Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC483856 1 SC483856 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 privately owned children’s home provides care for up to five children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since May 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 social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC483856 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/07/2019 Full Good 04/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 26/06/2018 Full Good 13/07/2017 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC483856 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are well supported, and the care that they receive is making a positive difference to their lives. They benefit from good routines that promote positive engagement. This is helping them to work towards and achieve their individual goals and targets.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a pleasant and relaxed feel to this home. Relationships between children and children and staff are based on a culture of tolerance and mutual respect. Children feel cared for and trust in the staff, who listen and invest time in them. One child said, ‘I have lived here for six years and the place has been amazing. The staff genuinely care and want the best for us. They have helped me to become a better person.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a strong focus on the benefits of education. Staff work in partnership with education professionals and share ideas about what works best for each child. Bespoke timetables have been developed to maximise learning potential. Overall, children have a positive attitude to learning, and attendance and participation are good. One child said, ‘I like school. I go every day because this will help me get in the army.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to maintain contact with the important people in their lives. Staff ensure that distance does not limit contact opportunities and work closely with parents to ensure regular good-quality contact is maintained. A professional said, ‘Parents are on board with [name of child]’s care plan. This is a real change from previously and is down to what staff are doing and how well [name of child] is doing.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy lots of purposeful and fun recreational activities. They are encouraged to pursue their individual hobbies and interests and spend time in the community with friends if safe to do so. In addition, some children have been supported to take up voluntary and part-time work. One child said, ‘Staff have helped me with everything, including getting into college and getting part-time work. When I lost my job at the beginning of the pandemic, staff remotivated me to get my current job as a kitchen porter.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A real strength of the home is the work done to prepare children for independence. All children, regardless of age, are on a ‘pathway to independence’ plan that enables them to develop age-appropriate life-skills. One child said, ‘I am ready to leave because staff have taught me the things that I need to know when I live on my own. My key-working is all about life skills and my new flat, which I am moving to soon.’ Inspection report for children’s home: SC483856 4

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

Children say they feel safe and can talk to staff if they have any worries or concerns. Care practice is underpinned by a range of safeguarding policies and procedures. These are understood and implemented effectively by staff to keep children safe.

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

The manager and staff understand and take seriously their safeguarding responsibilities. Links with external agencies have been used effectively to manage emerging concerns, such as allegations against staff.

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

Staff use planned and ad-hoc discussions and direct work to help children develop their understanding of their own risks and vulnerabilities, as well as those in the wider world. This is helping children to make positive choices about keeping themselves safe. Consequently, incidents of risk-taking behaviour, such as going missing from home, are extremely rare.

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

Risk management plans are detailed and fully understood by staff. Plans are constantly reviewed and amended when risks change or incidents occur. The expertise of mental health practitioners and therapists is used to develop emotionally supportive responses to risks such as self-harm. For example, a hospital triage plan has been devised for one child. This ensures that the child’s individual needs are known in advance and responded to should the child require hospital treatment.

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

Children benefit from, and respond positively to, clear boundaries and routines. Throughout the inspection, children and staff were respectful of each other, which created a very relaxed and pleasant atmosphere in the home. Incentives, rewards and praise are used as a way of celebrating when children do well.

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

However, sanctions are not purposeful, effective or restorative in nature. For example, loss of technology time has been the stock response to one child’s aggressive behaviour, an ineffective measure that has no relevance to the behaviour.

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

Individual crisis management plans require improvement. Information relating to specific health conditions has not been considered or recorded in relation to physical restraint practice. Although no harm has come to children, there is potential for harm to be caused for children with underlying health conditions such as asthma and scoliosis.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a suitably experienced and qualified registered manager. She is supported by a stable and committed staff team who share her aspirational attitude to caring for the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has well-established systems in place for monitoring and evaluating the quality of care provided for the children. Delegated roles and responsibilities are Inspection report for children’s home: SC483856 5 understood by staff, who are focused on providing children with the best care experiences possible.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Childrens needs are prioritised. Staff describe the manager as supportive, always available and wanting to get the best out of them. They receive regular and purposeful supervision and have access to a good range of mandatory and needs- led training. The manager is keen to develop a highly skilled and knowledgeable team and uses team meetings to develop research-based practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All staff are either qualified or in the process of completing a relevant qualification. However, two staff are currently out of statutory timescales. Although there is a reasonable explanation for this, the manager needs to make every effort to support the completion of these qualifications in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Collaborative working is promoted through good communication with parents and partner agencies. The manager advocates well on behalf of the children to ensure the voice of the child is heard and that decisions are made in their best interests. However, on one occasion, the manager has not challenged the placing authority when the child’s pathway plan was delayed. In addition, the plan does not clearly identify the end goal for the child. This makes it difficult for staff to work to any structured plan. Inspection report for children’s home: SC483856 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 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 that staff—

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that known health issues are considered in relation to the use of physical restraint, and that any restrictions on practice in response to these conditions are recorded in the child’s risk and behaviour management plan. 21 April 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children receive well- planned care from the home and have a positive experience of admission and transition processes.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that arrangements are in place to—

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and support, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care, in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with his or her placing authority. (Regulation 14 (1) (2)(b)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, ensure that there is no delay in pathway planning being started and that the actions identified in the child’s pathway plans are achievable. 21 April 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC483856 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that sanctions are effective, relevant to the child’s behaviour and restorative in nature. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38)  The registered person should ensure that staff for whom the required date of completing a relevant qualification has passed are supported to complete the qualification in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 68, paragraph 1.4)

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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: SC483856 8

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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

Paul Scott, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC483856 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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