Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Wigan

Inspection report children’s home: 2628010 1 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

The home provides care for one child with emotional and behavioural (emotional and social) difficulties.

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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

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since 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

Date of last inspection: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: not applicable Inspection report children’s home: 2628010 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report children’s home: 2628010 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has progressed well from their starting point. They have been offered a range of activities and have had lots of enjoyable experiences with staff. Staff know the child well and are highly committed to supporting the child’s progression. The child’s social worker told the inspector, ‘They [the child] is invested in this home. They feel like they belong.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has been supported to build secure relationships with the adults who provide care. Staff and the manager listen to the child’s views, wishes and feelings. Weekly meetings take place to discuss meals and activities that the child likes. The child has been able to influence some of the important decisions that affect their life, such as staff recruitment and appraisals. This has helped the child to feel empowered and in control of their own future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff communicate well with each other and are consistent in their approach to caring for the child, providing reliable, thoughtful responses. Staff are invested in the child’s happiness and genuinely care about the child’s well-being. This means that staff provide stable routines and clear boundaries. Positive behaviour is encouraged. Individually tailored and realistic rewards are in place. As a result, the child has something to aim for each day.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have compiled ‘memory books’ with the child during their time at the home. This is a record of all the exciting activities that the child has participated in. When the child moves out of the home, they will take these books with them. This will help them to remember and understand their time in care as part of their life journey.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to attend part-time education and is making progress at school. Staff at the school recognise the complex nature of the child and state that they appreciate the support from the home’s manager and staff. The manager communicates with education staff extremely regularly to ensure that both school and home staff are giving consistent messages to the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is well presented and comfortable, and the child has everything they need. Any damage that is caused is repaired very quickly to ensure that the environment is homely and safe.

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

The staff know the child in their care very well. There are detailed risk assessments that identify any known vulnerabilities for the child effectively. These risk assessments are regularly updated to reflect any changes in risk for the child. The risk assessments are realistic and effective. The child reports that they feel safe, well supported and happy at this home. Inspection report children’s home: 2628010 4 The home has effective links with social workers, local authority designated officers and other safeguarding agencies. There is good communication about safeguarding issues. These links support a coordinated response to keeping the child safe.

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

Safer recruitment procedures are followed. Regular monitoring of staff ensures that people who are recruited are suitable to work with children. The abilities of staff have been matched to the child’s needs. The child has contributed to the recruitment process for new staff and has been able to ask potential carers the questions that are important to them.

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

When there have been safeguarding issues, appropriate action has taken place to establish that the child is safe. Work has been completed with the child to educate and support them to remain safe. However, not all agencies who are required to be notified have been.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is confident, child-focused and ambitious for the child. She has been influential in helping the child make positive changes. The child is thriving and is well supported. The manager knows the child and the staff team well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home promotes equality and diversity effectively. The manager has shared an exercise to support staff’s understanding of the child’s individual needs and background. This was shared during one of the regular team meetings and has been effective in enhancing staff’s understanding of the challenges some children might face.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff have access to regular reflective supervision sessions with the manager and have annual appraisals to support them to identify any learning needs or development opportunities. The manager has involved the child in the staff appraisals. The staff speak very positively about their manager. They say that the manager is approachable, very supportive and goes above and beyond for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff have excellent working relationships with partner agencies. This ensures the very best possible experiences and future for the child in their care. They are strong advocates for the child, ensuring that the child is offered the services most appropriate to their needs. An education professional who has worked with the child for several years said, ‘This is the most settled they have been. Staff understand them.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is aware of the home’s strengths and weaknesses and uses effective internal monitoring systems to identify when change or improvement is needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External independent visitors have not spoken with other professionals as often as they should. This is important because this means that the independent person is not gaining an external perspective about how the child is cared for. Inspection report children’s home: 2628010 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent visitor offers appropriate monitoring of the home, including speaking with professionals and others involved with children during their visit. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 54 paragraph 10.24)  The registered person should ensure that they inform via regulation 40 the placing authority, Ofsted and other relevant persons about serious events. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55 paragraph 11.4)

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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 children’s home: 2628010 6

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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

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2628010 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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