Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457183 1 SC457183

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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

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

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This monitoring visit

On 4 May 2021, a full inspection was undertaken at the home. Serious and widespread shortfalls were found in safeguarding practice and leadership and management. As a result, the home was judged inadequate and four compliance notices were issued under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These related to regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, regulation 14, the care planning standard, and regulation 40, notification of a serious event.

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This monitoring visit

Following the full inspection, Ofsted received a number of safeguarding notifications that raised serious concerns about the manager’s and staff’s inadequate response to serious incidents. This raised further concerns about the manager’s and staff’s ability to keep the child safe.

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This monitoring visit

On 26 May 2021, a monitoring visit was undertaken at the home. The inspector found continued serious and widespread shortfalls in safeguarding practice and leadership and management.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and staff do not take sufficient action to prevent the child from going missing from care. Incidents of the child going missing from care have increased. This exposed the child to additional risks, for example child sexual and criminal exploitation and substance misuse.

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This monitoring visit

The manager and staff do not have the skills to manage the child’s presenting needs safely and effectively. Opportunities to take a proactive approach to support and engage with the child had been missed. There is no evidence of the manager or Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457183 2 staff undertaking any meaningful direct work with the child to teach them about risk and how to keep safe, and thus prevent further incidents.

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This monitoring visit

The staff do not take sufficient action to stop the child from visiting and staying overnight at unsafe addresses. Additionally, incidents of self-harm, unsafe mobile phone use and substance misuse are poorly managed. The manager’s and staff’s failure to recognise and respond appropriately to all serious concerns is compromising the child’s safety.

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This monitoring visit

Allegations about the home’s staff and other professionals have been poorly managed. The manager and staff have failed to follow safeguarding procedures in a timely way, which causes delays in getting serious concerns investigated.

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This monitoring visit

Frequent changes in the staff have undermined the continuity of care and protection provided to the child. Despite reassurances from the provider that a consistent staff team would be in place at the home, this has not happened. An inconsistent staff team has limited the child’s opportunities to get to know and build trusting relationships with the staff. Consequently, the staff are unable to positively influence the child to make safer choices and reduce risk.

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This monitoring visit

There is no registered manager at the home. At the time of the visit, the responsible individual and acting manager were absent from post. There is no consistent leadership at the home to provide effective management oversight.

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This monitoring visit

Monitoring and review systems are ineffective and have not promoted the necessary improvements in the quality of care and protection provided to the child. The continued weaknesses in leadership and management have compromised the child’s welfare, safety and progress.

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This monitoring visit

The managers who were present during the visit raised concerns about the manager’s and staff team’s ability to keep the child safe. They acknowledged that the manager and staff had not taken sufficient action when the child has been at risk of serious harm.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of the repeated inadequacies in safeguarding practice and leadership and management, an emergency suspension notice was served on the home on 26 May 2021.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 04/05/2021 Full Inadequate 04/12/2019 Full Good 04/07/2018 Full Good 17/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457183 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide for children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, maintenance issues, damage and repairs required in the home need to be rectified in a timely way. 11 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

that staff— 11 June 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457183 4 help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

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; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ix)(x))

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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

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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, risk management plans need to be in place and contain effective strategies for staff to follow to safeguard children from key risks. Additionally, when a child is missing from the home, independent return home interviews need to be completed on the child’s return. 11 June 2021

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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— 11 June 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457183 5 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 have the experience, qualifications, and skills to meet the needs of 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that there is a suitably experienced, skilled and consistent team of staff, who understand the child’s needs and risks, working in the home. The manager needs to have effective monitoring and review systems in place in order to review the care practice in the home and ensure the child’s safety and welfare.

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Requirement Due date

*The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

to manage and review the placement of each child in the home; and 11 June 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457183 6 that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

satisfy the requirements in paragraph (5)(a) to (c); and

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(a)(b)) 11 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

A person may only manage a children’s home if—

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Requirement Due date

having regard to the size of the home, its statement of purpose, and the number and needs (including any needs arising from any disability) of the children—

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Requirement Due date

the person has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills to manage the home effectively and lead the care of children. (Regulation 28 (1)(b)(i)) 11 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager requires regular supervision, in line with company policy. 11 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, rotas must contain the full names of the staff who work in the home and the actual hours worked. 11 June 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457183 7 *The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 11 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year, taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager needs to consult with external agencies to ensure that all known risks in the local area are assessed in line with a child’s risks and needs. 11 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457183 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: Cambian Childcare Limited, 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Marina Tully, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC457183 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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