Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bedford

Inspection report for children’s home: 1230416 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

A private organisation runs this home for up to four children who may have experienced trauma that has left them vulnerable.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2021.

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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 carried out under the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine SCCIF inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 10 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 outstanding

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1230416 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/07/2019 Full Good 19/09/2018 Full Good 18/05/2017 Full Good 24/08/2016 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1230416 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children were living at the home at the time of this inspection. All the children attend education. Two of the children attend an education provision run by the provider. One child attends college. Staff give children one-to-one support in school when needed. One of the children has made significant progress with education, and the levels of staff support have been reduced. One child is working towards her GCSE exams. The children have very high levels of attendance and they are all making excellent progress in education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have positive relationships with the children and know them well. Staff provide attentive, nurturing care. They are invested in helping the children to progress. This means that the children feel valued and thrive at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from regular therapy sessions with the clinical team. This intervention helps children to make sense of their past experiences in a safe space. Therapy helps children to process their traumatic experiences and gives them strategies to cope with difficult feelings and emotions.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff support children to have time with their families. The staff have supported one child to rebuild their family relationships. A family member said that the manager and staff go above and beyond expectations to help the child. Good support and understanding from the staff has enabled children to enjoy valuable time with family members who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children have all been on a holiday with staff, which has given them new experiences and memories. The children benefit from a variety of activities, including visiting theme parks, going on day trips and doing arts and crafts. One child took part in a national competition and won prizes for her artwork. The child attended an awards ceremony to celebrate her success. One child has joined a local football team. The children enjoy new and enriching experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are involved in organising, and take part in, culture days. They learn about different religions and cultures around the world. Staff have helped one child to explore and practise her religion. The manager and staff help children to understand the importance of equality and diversity. This has helped children to feel comfortable with their identity.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff and manager help the children to get involved with charity work. This has included a Macmillan coffee morning, donating items to food banks and collecting clothing for the homeless. Children want to help others in the community and have developed compassion and empathy for people in need.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved into the home since the last inspection visit. The child benefited from a planned and gradual move to the home. The child’s views about the move were Inspection report for children’s home: 1230416 4 central to the planning. The child had several visits to the home and the school and met the staff and children. This has helped the child feel comfortable and settle into the home well. A social worker said she was impressed with how sensitively the move to the home was managed.

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

Children are safeguarded well and they feel safe at the home. The manager has ensured that staff have the appropriate training and understand the safeguarding procedures. Staff manage disclosures with sensitivity. This encourages the children to have the confidence to confide in staff.

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

Children who previously went missing from home no longer do so, and risks of sexual exploitation have significantly deceased. This is because children have good relationships with staff and feel safe at the home.

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

The manager and staff have supported a child with extremely complex and entrenched behaviours. Since moving to the home, the child has not displayed these behaviours. This is due to the staff’s consistent approaches and their comprehensive understanding of how to meet the child’s needs.

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

The children’s risk assessments and behaviour support plans are individualised. The plans focus on keeping the children safe. Plans specify how staff should support children proactively, with strategies to help children to manage difficult feelings and emotions safely. This has reduced the use of physical interventions needed to manage behaviour.

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

The home has a zero tolerance of bullying. There has been one incident of low-level bullying. The staff helped the children to understand the impact of their behaviour on each other. The child affected had extra one-to-one staff support for a period of time. The children regularly discuss bullying with the staff. Regular discussions help them to feel confident to report any concerns. This approach ensures that children feel listened to, and there have been no further bullying concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The registered manager’s skills and experience enable highly effective management of staff. The manager has high aspirations for the children and the staff and is an exemplary role model to staff. The manager is working towards a relevant level 5 qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff feel supported and valued by the manager. The staff receive regular supervision that is effective and gives them excellent guidance. One staff member said that the managers go above and beyond expectations for the children and the staff. Staff are fully invested in the children’s progress and benefit from the manager’s experience.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has ensured that staff are provided with excellent training opportunities. A specialist clinical team provides a regular reflective learning space that underpins Inspection report for children’s home: 1230416 5 staff development. The clinical team provides training to staff to enable them to understand and implement behaviour management plans. High-quality training means that staff have the tools and knowledge to provide individualised, informed care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager is a superb advocate for the children. On one occasion, the manager advocated strongly for a child, to attempt to support them to have a planned move. The decision by the placing authority to move the child in an unplanned way was out of the manager’s control. Despite the outcome, the manager and staff facilitated support for the child at the child’s new home, without funding. This enabled the child to have a positive ending to their time at the home and to maintain important relationships with the manager and staff at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager takes a rounded approach to caring for children. She has regular meetings with professionals from the clinical team, education staff and the children’s key workers. The meetings track the children’s progress and enable appropriate targets to further develop children’s progress. This collaborative working means that children receive high-quality care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The staff and manager use a therapeutic research-informed model when supporting the children. The staff understand the model and it is integrated into their practice. This means that staff understand the impact of trauma and can fully meet children’s complex needs. Inspection report for children’s home: 1230416 6

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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 for children’s home: 1230416 7

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Dennise Springett

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Inspector

Amy Miles, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1230416 8 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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