Children's Home run by Cameron & Cooper Limited in Hampshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2662095 1 Registered provider: Cameron & Cooper Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care for up to two children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. It is owned and run by a private organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The child living at this home attends the organisation’s school, which is located on the same site as the organisation’s other registered children’s home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 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: this is the home’s first inspection

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2662095 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

Not previously inspected Inspection report for children’s home: 2662095 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is treated with respect by the staff and managers. His views inform all decisions about the running of the home. For example, the child dislikes formal processes such as menu and activity planning. Staff find ways to achieve these tasks in a way which feels natural and in line with the way they may be carried out in a family home. This makes the child feel important and listened to, which has enabled him to make good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When the child first arrived at the home, he was struggling to engage with the individual educational tutoring. The registered manager proactively advocated for the child to be able to attend a school placement that is suitable for his needs. The child’s attendance and engagement in his education has greatly improved. The child has also benefited from establishing friendships with other children at school and is carefully supported to join in a wide range of social and recreational activities with them. Collaborative working and a flexible approach have improved the chances of the child achieving in education and living a full and successful life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Working in partnership with people who are important to the child is given high priority. Since living at the home, the child has rebuilt his relationships with his family. He has been able to spend an increasing amount of time with them and can now stay overnight. Staff support the child and his family by calling them regularly when the child is at home to make sure the visit is going well. An inclusive approach supports the child to maintain positive relationships with his family.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are supported by staff through strong communication with external health professionals. The child has expressed the view that he no longer needs to take one of his medications. Prior to living at the home, the child would frequently refuse to take his medication. At this home, the child trusts that staff will empower him to reach a well-informed decision about whether he needs the medication. As a result, the child has agreed to continue to take the medication until he has been seen by the prescribing doctor. A further improvement in relation to the child’s health is that he has recently started to engage in therapy. This provides him with safe opportunities to explore his early life experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is clean and tidy. The child told the inspector that this is one of the things he likes best about the home. However, some of the living areas are lacking in items which would give the house a more homely feel.

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

The child’s safety and well-being are priorities for staff. The registered manager and several staff members told the inspector that the child has learned how to be more reflective and express how he is feeling without getting angry. The frequency of behavioural incidents involving the child has significantly reduced, compared to Inspection report for children’s home: 2662095 4 when he was living in his previous home. There have been no incidents which have required physical restraint, and very few sanctions. Building and maintaining positive relationships with staff has made the child feel secure and cared for. As a result, he is becoming increasingly safe while having a positive experience of care.

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

The child has regular appointments with a therapist and an advocate from an independent organisation. The independent advocate told the inspector, ‘I have seen a real turn around with the child since being placed at the home. He has been more focused, motivated and engaged.’ Having a range of trusted professionals to speak to if he is worried contributes to the child’s protection and sense of security.

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

Before the child moved into the home, a risk assessment was completed to ensure that the location and design of the home were suitable, given the child’s specific vulnerabilities. The risk assessment is updated when the child’s risks change. It is used to assess the staffing level required to keep the child safe, and his readiness to live alongside other children. Managers demonstrate effective, ongoing monitoring of the safeguarding arrangements in place for the child.

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

A fire risk assessment undertaken prior to the home being occupied highlighted areas that needed to be addressed before children moved into the home. At the time of the inspection, all the recommendations had been met except for one. This relates to all fire doors that need to be held open for convenience. The fire risk assessment recommended that doors should be fitted with retainers that are linked to the fire alarm system so that they close in the event of a fire. These have not been fitted, which risks staff using wedges to hold doors open. This undermines the fire safety of the home. The provider took urgent action during the inspection to rectify this shortfall.

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

Well-organised staff recruitment files demonstrate that safe recruitment practices are understood and implemented by the manager and the staff responsible for this area of practice. This reduces the potential for unsuitable adults to be employed at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is ambitious and has high aspirations for what the child can achieve. She is deeply committed to improving the child’s life chances.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Working in partnership with other professionals is given high priority by leaders and managers. They proactively challenge other professionals when they believe the child is not receiving the support he needs, and when they feel that decisions made by other professionals are not in line with the child’s best interests.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have made sure that the electronic record-keeping system used in the home is streamlined. Consequently, staff can easily access the child’s care plan and risk assessments when they need to refer to them. Effective management monitoring and oversight ensures that records completed by staff have sound structure and purpose. Inspection report for children’s home: 2662095 5 Staff recruitment and retention, in both of the organisation’s children’s homes, has been an ongoing challenge for leaders and managers. There is not currently a full staff complement in either home. Staff employed to work at this home are frequently being asked to work in the other home to fill rota gaps. This is having a negative impact on staff morale. Managers are actively recruiting to fill care staff vacancies. They acknowledge that, in the interim, the home is unable to care safely for the number of children which it is currently registered for. Managers recognise

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

that when they are able to admit children, careful matching will need to take place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff access good-quality training provided by the organisation and they receive regular, meaningful supervision sessions. Staff who are ready for career progression within the organisation are given development opportunities. However, the workforce plan does not provide sufficient detail about the ongoing training needs of the staff team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager demonstrates a sound understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the home. She makes good use of the independent person’s reports to inform service developments. As a result, the registered manager demonstrates a commitment to ensuring there is continuous improvement. Inspection report for children’s home: 2662095 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 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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)) 31 May 2022

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person should ensure that all recommendations in the fire risk assessment have been met. 31 May 2022

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they provider a homely, domestic environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that they have a workforce plan which should detail the experience and qualifications of staff currently working within the staffing structure and any further training required for those staff, to enable the delivery of the home’s Statement of Purpose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8) Inspection report for children’s home: 2662095 7

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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: 2662095 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cameron & Cooper Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Accord Accountants, 191-193 High Street, Hampton Hill TW12 1NL

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Inspector

Helen Simmons, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2662095 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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