Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Northumberland

Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 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

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in September 2018.

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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 14 December 2020 to carry out an assurance 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

Date of last inspection: 10 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 for children’s home: 2496864 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2019 Full Good 09/10/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive good-quality care that is tailored to their individual needs. The support and care that the children receive from the staff and manager is good. This has helped the children to make good progress from when they moved into the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The quality of relationships between the staff and the children is good. The children feel listened to and this encourages them to share their thoughts and ideas with the staff. Consequently, the children feel valued and enjoy a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are in good health. Children’s mental health needs are accurately identified. This means that the children receive the specialist help that they need. Staff are proactive in escalating any concerns to the placing local authority and other involved agencies. This effective multi-agency working ensures that the children receive the help and support that they need quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children access an education provision, which meet their needs. Staff support the children to engage with their education. As a result, the children have made good progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to maintain relationships with their family. The children are supported well to spend extended periods of time with those people who are important to them. The staff provide transport to facilitate the children’s family time, and create a welcoming atmosphere in the home for the children’s family to visit. This has strengthened the children’s relationship with their family.

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

The manager and the staff understand the needs of children and how best to support them. Children’s behaviour management plans and risk assessments are updated on a regular basis. This ensures that the staff have the necessary information to keep the children safe.

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

Staff provide the children with clear and consistent boundaries. As a result, the children know what is expected of them. Staff use de-escalation techniques effectively, and they implement the home’s proactive approach to engage children. This helps the children to understand and to manage their behaviours and emotions more effectively.

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

The children report feeling safe in the home. If they are concerned, they seek out and talk to the staff. Staff receive training to support their knowledge of safeguarding. Safeguarding concerns are appropriately reported, recorded and responded to. Staff nurture an open relationship with the children, leading to honest discussions when there are worries. Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 4 Staff provide the children with frequent key-work sessions on topics identified within the children’s care plans. These key-work sessions allow the children to express their wishes, views and feelings, which promote their independence, safety and well- being. This also helps the children to reflect on different ways to manage situations.

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

Staff follow appropriate COVID-19 guidance when required. The staff support the children to manage their isolation periods well. A robust COVID-19 management plan is in place to ensure the well-being of the children and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a competent and efficient registered manager, who has high expectations and aspirations for the children and the staff. All staff receive appropriate training. Bespoke training from different professionals is also sourced to ensure that the staff can support the unique needs of the children. As a result, the children are cared for well by knowledgeable staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There are good-quality assurance tools and effective monitoring systems in place. The team leaders have a good understanding of the manager’s development plan, and together they know the strengths and areas for the staff’s development. Through these systems, the manager has improved the quality of key-work sessions. Any themes that are identified through these are quickly addressed by the manager. These improved opportunities provide the children with frequent support to help them better understand their own lived experiences.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are cared for by staff who understand their needs well. Induction plans for new starters are thorough. New members of staff are quickly enrolled onto the required qualification following the successful completion of their probation. Most of the staff have the required childcare qualification. This means the staff are supported to further develop their knowledge and skills in order to provide a good level of care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children benefit from creative and bespoke plans to support their emotional health. The staff liaise well with internal and external professionals to inform the care provided to the children. The staff receive specialist training, which expands their knowledge base about different subjects such as gender identity, LGBTQ+ and substance misuse. This good practice enables the staff to better support the children to deal with challenges in their lives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and senior leaders provide regular supervision to the staff. This is child focused and reflective. The supervision process provides the staff with the guidance they need to provide good and consistent care to children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 5

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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: 2496864 6

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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, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Cherie Chen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2496864 7 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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