Children's Home, Residential special school run by Cambian Autism Services Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227060 1

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Cambian Autism Services Limited

Monitoring visit Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is made up of separate houses in the grounds of a residential special school. Both the school and home are owned and managed by a private company. There were three houses providing residential care at the time of the monitoring visit.

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Information about this children’s home

The children are placed by various local authorities from across the United Kingdom. Their residential placements are for 38 or 52 weeks of the year. The school also caters for day pupils. The children may have learning disabilities and/or a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. They all have an education, health and care plan.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has been without a registered manager since July 2019. An appointed manager has submitted an application to register with Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out a monitoring visit on 29 March 2021, following concerns raised with regard to the safety and protection of children and ineffective leadership and management. At that time, Ofsted issued compliance notices under regulation 12 and regulation 13.

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This monitoring visit

Ofsted carried out a further monitoring visit on 13 May 2021 to review the actions taken to address the steps detailed in the compliance notices. The inspectors found that leaders and managers had failed to take sufficient action to meet all aspects of these notices. Consequently, these notices were reissued.

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This monitoring visit

The purpose of this monitoring visit was to review the progress and actions taken to meet the compliance notices that Ofsted reissued on 18 May 2021. This monitoring visit was completed on site. The visit included the review of documents and case Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227060 2 records and discussions with staff and other relevant professionals. The inspectors found that leaders and managers had again failed to complete all the necessary steps required to meet the compliance notices. The manager and head of care acknowledged that these had not been met and that they were still ‘a work in progress’.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers had started some work to address the quality of children’s risk assessments. However, inspectors found serious shortfalls at this monitoring visit. Some of the children’s risk assessments do not detail clear actions for the staff to take to keep the children safe. For example, following a significant incident in which a child had tied a ligature around their neck, there were no clear actions for the staff to take should a similar incident occur. Furthermore, staff did not have access to ligature cutters. These were stored in a locked safe that staff did not have the access code for. This negligent practice places children at risk of serious harm.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments do not fully reflect all known risks to their safety. For example, children’s case records show that some children are at risk of suicide, self- harm and exploitation. These concerns are not detailed in risk assessment documents. In addition, leaders and managers do not ensure that these are updated following incidents. This lack of information and guidance for staff means that they are unable to manage and reduce risks to children’s safety and well-being.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not ensure that children are well supported or supervised at all times. For example, a child was able to take staff keys from them and then enter the school building. Staff left this child alone in the building until a second staff member arrived. The child said that they were looking for sharp knives to kill themselves and threatened to jump out of an upstairs window. They then went down the driveway and stood in the road. This is something that this child had also done previously. Staff actions to divert and support the child were inadequate and poorly recorded. These risks were not reflected in the child’s risk assessment. This lack of support and supervision means that children remain at risk of significant harm.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not respond appropriately to incidents that occur or safely manage children’s behaviours. For example, staff shut one child outside the home in an attempt to manage a situation. This caused the child significant distress and, as a result, the child suffered physical injuries by punching windows. Staff then permitted the child to enter the home but failed to provide adequate supervision. Consequently, a serious incident of self-harm occurred. Staff failed to protect or support this child, leaving them distressed and at risk of life-threatening harm, until the police arrived at the home. The staff failed to ensure that the child received medical support. This considerable failure placed this child at an immediate risk of serious harm.

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This monitoring visit

Poor management oversight of incidents means that leaders and managers do not address inadequate practice in the home. Managers were unaware of the full details of some significant incidents. Children are at risk of serious harm because of this failure. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227060 3 Leaders and managers do not ensure that Ofsted receives information with regard to all safeguarding incidents, or that these notifications contain sufficient detail. This lack of information prevents the regulator’s oversight of safeguarding practice in the home.

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This monitoring visit

The significant failures to keep children safe mean that children have suffered or are likely to suffer significant harm.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of this monitoring visit, Ofsted has reissued two compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13 and has suspended the registration of the home.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 14/01/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 21/05/2019 Full Good 29/01/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/11/2018 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227060 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 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 homes 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

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)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This is carried over from the monitoring visit on 29 March 2021. 1 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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 each child is registered as a patient with a general medical practitioner and a registered dental practitioner; and 1 August 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227060 5 that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This is carried over from the monitoring visit on 29 March 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.

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 1 August 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—

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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

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)) 1 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or

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Requirement Due date

a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home. 1 August 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227060 6 Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate.

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Requirement Due date

These regulations do not prevent a child from being deprived of liberty where that deprivation is authorised in accordance with a court order. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2) (3))

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Requirement Due date

This is carried over from the monitoring visit on 29 March 2021.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’)—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 1 August 2021 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227060 7 within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii) (b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This is carried over from the monitoring visit on 29 March 2021.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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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)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This is carried over from the monitoring visit on 29 March 2021. 1 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and

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Requirement Due date

to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records, unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (‘the independent person’s report’) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being. (Regulation 44 (2)(a)(b) (4)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This is carried over from the monitoring visit on 29 March 2021. 1 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227060 8

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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: 1227060 9

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Autism Services 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

Brian Wood, Social Care Inspector Jamie Richardson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1227060 10 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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