Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Walsall

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 1 SC476270 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned by a large private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to five children. Children are likely to have social and emotional difficulties and may have experienced trauma.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since December 2019. Managers have been in post since this time, but have resigned without registering with Ofsted. The current manager has yet to submit their application to register.

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This monitoring visit

This visit took place to monitor the actions taken by the provider in relation to a compliance notice served on 27 July 2022. The notice was served against regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, action has been taken to complete required repairs in the home. This has resulted in areas of the home now having a more homely and welcoming appearance. However, minor damage to the children’s shower, and damage to one child’s bed which was identified in the last full inspection in June 2022, have not been fixed. Children also requested redecoration to their rooms in July, which have not been prioritised or considered in the home’s improvement plan

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This monitoring visit

Managers have not ensured that one child’s belongings went with them when they moved out. The child left the home several months ago, however their belongings are still in the home. Staff have not attempted themselves to take these belongings to the child. Therefore, the child is still without their personal belongings to help them settle into their new home.

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This monitoring visit

The manager has continued to manage the running of the home since July. She has not yet submitted her application with Ofsted to register. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 2 Social workers’ feedback is that children have begun to feel more settled and, as a result, there have been fewer safeguarding incidents. When incidents have occurred, staff have supported children when they have been upset so that restraint has not been needed. When a child went missing, staff have worked well together to locate the child quickly. This improved practice has helped keep children safer when they are in crisis.

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This monitoring visit

Staff do not effectively keep children safe from online risks. This was raised at the last inspection. Managers have not taken action to address this and the requirement is restated. One child’s social worker has shared their concerns with staff about the child’s online safety. Managers have not provided staff with clear guidance on how to manage these risks and keep the child safe, nor are they monitoring staff practice. This results in the child being exposed to potentially unsafe material that could harm them. Managers accepted this concern during the visit and intend to improve their plans around this.

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This monitoring visit

Managers are now mostly providing staff with a debrief after incidents to help them reflect. However, managers do not properly review and evaluate incident records. For example, when staff have recorded a lack of support from ‘on call’ managers in incidents, this has not been noticed and resolved by leaders in their oversight.

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This monitoring visit

Managers and leaders have improved systems to monitor the care in the home more regularly. The responsible individual is now also undertaking regular reviews of the auditing system as a quality assurance mechanism. This has led to some positive improvements in the training offered to staff. However, these reviewing systems are not identifying shortfalls in the management oversight of incidents. For example, managers failed to address an allegation made by a child and did not notify Ofsted.

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This monitoring visit

Since the last inspection, staff have received training to ensure that they have the skills to meet children’s needs. This includes training in relation to reporting and recording, and therapeutic parenting. Staff have been given additional information to support their learning around specific issues relevant to the children living in the home. This learning is then revisited in staff supervisions, and supervisions themselves are taking place frequently to support new staff members.

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This monitoring visit

Due to the reviewing and monitoring systems not identifying some safeguarding shortfalls to ensure that procedures are followed and known risks are managed, a compliance notice has been reissued under regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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This monitoring visit

Not all requirements were able to be fully explored as part of this monitoring visit. Therefore, these will be reviewed as part of the home’s next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/06/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/07/2021 Full Inadequate 19/12/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 4

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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 person working with other professionals where more specialist input may be needed for children, and promoting and advocating with other professionals where needed to engage them in progressing children’s care plans.

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Requirement Due date

This is restated form the last inspection. 13 November 2022

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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. 13 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 5 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to recognise incidents or indications of bullying and how to deal with them. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(xiii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to incidents of bullying. That they are recorded and staff take action to reduce incidents of bullying and intimidation.

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Requirement Due date

This is restated form the last inspection. 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(vii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that there are clear plans in place to help staff manage risks to children, and that staff follow safeguarding procedures and understand what these are. 13 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 6 The registered person must also ensure that the home suits the needs of the children living in the home and that any damage is repaired.

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Requirement Due date

This is restated from the last inspection. * 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that there are effective management systems in place to undertake robust audits and monitoring in the home.

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Requirement Due date

That leaders and managers understand the quality of care provided to children and take swift action to address shortfalls.

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Requirement Due date

This is restated from the last inspection. 13 November 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—

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the home has a registered manager through meeting 13 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 7 requirements specified in Regulation 28 relating to the fitness of the manager for registration as required by s.11 CSA 2000.

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Requirement Due date

This is restated from the last inspection. 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 that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that they have clearly considered the different needs of all of the children when considering moving new children into the home and how they can meet those needs.

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Requirement Due date

This is restated from the last inspection. 13 November 2022

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Requirement Due date

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

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration; 13 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 8 details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure ("the user"), and of any other person present when the measure was used;

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and

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Requirement Due date

within five days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that there is management oversight of incidents, children are given debriefs by an independent person after incidents, and that the authorised person offers staff debriefs after incidents in the required timescales.

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Requirement Due date

This is restated from the last inspection. The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person 13 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 9 working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that Ofsted is notified promptly.

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Requirement Due date

This is restated from the last inspection.

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Requirement Due date

*A compliance notice is being issued for this requirement

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children's home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 10

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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

Fiona Roche, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC476270 11 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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