Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bradford

Assurance visit report: SC424141 1 SC424141

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered for up to six children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

This visit was brought forward in order to address specific allegations and concerns. The provider is taking action to address the concerns.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 4 February 2020

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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 identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit: Assurance visit report: SC424141 2  Staff have failed to keep children and young people safe.  Young people’s independence has not been promoted.  College placements have not been secured for young people as planned.  The staff team feels fractured and deskilled.  Staff have felt afraid to challenge the decisions made in the home.

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The care of children

Children and young people do not always feel valued and do not feel they are consistently treated with dignity and respect. One young person said, ‘Being here made me feel like there’s no point and I’m no good.’ Another young person said they had been made to feel ‘small and bad’. This has hindered the children and young people from forming trusting relationships with all of the staff in the home. Most of the children and young people have personalised their bedrooms. This involves them choosing their own wallpaper and other furnishings. However, one young person’s bedroom was significantly different to that of the other children and young people. No attempts have been made to personalise their room, which lacks warmth and comfort. This does not value all children and young people.

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The care of children

The children and young people report that they did not have many positive experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown. Many of the children and young people described feeling like they were in prison. Some of the staff also referred to the home as a prison, and one said, ‘All the boys felt suffocated.’ The children and young people could not leave the home, and staff did not take them out for the permitted hour of exercise. These restrictions have negatively impacted upon the children and young people’s emotional well-being.

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The care of children

Independence work and planning have equipped one young person to move on from the home into more independent accommodation. However, this has not been a consistent experience for all of the young people. Children and young people have not spent much free time in the community. They have not been allowed to choose how to spend their pocket money. One young person said, ‘We weren’t allowed to go shopping or spend our pocket money, not even online.’

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The care of children

The staff have supported some children’s education through home tuition and attendance at college. Some of the young people were led to believe that college placements had been arranged for them, but nothing materialised in September 2020 when they were due to start. Some professionals were also of the view that college placements had been arranged. This has led to the young people feeling disappointed, and the delay has prevented them from studying towards their goals.

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The care of children

The children and young people are not always involved in their care planning. Day- to-day decision-making about personalised activities, and the work that will be carried out with the children and young people, is not consistent with their plans. This does not support the children and young people’s progress. Assurance visit report: SC424141 3 Some children and young people had their mobile phones removed, and they were not allowed free access to them. This limited opportunities for children and young people to speak to family, friends and professionals in private and raise any concerns about their care. Children’s records are not clear about this practice of removing their mobile phones. Calls to family members and professionals were facilitated by staff in the office. However, this has prevented children and young people from having private conversations with the people that matter to them the most.

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The care of children

Children have been helped to understand the impact of COVID-19 on their health. They have engaged with staff to learn how to safeguard themselves and each other from infection. Children and young people have been helped to eat healthy, balanced meals, which has resulted in some of them losing excess weight and feeling fitter.

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The safety of children

Staff have failed to keep children and young people safe. Children and young people alleged that they have experienced verbal and physical abuse in the home. The staff say that they have failed to intervene in a timely way to protect the children and young people.

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The safety of children

Children and young people’s personal information has been shared with their peers, which has resulted in incidents of bullying behaviour. The risk management plans fail to identify effective strategies to safeguard the children and young people who are being bullied. This has led to some children and young people being victimised in the home and not feeling safe all of the time.

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The safety of children

The staff confirmed that there are no records or rationale to support the style of behaviour management that is used in the home. One young person said, ‘There are lots of rules. It’s like torture.’ Children say they have been prevented from accessing the toilet after 10pm. No justifiable explanation, or clarity in the statement of purpose or care plans, has been given for key locks on the bathroom doors. These incidents undermine the children’s welfare. Sanctions used to manage the children and young people’s behaviour have compromised their emotional well-being and dignity.

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The safety of children

The number of missing-from-care incidents for some children and young people has reduced. Children and young people who had returned from missing from care had been forced to isolate for several days. Personal belongings have been removed from their bedroom. One young person said, ‘They took everything off me… I wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone.’ The rationale for this practice is not identified in the young people’s care plans and risk assessments.

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The safety of children

Direct work has taken place with children and young people, but this is not always linked to their behaviours and risks, as outlined in their comprehensive risk assessments. There was no evidence to show how this work was being implemented by the staff to keep the children and young people safe. Assurance visit report: SC424141 4

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Leaders and managers

The registered manager has been in post since August 2018. However, they have been absent from the home since 17 September 2020. Interim management arrangements are in place.

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Leaders and managers

The staff feel fractured and deskilled. Team morale is low. Some staff were expected to prioritise a disproportionate amount of time on domestic duties over spending time with the children and young people. This prevented the staff from developing a deeper knowledge of the children and young people’s needs and forming trusting relationships with them.

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Leaders and managers

Staff say they were afraid to challenge some of the decisions made in the home. Consequently, the staff did not report any of the incidents that they witnessed in a timely way and in line with the home’s safeguarding procedures. These practices have led to the children and young people’s safety and welfare being compromised. Children’s records were stored on an electronic computer drive that only the registered manager could access. This meant that not all documents were readily available for staff to update them. This has impaired the staff team’s ability to care for children in line with children and young people’s care plans. Alongside other records, the children’s meeting minutes were not available during this assurance visit, so it is not clear how children and young people’s views are heard and acted on.

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Leaders and managers

External monitoring via regulation 44 visits has been carried out remotely and has been facilitated by the registered manager. The independent visitor concluded that the safety and welfare of children are met. The Regulation 45 monitoring report has not been sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. This has prevented Ofsted from monitoring the children’s progress.

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Leaders and managers

Work is progressing to develop relationships with the children and young people by the acting manager. They are working closely with the responsible individual to bring about improvements to the monitoring, oversight and culture of the home. These are in their very early stages and have not yet had an impact on the children and young people’s lived experiences.

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Leaders and managers

Compliance notices have been raised to support the provider in focusing their improvement work.

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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. Assurance visit report: SC424141 5

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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

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;

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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 person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with the home’s child protection policies;

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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

that the premises used for the purpose of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d)) 22/11/2020

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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—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 22/11/2020 Assurance visit report: SC424141 6 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; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

No measure of control or discipline which is excessive, unreasonable or contrary to paragraph (2) may be used in relation to any child. (Regulation 19(1)) 22/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected; and

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises. (Regulation 21(a)(b)) 22/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45(3)(4)(a)) 22/11/2020

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Fitzsimmons Assurance visit report: SC424141 7 Registered manager: Donna Blades

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Inspectors

Jacqueline Malcolm, Social Care Inspector Clare Saxby, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC424141 8 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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Inspectors

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