Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Warrington

Assurance visit report: SC456942 1 SC456942

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of a number operated by a large private organisation. It is registered to provide care to one child or young person who may have emotional or behavioural needs.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a manager in post who is not yet registered. There has been no registered manager at this home since January 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

Visit dates: 30 September to 1 October 2020

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection judgement: Requires improvement to be good

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Information about this visit

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), Ofsted suspended all routine inspections in March 2020. As part of a phased return to routine inspection, we are undertaking assurance visits to children’s social care services that are inspected under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF).

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Information about this visit

At these visits, inspectors evaluate the extent to which:  children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership.

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Information about this visit

This visit was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000, following the published guidance for assurance visits.

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Information about this visit

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s social care system has delivered child-centred practice and care within the context of the restrictions placed on society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Findings from the visit

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit. Assurance visit report: SC456942 2

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The care of children

The young person has developed trusting and secure relationships with staff. As a result, he is making progress and his emotional well-being has improved. This is reflected in his increased engagement with staff and a reduction in his high-risk behaviours.

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The care of children

Staff understand the young person’s needs and the things that are important to him. They work effectively with a range of external professionals to ensure that the young person receives effective care and support.

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The care of children

The young person is engaging in education and has consistently good attendance. Staff closely supported the young person’s home learning throughout school closures caused by the pandemic.

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The care of children

Staff encourage the young person to engage in positive activities inside and outside his home. He is looking forward to joining a local football club and proudly showed his new football boots. He has been encouraged to participate in his local community and particularly enjoyed baking cakes for recent VE day celebrations with his neighbours.

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The care of children

Staff have taken time to understand the young person’s communication needs. They have developed ways to support the young person to express his views which have proved successful and enabled the young person to have more of a say about his day-to-day care.

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The care of children

Contact arrangements are complex for this young person. Information regarding some aspects of contact are clear in his plan. However, arrangements in relation to contact with siblings are not as clear and should be reviewed to help ensure that the necessary support is in place.

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The safety of children

Assessments demonstrate that risks to the young person’s safety and well-being have reduced significantly since his admission to the home.

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The safety of children

Staff have a good understanding of the risks associated with the young person’s care and are able to speak confidently about the measures in place to keep him safe. However, written guidance varies in quality and does not always clearly reflect current information or strategies. This could result in staff not being fully aware of the actions required to safeguard the young person.

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The safety of children

On one occasion, staff failed to manage a potential safeguarding concern in line with the provider’s safeguarding procedures. This was identified and dealt with by the manager. However, the failure of staff to report the concern immediately, led to a delay in it being addressed. Assurance visit report: SC456942 3 The young person does not go missing from the home. There have been a small number of occasions where he has left the home without permission, but he has always chosen to return, and he has never been missing overnight.

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The safety of children

There is guidance for staff about the action they should take if the young person goes missing from the home. This guidance is not sufficiently clear, and, as a result, staff have previously responded to episodes of going missing from the home in different ways. Guidance must be clear to help ensure that the young person is effectively safeguarded in the event that he is missing from home.

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The safety of children

The young person is developing safer behaviours over time. As a result, there have been no incidents where staff have been required to physically intervene for several months. However, records of incidents which occurred shortly after the young person’s admission were found to have significant shortfalls. Failure to record incidents of physical intervention correctly means that the young person is not sufficiently protected from excessive or inappropriate restraint.

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Leaders and managers

This home has been without a registered manager since January 2020. A manager has been appointed but has not yet submitted a fully completed application. This should be addressed as a matter of urgency.

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Leaders and managers

Leadership has not been consistently effective at this home. When the current manager was appointed, there were significant shortfalls in practice which were not always identified or addressed in a sufficiently robust manner. However, the current manager has worked closely with staff and senior managers to make significant improvements. This has resulted in safer, more effective care for the young person.

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Leaders and managers

The manager and staff work well with a range of external services to ensure that the young person receives appropriate care and support. Professionals from social care, health, education and youth justice speak highly of the home and describe positive partnership working.

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Leaders and managers

Staff say that they are well supported and express confidence in the leadership of the home. They recognise the improvements that have been achieved and describe a positive culture in the home.

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Leaders and managers

There has been some good progress in meeting most of the requirements made at the last inspection. However, some matters remain outstanding. The manager demonstrates good understating of the areas that remain in need of improvement and continues to address these within the quality-improvement process. Assurance visit report: SC456942 4

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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. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child; are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(vii)) 06/11/2020

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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)) 06/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— the name of the child; details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; the date, time and location of the use of the measure; a description of the measure and its duration; details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure; the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; 06/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC456942 5 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure; within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered

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Requirement Due date

person to do so (“the authorised person”)— has spoken to the user about the measure; and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii))

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Recommendations

 Appropriate forms of contact should be promoted and facilitated for each child, including where appropriate visits to the child in the home; visits by the child to relatives and/or friends; letters, emails and texts; use of social media and other forms of contact via the internet. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards, page 58, paragraph 11.18)  The registered person must specify the procedures to be followed and the roles and responsibilities of staff when a child is missing from care or away from the home without permission and how staff should support the child on return to the home. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards, page 45, paragraph 9.28)  When a child returns to the home after being missing from care or away from the home without permission, the responsible local authority must provide an opportunity for the child to have an independent return home interview. Homes

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Recommendations

should take account of information provided by such interviews when assessing risks and putting arrangements in place to protect each child. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards, page 45, paragraph 9.30)  Staff should have clear guidance about how to respond to each child’s individual behaviour to enable them to manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately and consistently if challenged by a child in their care. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards, page 39, paragraph 8.14)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child.

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Recommendations

(‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Assurance visit report: SC456942 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare LTD

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cambian Childcare Limited, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Marie Cordingley, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC456942 7 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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Inspector

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