Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Tameside

Inspection report for children's home: SC430239 1 SC430239 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 is owned and managed by a large private company. The home provides care for up to five children. The provider states in their statement of purpose that they provide care for children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2020.

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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

Date of last inspection: 8 December 2021

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC430239 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/12/2021 Full Good 13/11/2019 Full Good 05/06/2018 Full Good 10/01/2018 Interim Declined in effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC430239 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have lived at this home since April 2021. A third child moved into the home in March 2022. This child settled in well initially. However, following an incident at the home, the child went to stay with a parent and is currently refusing to return to the home. Consequently, the manager has arranged a meeting with the child’s placing authority to review the child’s plans.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to see their friends and families. This ensures that children maintain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them. Children have attended some activities with staff. However, children’s involvement in activities planned by and with staff is rare as they prefer to spend most of their free time with their friends in the community.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff effectively support children to make progress in education, training and employment. Staff have helped one child to pursue their career aspirations and gain access to employment. The child is currently attending a work experience placement with a view to them gaining an apprenticeship in construction work.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child who is getting ready to move on from this home has a plan in place to support them to be ready to move into independent living. Children develop trusting relationships with the adults that care for them. A child said, ‘Staff are doing everything that they are supposed to do.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with the health services they need to promote their positive health. Staff encourage children to attend their routine health appointments and provide advice and support to children on relevant health issues to encourage them to lead healthier lifestyles.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to understand the negative impact of taking drugs and have referred children to specialist services for additional help and support. However, one child refuses to engage with these services and continues to use cannabis on a regular basis. Risk assessments for substance misuse are in place. This includes staff undertaking room searches if they suspect that children are smoking in the home. Staff are due to attend refresher training on drugs and alcohol this month.

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

The safety of children is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice. Staff take their safeguarding roles and responsibilities seriously. Significant incidents are shared with the relevant authorities to protect children from harm.

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

The use of risk management plans ensures that staff understand the different needs and vulnerabilities of children. Plans include control measures to help staff manage children’s behaviours safely. Inspection report for children's home: SC430239 4 The use of physical holds to protect children in unsafe situations is rare. Since the last inspection, there has been one low-level short duration hold used by staff to protect a child from harm.

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

Children are protected if they are missing from the home. Staff actively look for children, contact family members and work closely with the police to promote the children’s safe return. Most incidents of children reported as missing from home are related to children returning home late. Previously, this had included children going missing regularly overnight. Strategy meetings are held with the placing authority to address any emerging concerns to protect children from harm.

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

Staff adopt a zero tolerance towards bullying. They encourage children to behave respectfully towards each other. Incidents between children are rare, and where conflicts have occurred they are resolved quickly by staff.

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

No complaints have been made by children since the last inspection. However, children do know how to make a complaint.

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

The use of sanctions to address negative behaviours is proportionate and fair. This includes reparation for property damage, supervised pocket money and loss of rewards.

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

Staff employed to work with children are selected and vetted carefully to ensure that adults employed at the home are safe and suitable people.

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good

The manager meets the aims and objectives as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. The manager has addressed and met the recommendations from the last inspection. However, the manager has not ensured that all the previous requirements, such as the recruitment of additional staff to meet the needs of the children have been met. Consequently, any unmet requirements are repeated.

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good

The manager told the inspector that vacant staff posts have been advertised for and that new staff are in the process of being recruited.

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good

Staff benefit from practice-related supervision, and team meetings are held on a regular basis to review the progress, needs and experiences of children. Most staff are suitably qualified, and those not qualified are enrolled to complete training that will lead to them obtaining appropriate qualifications. Staff benefit from access to relevant training to develop their skills and knowledge in caring for children.

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good

The needs of children are considered by the registered manager prior to children coming to live at the home. However, the information used by the manager does not include their recorded considerations on the views of the child, social worker, or Inspection report for children's home: SC430239 5 previous carers to inform the suitability of children’s placements. This issue was also raised at the last inspection.

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good

The accommodation provided for children has improved since the last inspection. New furniture and soft furnishings have now been purchased for the home. The communal living areas have been redecorated, and a new kitchen and flooring have been fitted. As a result, the home now looks more welcoming and homely. However, there are still outstanding matters, such as replacing the worn carpet on the hall stairs and landing, and the renovation of the home’s existing washing facilities. The inspector was informed that the home has now secured additional funding to make further home improvements, including installing new windows and doors throughout the home.

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good

The performance of the home is scrutinised and monitored by an independent visitor. These visits help the registered manager to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. As a result, the manager can tackle any shortfalls to secure the home’s improvement.

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good

The registered manager has completed a six-monthly quality of care review. However, the contents of the report are very descriptive, and the report lacks evaluation of emerging patterns and trends around the frequency of missing from home episodes, significant incidents, complaints and restraints. This means that the manager has not demonstrated effective scrutiny of the home’s practices. Inspection report for children's home: SC430239 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This particularly refers to the refurbishment of the home’s existing washing facilities and replacing the carpet to the stairs and landing. 30 November

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended 29 August 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC430239 7 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to risk impact assessments, including the outcome of consultations held with relevant professionals to inform the home’s decision-making, including what contact was made with the child, social worker and previous carers. This requirement is repeated.

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated. 26 September

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality-of-care review") at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the improved evaluation of any emerging patterns and trends. 31 October 2022 Inspection report for children's home: SC430239 8

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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: SC430239 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

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC430239 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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