Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report children’s home: SC459168 1 SC459168 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This privately owned home provides care for four children. The children may have experienced neglect and/or emotional abuse or had traumatic experiences that have left them vulnerable.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in December 2019.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this home on 7 September 2020 to carry out an assurance visit. The report is published on our website.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 16 September 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC459168 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/05/2019 Full Inadequate 06/12/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness 15/08/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children’s home: SC459168 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since April 2020, four children have moved to the home and one child has left. There are currently three children living at the home. The children are happy and settled and their interests are supported.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are all in full-time education and are making progress in core subjects. The staff know when the children require extra learning support and coordinate appointments with the school staff. The children benefit from the daily routine that education provides. The staff expect and encourage the children to attend. For children who have previously experienced gaps in their education, this is significant progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to attend health appointments. Children are learning to manage health conditions and make food choices that will benefit them. The children’s physical health has improved following lifestyle changes at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most of the staff have very positive relationships with the children. The children appear comfortable and at ease with the staff. These supportive relationships provide the children with trusted adults to talk and relate to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Feedback from parents and social workers about the care provided is consistently good. They can see the overall benefits for and the progress that the children are making.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from a nicely decorated and comfortable home. Pictures of the children and their achievements are displayed around the home. This environment creates a real sense of belonging for the children. The home has a large garden offering ample outdoor space for games and a vegetable patch. Children with an interest in animals are able to have pets and encouraged to care for them. This helps children to be responsible.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are learning to manage their money. Some children cook meals and shop for food, building valuable life skills that will help them in adulthood.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff have significantly reduced the children’s risk-taking behaviour and, therefore, the children are safer since moving to the home. This is particularly evident in reducing risks of criminal exploitation and episodes of children going missing from home. The children’s risk management plans are comprehensive and clearly guide the staff on how to respond to risks when they arise.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

When children leave the home without agreement, the staff actively look for them. The staff work closely with the police and follow a joint protocol. Any missing-from- home incidents are followed by a key-working session and a return interview. These Inspection report children’s home: SC459168 4 strategies help the children to consider their actions and learn about the importance of their personal safety.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There have been several allegations about the staff. Some staff have been dismissed and others have been given extra support and training. The allegations have been fully investigated. The staff understand how to raise concerns, and the importance of this is emphasised during supervision and team meetings.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The staff work on a positive reinforcement model of behaviour management. Children often receive rewards and praise. The children work towards a points incentive scheme. However, there are times when staff’s responses do not fully reflect the agreed behaviour management strategies. On one occasion, the staff involved contradicted the agreed behavioural management strategy for the child. This has the potential to make incidents worse.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Although the recruitment checks for two members of staff include written references, the previous employers have failed to provide any specific details due to company policy. Despite the lack of information obtained from the previous employers, a third reference has not been obtained. Consequently, limited information has been checked about new staff to establish their suitability to work with children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is qualified and experienced for the role. Her registration followed a period of temporary management cover, during which she provided good oversight and improved the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has made clear decisions and prioritised the children’s needs over any organisational business needs. The children benefit from a stable home. The manager has ensured that the staff get to know children well and allow them to settle before further children are considered for admission.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive regular supervision and support. Supervision addresses practice issues and encourages the staff to reflect on their actions and consider better ways of working with the children. Training has been limited over the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this is booked to recommence after the restrictions are lifted. Training is linked to children’s needs and learning diagnoses to equip the staff in supporting the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has provided consistency and stability during a number of staff changes, absences and vacancies. The staff changes combined with the COVID-19 pandemic have limited her ability to monitor the accuracy and quality of some records. There are a number of managerial monitoring tasks that have not been kept up to date. The manager has debriefed staff following one incident without looking at the full context and details of what happened. There are inaccuracies and mistakes in some children’s records and gaps in other logs. The driver’s checks for Inspection report children’s home: SC459168 5 several of the staff require updating. Although these shortfalls do not currently reduce the quality of care provided to children, they have the potential to do so. Inspection report children’s home: SC459168 6

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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 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)) In particular, provide better oversight of the incidents and children’s records. 30 June 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the staff have the skills to respond to each child’s individual behaviour. Where necessary, they should manage conflict, maintain constructive dialogues and react appropriately if challenged by a child in their care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.14)  The registered person should ensure and maintain good employment practice. They must ensure that recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)  The registered person should ensure that the staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective, and clear recording. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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Recommendations

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: SC459168 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspectors

Deirdra Keating, Social Care Inspector Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC459168 9 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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