Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Warrington

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225371 1

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Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post. He registered with Ofsted in June 2020.

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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 common inspection framework on 17 March 2020. We returned to routine inspections on 12 April 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

We last visited this setting on 19 January 2022. The report is published on our website.

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This monitoring visit

On 19 January 2022, a full inspection was undertaken at the home when serious and widespread shortfalls were found in relation to safeguarding practice and the leadership and management of the home.

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This monitoring visit

During the full inspection on 19 January 2022, inspectors identified poor safeguarding practice and ineffective management oversight. The inadequacies in these areas had a significant and detrimental impact on children’s safety, welfare and progress. Therefore, the home was judged inadequate and two compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard and regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

During this visit, the inspector considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps in the compliance notices. The inspector found that the provider has not taken sufficient action to meet the shortfalls identified in the compliance notices. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225371 2 Since the previous inspection, two children have moved out of the home. At the time of the monitoring visit, no children were living at the home and the staff team has been redeployed within the organisation.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector considered the action taken by the provider to meet the steps in compliance notice 12, the protection of children standard. Children’s risk assessments are up to date and include children’s known risks. Risk assessments include clear strategies for staff to follow in practice to reduce the risk of harm. However, there have been safeguarding incidents since the previous inspection that staff have been unable to safely manage. As a result, staff have been injured, including one senior member of staff who received emergency medical treatment.

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This monitoring visit

Some risks have increased since the inspection and the provider could not demonstrate that all staff provide a consistent approach to reduce risks in respect of children. Furthermore, the provider could not demonstrate that strategies and actions are reviewed to ensure that these are effective.

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This monitoring visit

The inspector considered the action that the provider has taken to meet the steps in compliance notice 13, the leadership and management standard. The registered manager is absent from the home and children experienced poor endings to their placement at the home. This does not demonstrate that leaders and managers are leading a culture that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential.

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This monitoring visit

The provider could not demonstrate that staff have had the relevant training to meet children’s individual needs. Further to the previous inspection, leaders and managers devised a training programme for all staff to complete. This includes bespoke training and workshops to ensure that staff have the relevant skills to meet children’s needs. However, staff have not completed this programme. Leaders and managers propose to implement this programme when they have recruited a new staff team.

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This monitoring visit

Leaders and managers have devised new tools to review and evaluate children’s care, although these are not embedded into practice. Therefore, the provider has not taken sufficient action to meet the steps in compliance notices 12 and 13.

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This monitoring visit

Prior to this visit, the provider made the decision to temporarily close the home while they recruit and train a new staff team.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 19/01/2022 Full Inadequate 08/05/2019 Full Good 30/05/2018 Full Good 19/04/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225371 3

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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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children’s homes aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience and neglect;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to ensuring that staff consistently meet children’s needs as identified in their plans. 27 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— 27 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225371 4 that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This is particularly in relation to the provider ensuring that children’s educational needs are met. If children do not attend education, then staff need to provide them with educational experiences.

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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

help each child understand how to keep safe; 27 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225371 5 have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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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

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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

The provider needs to ensure that children have updated risk assessments that include all known risks and strategies to manage risk. Furthermore, the provider needs to ensure that all staff have the skills to take action to keep children and staff safe.

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(f)(h)) 27 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225371 6 The registered manager needs to ensure that he manages the home in line with the statement of purpose. He needs to ensure that he has effective oversight of incidents so he can ensure that staff are meeting children’s needs. Furthermore, the manager needs to ensure that he reviews and evaluates children’s plans to identify any triggers/patterns to children’s behaviour.

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)) 27 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 27 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must make arrangements for the handling, recording, safekeeping, safe administration and disposal of medicines received in the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular the registered person must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

medicine which is prescribed for the child is administered as prescribed to the child for whom it is prescribed and no other child; and

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Requirement Due date

a record is kept of the administration of medicine to each child. (Regulation 23 (1) (2)(b)(c)) 27 June 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy ("the behaviour management policy") which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and 27 June 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225371 7 the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must keep the behaviour management policy under review and, where appropriate, revise it.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (‘the user’), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225371 8 confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (2) (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child—

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e)) 27 June 2022

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225371 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: Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Catherine Fargin, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 1225371 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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