Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

Inspection for report children’s home: SC476252 1 SC476252 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 cares for up to three children who have experienced early life trauma. The home specialises in providing therapeutic services for children who have experienced sexual abuse.

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Information about this children’s home

There is an interim manager in post who is yet to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected, or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/04/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/09/2019 Full Good 31/01/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 3

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inadequate

Three children live in the home. Since the last inspection, one child has moved in. Children are not receiving care in line with the home’s statement of purpose. Staff do not provide children with therapeutic care. Children receive inconsistent responses from staff because not all staff know how to respond to the children’s needs. As a result, children feel insecure and anxious.

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inadequate

Children do not feel safe living in this home. Sometimes, when incidents occur, they witness other children being physically restrained. One child said that they worry that this will happen to them. Children describe witnessing staff running ‘a million miles an hour’ towards their peers. One child flinched as they told the inspector that this behaviour ‘scares them’. Staff do not take the time to discuss with children how they feel witnessing these incidents. This does not support children to understand what is happening and why. As a result, they feel unable to trust the adults who are caring for them.

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inadequate

Leaders and managers do not understand children’s lived experiences. Consultation with children in the home is poor. The organisation had purchased an app called Mind of My Own. This was to help children to communicate their wishes and feelings to professionals. However, managers and staff are not encouraging or helping children to use it. Staff do not create ways for children to express their wishes and feelings. As a result, children are not listened to, and their voices are unheard.

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inadequate

There is a new interim manager in place. The previous interim manager recently left the organisation abruptly. Leaders, managers and staff did not provide children with reassurance and support when the previous manager left. This has had a profound effect on the children’s emotional and mental well-being. One child’s anxiety has increased so much that they are now on a reduced timetable at school. Another child has recently started running out of the home.

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inadequate

Children are not always treated with dignity and respect. During the inspection, one child told the inspector that they were once made to feel that they had to wear a suit. They said this was because a senior leader asked them to as there were other managers visiting the home. The child said that they did not like this. This practice does not support children to feel comfortable in their own home. It also hinders their ability to build trusting relationships with staff.

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inadequate

Managers did not inform the children’s social workers or education professionals promptly that the previous manager had left. One teacher said that they were unaware until one child became very unsettled in school. This child informed their teacher that they did not want to return to the home. However, professionals have reported that the new manager is proactive. They also state that the new manager is taking an interest in children’s progress. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 4 Children have started attending therapy sessions with a new therapist. The therapist works with the company’s clinical team. As a result, children have a safe space to explore sensitive issues. However, the manager has not escalated concerns to the child’s placing authority that the therapist does not have all the required information about a child. As a result, this child’s therapy is not informed by their history and

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inadequate

Children enjoy activities with staff in the community. They go swimming, to the local park, restaurants and the cinema. Children enjoy these activities and describe them as being fun.

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

Risk assessments do not clearly identify the steps that staff need to take to keep children safe. They also contain inconsistent and inaccurate information. As a result, staff do not have all the information that they need to ensure that children are safe.

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

Children witness behaviour that frightens them. One incident occurred while all three children were travelling with staff in the provider’s car. The incident involved one child physically assaulting staff and another child. A child also locked themselves in the car. During the incident, a child was physically restrained on two occasions. However, this child was not spoken to afterwards about the restraint for four days. Staff also failed to provide the other two children with adequate support. As a result, the children are not helped to share their views or reflect on their experiences. The recording of this incident was poor and did not reflect a therapeutic approach. This means that children are not consistently receiving care in line with the home’s statement of purpose. In addition, the recording of physical restraint illustrates that this practice is not always used as a last resort.

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

Staff do not always respond effectively to keep children safe. For example, on one occasion, when out in the community, one child ran away from staff. Staff felt that the safest strategy was to ignore them. However, the child was then approached by strangers in a car. This led to staff having to quickly intervene to safeguard the child.

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

Managers and staff do not show enough professional curiosity. They have not informed social workers about children’s behaviours which are of concern. One child displays self-injurious behaviour and has started to run out of the home. However, the manager does not know whether the child’s social worker is aware. As a result, this child may not be receiving the appropriate care to meet their needs.

