Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457180 1 SC457180 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 is a privately owned children’s home. The provider states in the home’s statement of purpose that it provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post. She registered with Ofsted in September 2019.

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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 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC457180 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 08/01/2019 Full Good 16/08/2017 Full Good 14/02/2017 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC457180 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children live at this home. The children are all settled and making good progress. Children have built good relationships with the staff. The inspector observed warm, nurturing relationships between children and the staff. Children who have moved out of the home have done so in a well-planned and supportive way. Children maintain regular contact with the staff who cared for them. This demonstrates a culture of strong relationships that have been built during their time living in the home. Education is promoted very well in the home. The manager and staff support children to be in education. They are proactive in ensuring that plans are in place for education after secondary school and ensure that children are involved in decisions about their education and learning. This is enhancing children’s educational opportunities. The manager and staff are not aware of the Local Offer, which sets out the support

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

available for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is a missed opportunity to access additional resources for children. Children’s health needs are well understood and promoted. All children have up-to- date health assessments in place and referrals are made to relevant agencies quickly to provide additional support. As a result, there are robust plans in place and staff understand how best to support children in their care. Staff support children to pursue a range of hobbies and interests, and to develop life skills such as cooking, swimming and healthy eating. These experiences are captured in photos and memory books to help children understand their life story. The home is spacious, decorated to a high standard with modern decor, and personalised to the children’s tastes. Children are encouraged to think of ideas and plans for the home and garden. All children receive individualised, attentive care. The staff team knows the children

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

well and understands their specific needs. Children are supported to spend time with people who are important to them. Transitions in and out of the home are well planned and effective. When a child moves in, careful and individual planning is put in place to ensure that they are warmly welcomed. A child’s social worker said, ‘Staff are very invested in my young person. He is made to feel at home and safe.’

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

Children live in a safe environment and they are protected from harm. The staff are well trained in safeguarding. The staff have worked at the home for a significant amount of time and know what they need to do when they have concerns about Inspection report for children’s home: SC457180 4 children. Staff take appropriate action to safeguard children in their care. Staff speak about the children with immense pride. The staff have exceptional relationships with placing authorities, the police and education professionals, which have strengthened safeguarding practices. If children go missing from the home, all staff ensure that they liaise effectively with social workers, the police and children’s families and friends to coordinate searches. Staff’s strong relationships with the children enable them to be successful in locating the children and supporting them to return home safely. Staff complete and review

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

comprehensive risk assessments and behaviour-management plans appropriately. This ensures that plans remain current and effective. Children benefit from a nurturing and structured environment where positive behaviour is actively promoted through praise and rewards. Children are treated fairly and are actively involved in decision-making. They speak freely about what is important to them and what their goals are. Children can openly discuss any concerns they may have with staff. When children are worried about something, they actively seek support from staff. Children trust that staff will support them and they feel comfortable confiding in them. Children know how to make a complaint if they are not happy about any aspects of their care. When they have made a complaint, they have been satisfied with how it has been dealt with and have received a written response from the manager. Staff are trained in de-escalation techniques that are effective in preventing

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

incidents from escalating. Restraint practice is very rarely used and only used as a last resort to keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is led by an experienced and suitably qualified manager who has been registered with Ofsted since September 2019. The manager has significantly improved staff morale by introducing new incentives and ideas which have made staff feel valued and appreciated. The manager is supported by a strong, child- centred deputy manager. Staff benefit from strong leadership and say that the management team is supportive and always available. The registered manager has a clear understanding of the progress that children are making, and she is a strong advocate for them. The culture of the home is one of high aspirations and nurturing for all. This is evident in the children’s comments and their continued progress. The home has a good system for internal and external monitoring. The manager takes effective action when identifying practice issues and supports staff during supervision sessions and team meetings. This provides staff with the opportunity to

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

reflect on and improve their practice. There is regular consultation with parents and professionals that considers their views. The manager works with the provider to identify training and development Inspection report for children’s home: SC457180 5 needs for the team and ensures that this is reflected in the development plan for the home. The manager works well with independent visitors, who visit on behalf of the provider to assess the quality of care provided and to identify any development needs for the home to continue to progress. Any actions identified are added to the outcomes from the manager’s monitoring of the home and are absorbed into improvements. Staff continuously talk to children about their lives and ensure that their views are central to the running of the home. The manager has rewritten document templates to ensure that they are child- friendly and easy to understand. She has also put together new recording templates

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

that have been disseminated to other homes within the company, and the feedback so far has been positive. The manager also acts as a mentor for less experienced managers and supports them with practice as well as completing audits for their homes. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457180 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that managers and staff are aware of the Local Offer setting out the support available for children with special educational needs or disabilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’ page 26, paragraph 5.4)  The registered person should ensure that whenever possible, staff in day-to-day contact with children should include staff from the different gender groups. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.22)

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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: SC457180 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, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Jessica Higginson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457180 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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