Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Assurance visit report: SC457183 1 SC457183

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Information about this children’s home

A private company owns this home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for one young person who may have behavioural and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Previous inspection date: 4 December 2019

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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:

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Information about this visit

 children are well cared for  children are safe  leaders and managers are exercising strong leadership. 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 concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance visit:

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Findings from the visit

 Staff fail to keep children safe. Assurance visit report: SC457183 2  Risk assessments are not robust and do not protect children from harm.  The current management arrangements are not robust.  The internal and external monitoring arrangements are ineffective

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The care of children

The child’s safety and educational needs are not being fully met at this home as a result of the poor standard of care and support. The lack of coordinated placement planning to support the child effectively is placing them at significant risk. The lack of detailed planning documentation, that includes defined objectives to work towards, hinders the staff team’s ability to keep the child safe and improve their outcomes.

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The care of children

Contrary to the home’s admissions policy and procedures, not all children have benefited from a detailed impact risk assessment or a thorough appraisal of their needs. For example, the acting manager failed to provide the required staffing levels of two-to-one, outlined in the child’s care plan. This has contributed to the child’s progress being hindered and their experiences being of a poor quality.

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The care of children

The child has not engaged in any form of education since arriving at the home in April 2020. An education officer said, ‘The home has not always been helpful in working together.’ Poor routines and a lack of structure to the child’s day limit the child’s opportunities to reach their full educational potential and also their future life chances.

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The care of children

Day-to-day plans are not arranged to support learning or meaningful activity. This has led to an increase in challenging and disruptive behaviours observed by the inspectors during the visit.

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The safety of children

The child’s safety and emotional needs are not being fully met at this home because of the poor standard of care and support. The poor leadership and management structures, coupled with an inexperienced staff team, mean that the child continues to display challenging and aggressive behaviour, which compromises their safety and well-being. This has had an adverse impact on the welfare and safety of the child living in the home. The acting manager stated ‘we cannot keep him safe’.

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The safety of children

Care plans and risk assessments do not accurately reflect or address the current needs of the child. Furthermore, insufficient action has been taken to ensure that all risk assessments are reviewed and updated following significant incidents. The manager has also failed to ensure that all assessments satisfactorily detail how risk is to be reduced or managed, or identify alternative support to educate the child about the significant risks they are placing themselves in and, therefore, to understand the serious implications of this behaviour.

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The safety of children

In addition, despite the acting manager being aware that on 12 occasions the child had threatened staff with knives and makeshift weapons, there was no risk Assurance visit report: SC457183 3 assessment in place to manage this risk. This potentially could place the staff members and the child at risk of significant harm. In a further example, the self- harm risk assessment states that all crockery and knives were to be removed from the home for safety. Inspectors observed during the visit that this was not the case, with crockery and knives in kitchen cupboards and fully accessible to the child. This means that risks are not safely managed or minimised.

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The safety of children

There is a lack of clear and consistent boundaries or effective behaviour management strategies to support the child in improving their behaviour. This means that the child continues to display violent, aggressive behaviour, which places them and others at risk of harm.

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Leaders and managers

There is currently no registered manager for the home. The last registered manager left in February 2020. The home is currently being managed by an acting manager. A lack of permanent management arrangements, alongside poor risk assessments and behaviour management plans, has created a challenging environment for staff to manage and for the child to live in.

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Leaders and managers

Managers’ internal monitoring of the home is ineffective because potential risks are not identified or addressed. In addition, internal monitoring systems of the home fail to identify weaknesses in practice, such as those found at this inspection. For example, physical intervention records did not clearly identify individual staff members involved in restraints. In addition, the acting manager was unable to provide inspectors with any analysis or management overview of this.

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Leaders and managers

Leaders and managers are not ensuring that staff are suitably skilled or trained to meet the needs of the child in their care. For example, 50% of the current staff team has not received training in physical intervention or de-escalation techniques. As a result, the child’s individual needs are not fully met.

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Leaders and managers

The lack of rigour by the managers has not helped the home to sufficiently protect the child or to deliver good standards of care. More effective systems are needed to ensure that the safety and well-being of the child are suitably scrutinised and always promoted. Assurance visit report: SC457183 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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their education potential and are helped to do so. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff— help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment; help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non- attendance and to return to school as soon as possible; and that staff help each child who is above compulsory school age to participate in further education, training or employment and to prepare for future care, education or employment. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(iv)(viii)(ix)) 31 January 2021

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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; help each child to understand how to keep safe; 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; are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. 31 January 2021 Assurance visit report: SC457183 5 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered to

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Requirement Due date

keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. Regulation 12(1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) *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— 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 work as a team where appropriate; ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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

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Requirement Due date

understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(2)(a)(b)(c)(e)(f)(h)) 31 January 2021

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children— receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that arrangements are in place to manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority, and that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(2)(b)(ii)(iii)(c)) In particular, ensure that impact risk assessments are thorough and undertaken prior to a child coming to live in the home. Ensure that all care planning documents and agreed local authority plans are adhered to by managers and staff. 31 January 2021 Assurance visit report: SC457183 6 *Notification of a serious event The registered person must notify HMCI and each other

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Requirement Due date

relevant person without delay if— a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation; an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; a child protection enquiry involving a child— is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or there is any other incident relating to a child, which the registered person considers to be serious. A notification made under this regulation— must include details of— the matter; the other persons, bodies or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter; must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e) (5)(a)(b))

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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 Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Tracy Mese, Social Care Inspector Pam Nuckley, Social Care Inspector Assurance visit report: SC457183 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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