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

Staff are not proactive when children require medical attention. On one occasion, a staff member opened a door which hit a child on the head. The child was also displaying self-injurious behaviour and presented with head injuries. Staff did not seek medical attention for up to six hours afterwards. This delay could have prevented the child from receiving any necessary treatment. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 5 Children have missing-from-care plans. However, staff do not follow these effectively when children go missing. For example, during one missing incident staff did not contact the police. This increased the child’s vulnerability and compromised their safety. There are also discrepancies in the recording of how long children are missing for. This affects the manager’s oversight of safeguarding practice in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The home has a new interim manager. They are currently working towards their level 5 diploma in leadership and management. The manager does not yet have clear systems in place to monitor the care children receive. Consequently, the oversight of the day-to-day running of the home has been weak. The manager has begun to take steps to improve the quality and safety of the care children receive. However, the effectiveness of these changes is not yet known.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff morale is extremely low. Staff have not received the help and support they need to improve their practice. This failure by leaders and managers has left poor practice unchallenged. However, the manager has started to provide staff with regular supervision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The responsible individual completes regular audits of the care that children receive. The audits identify shortfalls in staff practice and areas for improvement. However, they have failed to implement effective measures to address this. As a result, the quality of care that children receive is inadequate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Important documentation, such as children’s previous care plans and risk assessments, is missing. This means that children who have lived at the home for almost two years may be missing part of their life story. In addition, health and safety paperwork is also missing. As a result, the manager cannot be sure that children are living in a safe environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers and staff do not have the required skills to meet children’s needs and keep them safe. This is because they do not receive training around the home’s therapeutic model of care, children’s mental health and supporting children who self- harm. Some staff training is out of date, such as training in physical intervention and first aid. Managers were unaware of this as they do not monitor staff training. One staff member was not registered on the home’s training system. As a result, children are being cared for by staff who do not understand their needs. This means that staff are unable to provide children with individualised care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The independent visitor does not always consult with children, staff and professionals. This hinders the external scrutiny of the home and does not help the provider to improve.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to address all of the requirements issued at the previous inspection. Due to the significant concerns identified at this inspection, Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 6 Ofsted issued a compliance notice under regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard). Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 7

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs;

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

seek to develop and maintain effective professional relationships with such persons, bodies or organisations as the registered person considers appropriate having regard to the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the children’s home is to provide care and accommodation. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered provider ensuring that—

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Requirement Due date

 they communicate any significant changes or incidents in the home to children’s professionals  professionals are consulted with in relation to decisions made about the care children receive, such as therapeutic intervention  managers escalate concerns expressed by staff about the performance of a placing authority, such as poor communication. 3 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who— 3 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 8 understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that any care that is arranged or provided for a child that—

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Requirement Due date

relates to the child’s development (within the meaning of section 17(11) of the Children Act 1989) or health; and

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Requirement Due date

is not arranged or provided as part of the health service continued under section 1(1) of the National Health Service Act 2006(a), satisfies the conditions in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

that as far as reasonably practicable the care is delivered by a person who—

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Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care; and

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Requirement Due date

is under the supervision of a person who is appropriately skilled and qualified to supervise that care;

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Requirement Due date

treat each child with dignity and respect. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(iv)(d)(i)(ii) (3)(c)(i)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that children receive care as outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. In addition, the registered person should ensure that children’s views are listened to, that they are able to make choices and that these are respected.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 9 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered person ensuring that staff understand their role in keeping children safe. They must also ensure that information contained in children’s risk assessments is accurate and that staff implement strategies to keep children safe.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that recording in relation to safeguarding incidents and physical intervention is accurate, correct and legible. 3 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— 3 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 10 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

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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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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)(c)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should implement a system which is able to assess and review the impact that the care provided by managers and staff is having on the progress and experiences of children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must ensure that all managers and staff have the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of the children the home intends to care for and keep them safe.

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Requirement Due date

The provider must take effective action to address any shortfalls in managers’ or staff’s practice.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing—

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Requirement Due date

injury to any person (including the child);

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Requirement Due date

serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or 3 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 11 a child who is accommodated in a secure children’s home from absconding from the home.

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person and staff ensuring that physical restrictions on children’s movements are only used when proportionate and necessary.

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Requirement Due date

have the capacity, experience and skills to supervise the management of the home, or the homes, in respect of which the responsible individual is nominated. (Regulation 26 (7)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered provider ensuring that the responsible individual has the skills to oversee and supervise the management and the operation of the home effectively.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 3 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

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry.

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Requirement Due date

if the child dies before attaining the age of 18, for 15 years from the date of the child’s death;

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Requirement Due date

in cases not falling within sub-paragraph (a), for 75 years from the child’s date of birth;

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Requirement Due date

securely in the children’s home during the period when the child to whom the case records relate is accommodated there. 3 July 2022 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 12 (Regulation 36 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should have a system in place to ensure that children’s records are stored safely.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives and persons working at the home as the independent person requires. (Regulation 44 (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person should ensure that the independent person appointed to carry out visits to the home does so in a way which enables them to consult with children and professionals. This includes ascertaining children’s wishes and feelings in regard to the quality of care they receive.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 3 July 2022

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: SC476252 13

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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

Sarah Berry, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC476252 14 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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