nurturing routines, structure and boundaries akin to those found in a good family home. 17/08/2020

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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 that staff-

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if 03/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458352 4 necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

Manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered provider;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(b)) 13: The leadership and management standard

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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.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experiences, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

Understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; and 17/08/2020 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458352 5 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000.

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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 Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicola McClements

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Inspectors

Paula Lahey, regulatory inspection manager Carys Flain, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC458352 6 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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