Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Herefordshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2599399 1 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 is a privately owned children’s home that provides care and accommodation for two children, up to the age of 18 years old, with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in September 2020 and is qualified to level 5 diploma in leadership and management.

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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 setting on 9 March 2021 to carry out a monitoring visit. The report is published on the Ofsted 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2599399 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2599399 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This is the home’s first full inspection since it was registered in September 2020. The same two children have lived in this home since it opened.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff share the ethos, ‘If it matters to you [the children], it matters to us.’ This underpins the positive and nurturing care children receive. As a result, children are able to build and maintain positive relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children talk positively about their experiences of living in their home. They talk about staff feeling like ‘family’ and the other child as a ‘sibling’. Children told the inspectors about trips out to buy delicious ice-cream and spending time in the home together playing boardgames. These enjoyable experiences help to create positive childhood memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress with their learning. Both children now attend education. The registered manager has been an advocate in ensuring that children’s educational needs are met. Furthermore, one child has been supported to maintain a part-time job. As a result, this child is developing independence and a good work ethic.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Clinical support is used to develop staff skills and is also offered to parents. As a result, staff and parents have increased their level of understanding of children’s needs and their own, and have been signposted to other agencies for further support. This supports the long-term care of children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped by staff to spend time with loved ones. Family members are warmly welcomed into the home and staff travel with children to see loved ones who live some distance away. As a result of this good support, children maintain positive relationships with people who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The living environment is beautifully maintained. Children have really made this their home. Children have personalised their bedrooms and moved furniture around, such as moving the sofa into the kitchen. The kitchen has now become the heart of the home. Fresh flowers and children’s pictures all help to create a welcoming environment. However, the use of door alarms on bedroom doors and the second lounge, without clear assessment, detracts from an otherwise homely environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand the individual needs of both children. However, children’s written records do not consistently reflect this knowledge. For example, risk assessments and health plans do not capture all known risks to each child and ways of managing these. This could lead to inconsistencies in staff practice. Inspection report children’s home: 2599399 4

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

Children no longer go missing from home or misuse substances. A police officer told the inspector, ‘The staff at [the home] are exceptional. They have tailored approaches to both the children currently in their care. Each child has clearly enjoyed their own individuality whilst also being encouraged to feel part of the wider family.’ Because of good staff support, children are safer.

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

Staff respond to children’s challenging behaviours in a positive way, with the use of restraint to protect children and others kept to a minimum. Staff use positive rewards and praise to help children understand what is expected of them. Children understand and benefit from this approach.

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

Staff receive a range of safeguarding training. They are clear about their responsibility to raise practice concerns about colleagues or about allegations raised by children. When concerns have been raised, these have been promptly shared with the necessary professionals and investigated.

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

The registered manager ensures that staff who are recruited to work in the home are subject to all the necessary checks. This helps to ensure that staff who work at the home are safe to do so.

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

Children’s overall health improves over time. For example, one child no longer smokes cannabis. However, the same child has continued to use a vape without any clear plan for reduction in its use. This could have implications for the child’s health.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is motivated and ambitious for the future of the home. She has clear plans for the development of the service and has high aspirations for the children in her care. The registered manager has worked hard to develop her own skills and those of others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff said that they feel confident in their role and responsibilities. They feel able to approach the registered manager and responsible individual with any concerns that they may have, and they feel that they will be listened to and supported. This has helped to create good staff morale which positively impacts on children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Committed staff ensure that children do not experience interruption to their care, despite the impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A stable staff team has worked flexibly to ensure that children receive consistent care from staff who know them well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from monthly supervision that helps them to reflect on their practice and children’s progress. However, on one occasion the record taken of the discussion did not accurately reflect what had been discussed. This is a missed opportunity to demonstrate the registered manager’s positive work in this area. Inspection report children’s home: 2599399 5 Although the registered manager has advocated for the children well most of the time, on one occasion she did not promptly escalate a concern about the lack of clarity about a child’s care plan. This has the potential to cause delay for a child about her future. Inspection report children’s home: 2599399 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the registered manager escalates her concerns about the lack of clarity around a child’s care plan. 16 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. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that consideration is promptly given to the reduction of children using vapes. 16 August 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children. (Regulation 24 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that door alarms are only used as set out in their agreed risk assessments. 16 August 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2599399 7 The registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to ensuring that children’s risks are accurately reflected in their written documentation. 16 August 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that a note of the content and outcome of supervision sessions is kept. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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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: 2599399 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

Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2599399 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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