Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Plymouth

Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 1 SC471058 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 home is registered to provide care for one child or young person and is operated by a national provider of children’s homes. The new manager is not yet registered with Ofsted. Their application to register has been submitted. 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. We last visited this setting on 29 January 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2020

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2020 Full Outstanding 13/03/2019 Full Good 06/02/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness 15/05/2017 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 3

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improvement to be good

Covid-19 has not significantly affected the staffing of the home. However, the responsible individual considers that there was a significant impact on the child who lived at the home during the national lockdown months, due to their reduced access to the community and being isolated from their peers.

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improvement to be good

The child who left this home recently had lived here for three years. This was too long and was not in the child’s best interests. They were not well prepared for moving on to semi-independence. This child was not engaged in education and was putting themselves at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

The home is well maintained. No child currently lives at the home, although renovations are being completed for a new child’s imminent arrival. The parts of the home that are ready for the new child have been refurbished to a good standard.

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improvement to be good

Planning and preparation for the new child’s arrival are underway. Their education is organised and support to help them settle in is in place. Staff are in contact with the child and are helping them to become familiar with the home and the staff team.

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improvement to be good

There have been several safeguarding incidents at the home since the last inspection in January 2021. Effective action to reduce risk was not taken soon enough. Furthermore, a lack of professional curiosity led to the child being at risk of harm on multiple occasions. The previous manager did not take effective action, despite repeated serious incidents while the child was in the community. Senior leaders and managers are taking action to learn from these known issues.

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improvement to be good

Professional boundaries were blurred between the staff and child. Staff did not demonstrate the qualities of good parents, and at times this put the child at risk of significant harm. Senior leaders and the police are taking action to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

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improvement to be good

In the latter months before the child moved on from the home, steps were taken to disrupt the child’s risk-taking behaviours. These behaviours included substance misuse and episodes of going missing from home. This intervention had a notable impact and missing-from-home incidents reduced significantly.

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good

Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 4 The current manager has been in post for only a few months, and is not yet registered with Ofsted. Her application for registration is being processed.

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good

The previous manager did not ensure that the necessary action was taken to safeguard the child. Senior leaders and the acting manager have completed numerous audits at the home and have a clear action plan to tackle these shortfalls.

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good

Action taken by the current manager to change the culture in the home includes training for both existing and new staff. Training is focused around professional boundaries, safeguarding, recording and reporting.

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good

The manager is also working closely with the staff team, using reflective sessions, to unpick concerns, and a full thematic review has been completed. This is to support staff to understand how best to meet children’s needs in the future and to explore what went wrong for the previous child. Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 5

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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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)) 21 February 2022

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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— 22 February 2022 Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 6 that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(b))

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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: SC471058 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: Victoria Elworthy

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Inspector

Polly Soper, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC471058 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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Inspector

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