Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report children’s home: 1231525 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is owned by a private provider. The solo-bedded provision is registered to provide care for one child with social and emotional difficulties. The home delivers care for children that are at risk of, or subject to child sexual exploitation.

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Information about this children’s home

The suitably qualified manager was registered in April 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID 19, at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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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 December 2019

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1231525 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/12/2019 Full Good 06/03/2019 Full Good 18/07/2017 Full Good 16/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: 1231525 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress, for example academic achievement and attendance improve, and this contributes to greater self-confidence. One child is now reading and spelling at a level which is two school years higher than they were six months ago. When children have low self-esteem, staff take every opportunity to praise children to help them to recognise what makes them special. This leads to better self-care and presentation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Strong, trusted relationships have been forged between staff, children, families and professionals. Staff recognise the importance of family time and provide support to maintain these ties. This includes supporting peer friendships when children are living a long way from home. This promotes children’s sense of identity, but also makes living in a new area more sustainable and tolerable for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children need specialist psychological therapy, staff and professionals recognise worries children may have about this, and therapy starts only when the child feels ready. In the meantime, the staff offer children nurturing support which promotes their emotional well-being and provides an opportunity for the children to raise any concerns and anxieties. The care team is clear on what the desired outcome is for children and works closely with other professionals to ensure consistency.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are given opportunities to take part in stimulating and enjoyable activities. These include holidays, bowling, sports and shopping. When they have expressed an interest in joining a community group this has been supported, even though they may then decide it is not for them. This helps children explore options, become clear on their likes and dislikes, and develop a stronger individual personality.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Where there is a clear plan for the children to return to their family, staff make sure that this is done safely. There is appropriate caution to ensure that this is not done prematurely, and the children’s wishes and feelings are taken into account when implementing the plan.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are from a different part of the country, staff encourage them to keep up to date about what is happening in their home town. This helps the children to understand their identity and their place in the world, and retain a strong sense of their roots. It also supports a successful move back to their own area, as children still feel connected to the place and the people.

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

Risks to children are well understood, and staff are trained and skilled in recognising when risks increase. There are robust risk management plans in place which staff follow, and this helps children to become increasingly safe. Inspection report children’s home: 1231525 4 There have been no recent incidents of children going missing. Despite this, there are appropriate plans for staff to follow should this happen. Before moving to the home, children were frequently missing, so the low incidence after they move in is particularly significant. The positive relationships that have been established with staff make children feel settled and happy, and this contributes to stopping children from going missing.

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

There were a small number of occasions earlier in the year when children harmed themselves, to which staff responded effectively. This included doing focused work at the child’s pace, and there have been no further incidents during the last six months.

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

Staff set clear and consistent boundaries for children, which helps them to feel safe and secure. There have been no significant behavioural incidents, and no need to use physical restraint or involve the police to manage behaviour. Children say that they feel safe and cared for and appear relaxed and happy in the home environment. One child said: ‘The staff at [name of home] are amazing. I couldn’t ask for a better staff team. They couldn’t do anything better or different because they already do everything amazing.’

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

The home is well presented and is free from hazards. During the inspection, there were areas of the home which were inaccessible due to no keys being on site; this included an area where a fire extinguisher was stored and the area where hazardous substances were kept. The absence of keys is not a usual situation in the home. Despite this, it is important that measures be put in place to prevent repetition.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have a clear vision to create a nurturing home in which children thrive. This is promoted by care which is individualised to the child, and interventions which go at their own pace, and are tailored to their level of emotional maturity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers clearly describe the purpose of care, and the intended outcomes for the children, and ensure that staff work consistently to deliver this. Plans align with the home’s model of care, and there is effective liaison with others to ensure that plans are progressed. When children are subject to court orders which limit their freedoms, managers work systematically towards reducing and removing these restrictions in a safe way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision and are offered relevant training to support them to deliver good-quality care. A previous requirement made in respect of staff undertaking first-aid and safeguarding initial and refresher training has been met. Staff have also completed advanced training in child sexual exploitation to enable them to support children where this is relevant.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers identify the home’s strengths as resulting from the cohesion and effectiveness of the staff team. They acknowledge which aspects of care could be Inspection report children’s home: 1231525 5 improved and have effective tools for tracking to make sure that these improvements are successfully implemented. This results in children receiving care which is constantly reviewed and developed as their needs change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been incidences of lone working with children in the home, which does not align with the child’s care plan. When this has happened, a lone-working risk assessment has been put in place. However, lone working could also lead to both staff and children feeling vulnerable or unsupported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff and professionals hold the manager in high regard and describe her as supportive of them, as well as the children in her care. The manager and wider staff team have established effective working relationships with other professionals, and there is a consistent understanding of the children’s identified needs, but also their wishes and feelings. The manager has various tools to collect feedback but missed seeking this from all stakeholders through the regulator’s survey. This misses an opportunity to identify shortfalls and address them to drive up the quality of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s views are central to the care they receive. Leaders and managers have established a mechanism for staff and children to exchange notes daily, which results in staff always knowing the child’s views. This is reinforced through the monthly children’s meetings, and the regular consultations which take place as part of key working in the home. This results in the children’s wishes being central to their care. Inspection report children’s home: 1231525 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—

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This refers to ensuring that there are sufficient staff in line with the care plan, and that safety and well-being are not compromised. 31 October 2021

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home meets children’s basic day-to- day needs and physical necessities. This refers to having a set of master keys which stays on the premises. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)  The registered person should actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring. This refers to sending out the regulator’s survey. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24) Inspection report children’s home: 1231525 7

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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: 1231525 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Rachel Ruth, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1231525 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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