Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456729 1 SC456729 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 home is run by a private provider. It cares for up to three children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2019.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC456729 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/05/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/04/2019 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: SC456729 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children say that they like living at the home and understand how the staff are helping them. Children are making positive progress against the aims and objectives of their plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff act as advocates for children with respect to their future aspirations about where they want to live. Children are also able to access independent advocates.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff encourage children to lead healthier lives to improve their overall physical and emotional well-being, by promoting healthy foods and exercise. Children are also learning skills such as cooking and being creative with ingredients to avoid food waste.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children living at the home attend school regularly and are making progress. The staff support children in their career aspirations and show pride in children’s initiative in seeking work opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are supporting children to develop their independence skills at an appropriate level for their age. Children understand why the staff are focused on helping them to develop their independence skills as they move towards adulthood. The staff adapt plans to support children’s progress with independent travel, in discussion with children and other professionals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children see the people who are important to them, in line with their wishes and feelings. They enjoy activities that they are interested in. The staff promote children’s sense of identity and cultural needs.

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

Risk assessments are in place to provide the staff team with strategies to keep children safe. Documents are not all filed together, which can make it harder for staff to get a clear overview. However, this has not compromised children’s safety.

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

Children accept the boundaries and support that is put in place to keep them safe and to promote positive behaviours. As a result, sanctions are rarely needed and physical intervention is not required. Specific risks to children have reduced.

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

The staff report any concerns raised by children, so that other agencies can take further action to address them and ensure that children do not come to harm.

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

The manager audits medication records but does not always sign the records when she has completed checks and counts of medication stocks. Although this has not affected children’s well-being, it has the potential to do so if errors occur and are not addressed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456729 4 The statement of purpose for the home does not identify that door alarms are in use. The manager took steps to deactivate chime alarms on external doors during the inspection. Risk assessments are now in place to determine whether they are required, and will be reviewed regularly.

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

The home environment is generally homely and welcoming, and children are consulted about how they want to personalise their bedrooms. However, some maintenance issues, including replacement of damaged appliances, have not been addressed promptly by the manager.

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good

The experienced manager is also registered for another home. There are deputies working in this home to support leadership of the stable team. The manager is aware of the need to recruit to address the gender balance of the team.

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good

The staff access training to ensure that children’s needs are met. Reflective supervision ensures that the manager has oversight of the performance of individual staff members and identifies any professional development needs. Team meetings are well attended, to allow the team to reflect as a group.

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good

The manager has a good understanding of children’s progress. She identifies where children need support to achieve their potential and improve their confidence and independence.

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good

Monitoring systems are in place at the home to review the team’s practice. Overall, these ensure that the manager has good oversight of practice and the quality of the care that children receive. However, management oversight does not always consider the quality of work delivered on a day-to-day basis.

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good

Some management oversight is completed by leaders who have been involved, for example in room searches, and is therefore not an objective review. These checks do not identify errors in the records or address recording issues such as the use of language. Some children’s records are not signed to identity the author or their designation.

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good

The independent person does not regularly consult with children or other stakeholders to consider their important views about the quality of care that children receive. When there are delays in addressing maintenance issues, he does not escalate issues to senior managers. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456729 5

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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, the 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—

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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

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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that staff act on the views of children about their well-being and that maintenance issues, including the replacement of damaged appliances, are addressed promptly. 31 July 2022

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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 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456729 6 promotes their welfare.

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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)(a)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, records should be reviewed by leaders and managers to ensure they are accurate and consider the quality of work being undertaken in the home on a daily basis. The manager should ensure that audit records are signed.

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised. (Regulation 21 (c)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the use of door chimes on external doors. 31 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (c)) 31 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456729 7

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the independent person consults with children and external stakeholders regularly as part of their assessment of the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)  The registered person should ensure that staff record carefully and objectively, avoiding the use of slang terms. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

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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: SC456729 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 EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Karen Willson, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456729 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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