Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children's home: SC457435 1 SC457435 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 private company owns and manages this children’s home. The home provides care for up to two children who may have social and/or emotional difficulties. Two children were living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2021.

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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 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

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC457435 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 10/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 31/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: SC457435 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s experiences of living in this home are mixed. Several experienced staff have left the home. The home is now heavily reliant on other staff in the organisation to meet the needs of the children. Too often, children are not aware of the staff who are coming to support them. This was evident during this inspection. One of the staff members, who had not met the children before, went for an activity with a child shortly after arriving. This practice does not enable children to build trusting and secure relationships with staff in the home.

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improvement to be good

Children’s education is promoted well by the staff team. Staff support each child’s individual learning plan appropriately. One child has successfully completed GCSEs and is moving on to college. This helps to increase children’s opportunities later in life.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy a range of activities and hobbies. These include bowling, trips to the seaside and playing rugby. These opportunities help children to make friends and improve their social-interaction skills. This helps children to develop confidence and self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported by staff to have an active and healthy lifestyle. Food is freshly prepared from scratch. Children participate in the preparation of meals as part of developing their independence skills. Children are registered with a GP, dentist and optician, and they are supported to attend medical appointments. This ensures that their health is maintained.

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improvement to be good

Children experience positive and well-planned moves into the home. Children receive an individual support plan which includes visits to the home before moving in. This process is carried out in a sensitive way, at the child’s pace, which helps to reduce any feelings of anxiety for children.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported by staff to see people who are important to them. Staff arrange visits for children to see their friends and families. Family members are encouraged to visit the home in accordance with the child’s care plans. This means that children can build close bonds with people that matter to them.

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

Children’s risk of harm is reducing over time. Staff work well with other professionals to understand children’s vulnerabilities. This helps staff to put in place plans that help children to become safer. Inspection report for children's home: SC457435 4 Risk assessments and behaviour management plans are detailed, regularly updated and easy to follow. The manager has developed a shorter version of children’s care plans. This ensures that new staff can easily understand the children’s risks. In addition, staff handovers are detailed and thorough. This ensures that there is consistency in the care provided to children.

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

Staff use physical restraint only when this is necessary to safeguard children from harm. The records are detailed, and the manager ensures that discussions are held with children when restraint has been used. This practice ensures that children are safe and consulted over the methods used to protect them from harm.

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

Effective and consistent safeguarding practice means that children are better protected from the risk of harm. Staff engage children in focused work to address individual risks. This work includes online safety and the dangers of going missing, to help children understand how to keep themselves increasingly safe.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that any concerns raised in relation to staff practice are appropriately referred and addressed in line with statutory safeguarding procedures. The manager collaborates closely with the local authority designated officers and social workers to ensure that information is shared effectively.

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good

Lack of staff has meant that the registered manager has been covering a lot of shifts. Consequently, this has had a negative impact on her ability to carry out her management roles and responsibilities effectively. At the time of the inspection, the manager had not provided a review of the quality of care to Ofsted as required by the regulations.

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good

Some of the requirements from the previous full inspection have not been addressed. This means the manager is not focusing on the areas for development in this home. This fails to demonstrate that the registered manager has a clear overview of the home to drive good practice in the home.

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good

In the main, supervision is regular for the core staff team. However, this is not consistent for some of the staff who are seconded from other homes in the organisation. This shortfall means that staff are not provided with opportunities to reflect on their practice. In addition, managers are unable to promptly identify any deficit in staff practice that may hinder children’s progress.

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good

Staff are provided with a wide range of mandatory and additional training. This helps them to learn about children’s needs and vulnerabilities. However, team meetings are irregular. Where there have been gaps between team meetings, the manager has sent information to staff, but this has meant that staff have met less frequently. This is a missed opportunity to share learning of practice and improve the experiences of children. Inspection report for children's home: SC457435 5 Children have a voice in the home. Children’s complaints have been responded to promptly. Their views are valued and carefully considered. This encourages children to share their views and promotes equality of opportunity.

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good

The registered manager accepts the shortfalls found at this inspection. Senior leaders recognise that the lack of staff has negatively affected the progress of the home, and they have taken appropriate steps to recruit permanent staff. Inspection report for children's home: SC457435 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 positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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 each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are helped to resolve difficulties in their relationships with others, including their relationships with staff. 16 September

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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;

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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; and 16 September Inspection report for children's home: SC457435 7 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)(f)(h))

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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.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a)) 16 September

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that systems are in place so that all staff, including the manager, receive regular supervision so that they can reflect on their practice and the needs of the children assigned to their care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2) Inspection report for children's home: SC457435 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: SC457435 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Fitzsimmons

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Inspector

Evelyn Chafota, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC457435 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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