Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457182 1 h

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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 home provides care and accommodation for one child who may have emotional and social difficulties. It is operated by a large national provider of children’s services.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has not had a registered manager since 20 March 2020.

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This monitoring visit

The last inspection of this home was in April 2019. An interim manager has been working at the home since October 2020, but has not made an application for registration to Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

This visit is in response to notifications and external monitoring reports that have raised concerns about the management of the home and staff’s ability to protect children from harm.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector found that the manager and the staff are not providing the child with the support that she requires to meet her individual needs and reach her potential. For example, the child is not taking part in education or informal learning and attending health appointments. Therefore, the child’s opportunities to make positive changes and have improved outcomes are being restricted.

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This monitoring visit

The child told the inspector that only some of the staff know what to do to help her when she is upset or worried. She said that going for a walk or a drive in the car with them really helps. Her social worker said that: ‘[the child] has a very positive relationship with two of the staff. She trusts them quite a lot and they are good at helping her manage her emotions.’ Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457182 2 However, the majority of the staff team does not have the skills and confidence to help the child to manage strong emotions safely. It is not always successful in reducing the risk of confrontation and aggression. Many of the staff are inexperienced at working in children’s homes and are unqualified. They have not had the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in understanding how children’s experiences of trauma and feelings influence their behaviour and how to

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This monitoring visit

The manager is aware that staff are struggling to meet the child’s needs and to manage risk. He is working well with the social worker and other professionals to understand the child’s needs and identify the best way to help her.

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This monitoring visit

However, the manager’s monitoring of practice and records is not effective. The child’s risk assessment and plans are not kept up to date. The manager and staff are not continually and actively assessing the dangers to the child. All the available information from serious incidents is not being used to understand the current level of risk and to develop the arrangements for keeping the child safe.

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This monitoring visit

Furthermore, the risk assessments do not identify the child’s underlying medical condition as a risk factor when considering that staff may need to restrain the child, and how to reduce the potential risk of injury.

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This monitoring visit

When the child has been missing from home, staff make every effort to keep in touch with the child and try and find her. They search the places she has been in the past, talk to her friends and share information with the police. However, on one occasion, a member of staff did not follow the missing-from-care plan and did not let the police know that the child was missing from the home within the agreed time.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 09/04/2019 Full Good 03/07/2018 Full Good 27/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 07/06/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457182 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

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful; 9 May 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457182 4 help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv) (v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(x)(xi)(b))

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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

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; 9 May 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457182 5 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 effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the manager and staff continually and actively assessing the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. The child’s plan must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. Staff must report children as missing from home in line with the timescales set out in the child’s plan.

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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—

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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 experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child; 9 May 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457182 6 ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for 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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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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)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

there is no registered manager in respect of the home.

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the interim manager making an application to Ofsted for registration. 9 May 2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457182 7

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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: Caretech Estates Ltd, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457182 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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