Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stoke-on-Trent

Inspection report for children's home: 2594366 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

A large private provider operates this home. It provides care for up to four children with social, emotional and/or behavioural difficulties due to past trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is led by a qualified manager who was registered with Ofsted in October 2020.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 8 September 2021

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not judged

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2594366 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/09/2021 Interim Not judged 19/05/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2594366 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home. Staff are developing good relationships with the child and they are continuing to develop strategies to prevent incidents from escalating. However, the home’s therapeutic model is not yet fully embedded in practice and staff do not consistently demonstrate that they have a good understanding of how to use this effectively. This hinders the effectiveness of the home’s support and care for the child.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and the manager do not ensure that the matching of children admitted to the home fully considers their needs and presenting risks. The child placed into the home was admitted in the manager’s absence and therefore she had limited involvement in deciding the appropriateness of the match. Staff did not request sufficient information which may have helped manage the risks and the needs of the child. This resulted in serious incidents that the staff and the manager were not well equipped to manage.

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improvement to be good

The home is well presented, warm and welcoming. The child has been consulted on the decoration of the home and their own space has been personalised to their interests. However, the child does not have keys to their bedroom. This may hinder their freedom to access their bedroom, and their privacy.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that the child’s health needs are well met. They have ensured that the child has accessed specialist health services and have liaised with health professionals to promote positive health outcomes for the child. This practice ensures that children continue to maintain good health.

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improvement to be good

Staff value the child’s education. For example, there is good communication with the school when barriers are identified that may impact on the child attending school. This ensures that the child continues to make good educational progress and that they receive the education to which they are entitled.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not consistently take sufficient action when children make allegations about potential harm. They do not consistently follow the home’s safeguarding procedures and lack professional curiosity when children make disclosures. On one occasion, the local authority was not informed immediately of concerns raised by the child. The direct work completed with the child was poor and could have prevented the child from making further disclosures. Furthermore, a member of staff continued to work in the home despite a serious allegation being made against them. This practice does not promote children’s safety. Inspection report for children's home: 2594366 4 The manager does not consistently take effective action to support staff who are subject to investigations. For example, risk assessments are not completed to demonstrate the rationale for staff to continue to work with other children within the organisation, the arrangements in place to safeguard the children and the systems

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improvement to be good

in place to safeguard the staff from any further allegations. The manager does not consistently consider how staff are supported during the period of investigation. This omission does not prioritise children’s safety, nor does it ensure that staff are supported effectively.

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improvement to be good

Staff and the manager have developed specific strategies to manage children’s behaviour through the use of sanctions. However, these strategies are neither restorative nor linked to the behaviour displayed by the child living in the home. Consequently, these strategies are not effective in supporting children to understand the impact of their actions and may not result in the positive behaviour the home aims to promote.

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improvement to be good

The quality of key-work sessions is variable. Some key-work sessions demonstrate that staff know the child well and are helping to reduce risks to the child. However, this is not consistent, and some do not demonstrate that staff have a good awareness of the child’s trauma and lived experiences. The lack of consistency may impact on the effectiveness of the direct work with children.

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improvement to be good

Overall, there are good arrangements for the safe-keeping and safe administration of medication. However, the manager’s auditing systems are not identifying shortfalls in staff’s recording. Consequently, the manager is not assured that medication has been administered safely.

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improvement to be good

Staff use physical restraint as a last resort to manage children’s behaviour. However, the recording of incidents lacks description. As a result, the manager and other professionals are not able to scrutinise the appropriateness of the actions taken by staff.

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improvement to be good

Overall, staff have a good understanding of the child’s risks. They are developing good relationships with the child and this is helping to prevent serious incidents. The child feels safe in the home and can identify adults they trust and with whom they can share worries. This supports effective systems to help keep the child safe.

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good

The manager’s critical analysis of serious incidents in the home lacks reflection and analysis. For example, on one occasion, the manager failed to identify shortfalls in staff’s practice and that their actions may have potentially triggered an incident. As a result, the recommendations made by the manager were not effective in improving staff’s practice.

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good

Staff’s recording is now improving. Daily records reflect the day-to-day experiences of the child. However, the language used by staff to evidence their actions does not Inspection report for children's home: 2594366 5 fully reflect the ethos of the home and the therapeutic model used to care for children.

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good

The manager’s internal monitoring and reviewing systems are improving. However, these have not been consistently embedded in practice and are not yet effective systems to continuously improve the quality of care provided by staff.

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good

The manager informs the regulator of serious incidents in the home. There is good communication with the local authority designated officer and children’s social workers to inform them of any concerns and actions taken to safeguard children. This allows the regulator and relevant professionals to scrutinise incidents in the home and assess if actions are appropriate.

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good

The manager has developed a good workforce development plan. For example, this highlights the development needs of staff and the actions that the manager plans to take to continuously develop the staff working in the home. As a result, the manager can review and monitor the ongoing development needs of staff.

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good

Staff are enthusiastic and speak positively of their experiences of working in the home. They share the manager’s vision and aspirations for the child and the home. Staff are also transparent and reflective about the home’s strengths and weaknesses. This reflective practice ensures that the home continues to make improvements. Inspection report for children's home: 2594366 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 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

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff take sufficient action to respond to allegations made by the child. In addition, the manager must ensure that staff subject to investigations are adequately risk assessed and supported.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, staff and the manager must ensure that key- work sessions reflect their knowledge and understanding of the child’s trauma and experiences. 25 November Inspection report for children's home: 2594366 7 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 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

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

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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)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the learning reviews of serious incidents are analytical and reflect on shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that monitoring and reviewing systems are consistent and that these continue to help improve the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff continue to be supported to embed the home’s therapeutic model in their practice. 28 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the matching of the children admitted to the home fully considers their presenting needs and risks, and how these will be met effectively by the home. 28 October 2022

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that— 28 October 2022 Inspection report for children's home: 2594366 8 within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff provide a detailed and accurate record of physical restraints of children.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of ensuring that children’s records are clear, accurate and objective. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure staff maintain accurate records of the administration of children’s controlled medication, in accordance with the home’s policies and procedures. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that children are able to access their personal and private spaces. Staff must ensure that any limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard children in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10).

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that any sanctions used to address poor behaviour should be restorative in nature and help children recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.38).

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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: 2594366 9

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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

Mazviita Makiyi, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2594366 10 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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