Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Oldham

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2550622 1

p.1

Cambian Childcare LTD

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to four children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The home was registered by Ofsted in June 2020.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post. She was also registered with Ofsted in June 2020.

p.1

This monitoring visit

During an assurance visit on 28 October 2020, inspectors identified significant shortfalls in both safeguarding practices and procedures in the home. Three compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 14, the care planning standard. A monitoring visit was undertaken on 24 November 2020 to monitor compliance with these notices.

p.1

This monitoring visit

At this visit, inspectors found that the provider had not taken sufficient action to demonstrate that they had met the notices. Although, the provider had improved the home environment and had taken some action to update children’s risk assessments and ensured that waking night staff are in place every night.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Inspectors found that managers and staff do not appropriately respond to all incidents that occur. Furthermore, the management team has not evaluated all these incidents to demonstrate that effective and appropriate strategies are in place and are followed by staff to improve the safeguarding practice in the home.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Children continue to be at risk of harm and are not appropriately safeguarded by the adults who are caring for them. For example, during a missing from home incident the child contacted staff and asked them to meet her with a pair of shoes. The member of staff reported that the child appeared to be a dishevelled. However, the Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2550622 2 member of staff did not take effective action to ensure that the child was safe, or take action to try and support the child to return to the home. This was a missed opportunity to safeguard the child and they remained missing from home for a further 11 days.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Risk assessments include children’s risks and strategies for staff to follow to reduce risk. However, these strategies are ineffective because risks are increasing for children. This is in respect of missing from home incidents, substance misuse and fire risks.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The management team is not leading and managing the home in a manner that is consistent with the aims outlined in the statement of purpose. The statement of purpose states that: ‘The staff recognise the need that many children have to regain control of their lives and their behaviour and provide the necessary care, nurture, structure and boundaries to enable them to do so.’ However, the registered manager and staff have not provided children with structure and suitable daily routines that meet their individual needs. Therefore, children’s opportunities for improved outcomes continue to be restricted.

p.2

This monitoring visit

As identified at the previous visit, the registered manager has failed to address significant risk-taking behaviours, safeguarding concerns and the children’s lack of engagement with staff and support services. This continues to compromise children’s safety and well-being.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The registered manager has plans to develop a stable and consistent staff team for children, although this is not currently in place. Since the previous visit, work has been completed with staff in team meetings to help them understand their roles in meeting children’s needs. However, the registered manager has failed to effectively evaluate staff responses to identify gaps in knowledge and further learning.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The management team has failed to assess the risks continually and actively to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. The external monitoring is limited to telephone discussions with the registered manager and examination of records remotely. The independent person, who carries out the external monitoring, has not visited the home to enable them to speak to children and staff privately, or assess the quality of the physical environment, or make an appropriate judgement about the home’s effectiveness in safeguarding children.

p.2

This monitoring visit

The registered manager has not taken effective action to provide children with daily routines that meet their individual needs. Children are still not following consistent daily routines and are not expected to get up at a regular time and do not have set mealtimes. The registered manager has still not developed a structure or routines that encourage and support children to take part in education. This lack of structure demonstrates that children’s day-to-day care needs are not being met consistently in line with their care plans. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2550622 3 Children still do not move on from the home in a planned way. They are not helped to prepare for leaving both practically and emotionally. For example, on 6 November 2020 a child’s placement ended in an unplanned way. The child’s social worker said that the manager and staff were reluctant to let the child know that their placement

p.2

This monitoring visit

was ending and the reasons why the decision had been made for them to move. This did not support the child to move on in a supportive way.

p.3

Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement No previous inspections Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2550622 4

p.3

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.

p.4

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; have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; 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; that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each

p.4

Requirement Due date

child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health; (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)(d)) 11 January 2021

p.4

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 (b) promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 11 January 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2550622 5 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; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 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; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous

p.4

Requirement Due date

improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c)(f)(h)) *The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 11 January 2021

p.5

Requirement Due date

Statement of purpose The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must provide a copy of the statement of purpose to HMCI and make a copy of it available upon request to— a person who works at the home; a child, or a child for whom accommodation in the home is being considered; a parent of a child, or a parent of a child whom accommodation in the home is being considered; a child’s placing authority; and in the case of a qualifying school, the Secretary of State. The registered person must— 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 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(3)(a)(b)) 11 January 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2550622 6

p.5

Requirement Due date

Notification of a serious event The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if — there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 11 January 2021

p.6

Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

p.6

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.

p.6

Information about this inspection

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

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare LTD

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caretech Ltd, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

p.6

Inspectors

Catherine Fargin, social care inspector Nick Veysey, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2550622 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.

p.6

Inspectors

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspectors

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspectors

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7