Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report children’s home: 2502314 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 home registered to provide care for up to three children. It provides a minimum 12-month, full-time treatment programme for children who have experienced, or are at risk of, sexual exploitation.

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Information about this children’s home

The current manager is in the process of registering with Ofsted.

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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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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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2502314 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/03/2020 Interim Improved effectiveness 28/08/2019 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 2502314 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, children have warm and trusting relationships with child-focused staff. They feel that staff care about them, listen to them, and help them to focus on their own well-being. Children receive bespoke care that is tailored to their individual needs. This enables children, who have difficult histories, to stabilise and develop a sense of belonging. As a result, they make good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children arrive at the home having experienced poor and disjointed education. For example, one child had not attended school for two years prior to her admission. The aspirational manager and staff quickly set children on the path to educational success. Staff embed strong boundaries and promote a culture of success and achievement. They work closely with the on-site school to provide children with individualised and consistent care. Staff recognise that some children find formal academic learning and classroom environments difficult. As a result, staff identify alternative education placements or provide tailored education support in the home. This individualised approach supports children to make excellent academic and social progress. A child told the inspector, ‘They [staff] helped me to go to college five days a week. I would never have done this without them. I actually got qualifications. I can’t believe I did that.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff skilfully provide children with one-to-one support, which is relevant to their needs and addresses complex and challenging issues identified in their care plans. Staff involve children closely in their plans and provide them with independent advocates when appropriate. This empowers children to develop their confidence and express their views, wishes and feelings.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a therapeutic team which assesses their complex emotional needs. The team plays an integral role in overseeing children’s day-to-day care and the quality of staff practice. Therapists work closely with staff to ensure that they understand each child’s needs and provide appropriate and effective care. In addition, children have access to independent advocates and staff who provide specialist home-school links. As a result, children benefit from well-informed and joined-up care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that children spend time with those who are important to them. They work hard to develop positive relationships with parents and carers. When appropriate, staff advocate on children’s behalf so that children can spend safe and enjoyable time with their families. This helps children to repair fractured relationships and provides them with a positive sense of identity. A family member told the inspector, ‘Staff were brilliant. I could talk to them anytime. They really helped me as well as her [child]. I am really pleased she lived there.’ Inspection report children’s home: 2502314 4 Staff support children to participate in the care they receive. For example, children make decisions about the décor of the home and choose activities. In addition, staff work alongside children to review their safety plans and risk assessments. This gives children a sense of ownership and responsibility for their care.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of activities and enjoyable experiences, including shopping and trips to the beach. Staff are keen to introduce children to new interests and build upon their existing talents and skills. For example, one child enjoys her new hobby of wall climbing and has plans to take part in piano lessons. This variety of opportunities helps children to build their identity and increase their confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are in tune with children’s emotional health needs as they know them well. As a result, they recognise subtle changes in children’s behaviour and respond quickly. Staff work closely with children to identify strategies to help children settle quickly. For example, they use music and a range of sensory items to support children when they are anxious.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Overall, staff work well to plan children’s admissions effectively. This helps children to settle quickly and form strong relationships with staff. However, in one instance, the manager missed opportunities to gather all known information about a child prior to their admission. Unfortunately, an escalation in this child’s behaviour recently placed her and another child at risk. This resulted in the child’s placement coming to a premature end. The manager acknowledges that there were shortfalls in the admission of this child.

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

Individualised and up-to-date risk assessments contain clear guidance for staff to manage risk. Children work alongside staff to review their levels of risk and discuss strategies to keep them safe. Recently, one child worked with staff to create a timeline of her life. This helped the child to understand her past and recognise some of the triggers for her challenging behaviours. This child-centred approach helps children to understand the context of their behaviours and take responsibility for their own safety.

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

In the majority of instances, staff use creative worksheets and information packs to undertake one-to-one support with children. This helps children to understand the risks of going missing from the home and important issues such as child sexual exploitation and grooming. However, the quality of some of these sessions is variable. This means that, on occasions, children receive inconsistent support.

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

Staff respond well when children display risk-taking behaviour. They work effectively with each other to de-escalate challenging incidents. For example, staff complete room searches when necessary and remove items which may place children at risk. Staff use a range of strategies to support children to settle when they are distressed. In addition, children learn new strategies to self-regulate their Inspection report children’s home: 2502314 5 behaviour, for example using peaceful garden spaces or playing music. As a result, incidents of challenging behaviour reduce over time.

