Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Devon

Inspection report for children's home: SC458352 1 SC458352 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 provides care for up to three children with behavioural and/or emotional needs. It is part of a large national organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

An experienced registered manager is in post.

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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: 1 September 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: SC458352 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/09/2021 Full Good 04/12/2019 Full Good 04/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness 14/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC458352 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit and make progress because of the staff’s nurturing, loving and individualised care. The consistent and stable staff team build trusting relationships with the children. These relationships form the basis from which the children can make progress from their starting points and feel a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has left the home recently to move back to his family. One new child has moved into the home, is settling quickly and beginning to make progress following many previous moves. The staff are skilled in providing good-quality support to older teenagers to ensure that they leave the home equipped with the independent living skills and confidence that they will need to be successful in the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Routines in the home run smoothly, and clear and consistent boundaries help the children to feel safe and secure. The children eat healthy diets and benefit from positive sleep routines. Expectations and aspirations for the children are high. Children are encouraged to keep their bedrooms tidy and clean. However, one child is struggling to achieve this aim. Plans do not detail how the staff are to support the child to succeed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote the importance of education and a good work ethic. This ensures that children learn to channel their energy positively. One child has secured an apprenticeship and is flourishing in their chosen career. Another child is beginning to engage with education after non-attendance at school before arriving at this home. This child has successfully secured a job for the school summer holidays and at weekends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children effectively to visit their families. If the child’s plan is for them to return to live with their family, the staff support regular visits and weekend stays before the move. Children who have left the home continue to be in touch with the manager and staff at the home, who maintain positive relationships and provide consistency and a source of support.

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

The staff understand children’s potential risks. Children are safely supported to take age-appropriate risks that help them to learn. Incidents are reduced and the staff undertake effective work with the children to help them to learn how to keep themselves safe when they are out of the home.

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

The children report that they feel safe living at the home and can speak to any member of the staff if they feel worried or upset. The staff demonstrate a high level of professional curiosity and vigilance and immediately notice if a child is presenting as scared or concerned, and take prompt action. Inspection report for children's home: SC458352 4 Safeguarding procedures are robust and the staff confidently and promptly act on any safeguarding concerns. The manager and the staff have positive links with safeguarding professionals and the police to ensure that any relevant information is shared and acted upon.

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

The children benefit from the staff’s confident behaviour management using playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy. The use of this therapeutic method of behaviour management enables the staff to de-escalate difficult situations, help the children to learn from their mistakes and build on their positive behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and effective. She provides strong leadership and a positive culture in the home, where there is much appropriate laughter and fun. The staff report that they really enjoy working with the children and that the home is a positive place to work. Because the staff are so well supported, they in turn can offer high-quality support to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager challenges other professionals if she feels that the children are not receiving the service they deserve. For example, she recently challenged a placing authority about a child’s plan and has challenged a child’s workplace to ensure that the child is working within the legal hours limit for their age.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home provides the children with a generally homely and comfortable environment. Photos of the children and staff are displayed throughout the house, giving the children a sense of belonging. The garden has recently been improved and the children helped with this, with one child building a barbecue. However, window restrictors that have an institutional appearance are fitted to windows and there is a padlock fitted to the loft hatch, which detract from the otherwise homely appearance of the house.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Feedback from professionals, parents, the children and the staff is entirely positive. Placing social workers praised the level of communication from the manager and reported that the manager and the staff go above and beyond to support the children to succeed and make progress. Inspection report for children's home: SC458352 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that for children’s homes to be nurturing and supportive environments that meet the needs of their children, they will, in most cases, be homely, domestic environments. Children’s homes must comply with relevant health and safety legislations (alarms, food hygiene, etc); however, in doing so, homes should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than ‘institutional’ impression. This particularly relates to ensuring that any window restrictors are risk assessed as necessary and are of a domestic appearance. Also, that a padlock is not used to secure the loft hatch. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff meet the children’s basic needs in the way that a good parent would, recognising that many children in residential care have experienced environments where these needs have not been

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Recommendations

consistently met. This particularly relates to ensuring that, as part of the children’s daily routine, bedrooms are clean and beds are made at the beginning of the day. ('Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.7)

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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: SC458352 6

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicola McClements

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Inspector

Tina Maddison, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC458352 7 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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