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

Overall, children make significant and sustained progress in reducing their risk-taking behaviour. For some children, this is significant progress from their starting points. Staff provide children with structure and routine. Their practice strikes a good balance between enforcing boundaries and rewarding positive behaviour. A social worker told the inspector, ‘Despite her [child] recent challenges, she has made phenomenal progress. She doesn’t go missing as much as she once did. The staff have been crucial in helping her. They put strong boundaries in place and give her the time to speak. She knows she is a person who matters to them.’

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

The manager provides a thorough response when allegations and safeguarding concerns are raised. She takes appropriate action to ensure that concerns are dealt with fairly and swiftly. Key agencies are notified and provide additional oversight. This open and transparent approach helps to keep children safe.

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

Medication administration systems are robust and effective. Managers and senior staff complete regular medication audits and check administration records daily. Staff complete medication administration training. The deputy manager is planning to complete an advanced medication training course. This strong oversight significantly reduces the potential for medication errors to occur.

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

Some children can present with challenging behaviours due to a legacy of trauma and exposure to risk. For example, one child has gone missing from the home on a number of occasions. During some of these incidents the child has exposed herself to risk and also self-harmed. Overall, staff responses are good. For example, staff follow the child and encourage her to return home. They complete extensive searches if they lose sight of the child. They work closely with the police to locate the child and return her safely. However, on one occasion, staff momentarily left the child unsupervised. This resulted in the child going missing. This oversight potentially exposed the child to unnecessary risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The experienced and inspirational manager is supported by a strong deputy manager. This is a productive and child-centred partnership. The managers place the well-being of children at the heart of their practice. This ethos inspires staff to deliver good-quality care. A member of staff told the inspector, ‘The managers are amazing in my eyes. They make you feel so much better. If I need to talk to them, they are there.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has strong monitoring systems in place. As a result, she has a clear understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for development. The manager is receptive to new ideas and different ways of working. For example, she uses a range of in-house professionals to scrutinise children’s care and identify learning for staff. The manager also completes regular audits of children’s files to identify areas for Inspection report children’s home: 2502314 6 improvement. This means that the quality of children’s care continues to evolve and improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The majority of the staff team are experienced and have achieved the level 3 diploma in residential childcare. The team is established and diverse. This means that children have access to staff who have a range of expertise. Staff are committed to children and genuinely care about them. They demonstrate a strong knowledge of children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is keen to develop her staff. She strives for continual improvement in staff practice by offering effective challenge and support. Staff receive good-quality training that reflects children’s needs. Overall, staff receive regular formal supervision sessions and frequent informal support from managers. However, the manager acknowledges that the recording of some of these sessions is variable. This recording shortfall has not had a significant impact on staff practice. The manager has plans in place to improve staff practice further. For example, staff will be subject to individual development programmes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff develop effective working relationships with a number of agencies. This is a particular strength of this home. This coordinated approach helps children to stay safe and make progress. Teachers and social workers are very positive about the care that children receive. They receive frequent updates on children’s progress and feel confident that staff will address issues. A headteacher told the inspector, ‘Overall, I couldn’t ask for more support from the leadership and staff team in terms of encouraging and engaging the children in education. We always work collaboratively, and the managers do an exceptional job to support the staff to progress and learn from every experience.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff utilise their partnership relationships effectively to advocate and challenge on the behalf of children. This ensures that children receive appropriate support in line with their needs. For example, staff challenged a child’s local authority when they considered that her proposed placement was not appropriate. This helped the child to move on to a suitable environment in line with her needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has not had a registered manager in post for a significant period. The current manager is in the process of applying for this vacancy. A requirement is made in respect of this shortfall. Inspection report children’s home: 2502314 7

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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 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to staff providing children with appropriate support and supervision in line with their risk assessments. 13 September 2021

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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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the need for the manager to gather all known information in order to make a fully informed decision about a child’s admission. 13 September 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2502314 8 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; and

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Requirement Due date

is an organisation or a partnership. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registration of a suitable registered manager for the home. 13 September 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records of staff supervision are clear and of consistent quality. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.3)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff’s one-to-one support and the records of these sessions are of consistent quality. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: 2502314 9

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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, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Gareth Leckey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2502314 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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