Children's Home, Residential special school run by Cambian Autism Services Limited in Dorset

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC065261 1 SC065261 Registered provider: Cambian Autism Services Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is registered to care for up to 40 children with autism spectrum disorder and/or learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The children’s home is on the same site as a special school run by the provider. The home currently provides care for 12 children and young people across eight houses. The home is owned by a private national organisation.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since August 2022.

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This monitoring visit

Following a full inspection on 11, 12 and 13 October 2022, Ofsted judged the home to be inadequate. This was the fourth inadequate judgement since July 2021. The inspection identified continued serious concerns with safeguarding arrangements and inconsistencies in the quality of care received by children. This resulted in not all children receiving safe, well-planned and nurturing care. This visit monitored progress since the full inspection, particularly in relation to the safety and welfare of children.

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This monitoring visit

Following the full inspection, the organisation provided assurances that the leadership and management of the home would be strengthened. However, the resulting arrangements have failed to bring about meaningful change to children’s safety and well-being. Those with current day-to-day responsibility are still not managing all safeguarding concerns effectively and have not made the necessary improvements to the quality of care that children receive. Senior leaders said that seven children would move on, resulting in fewer children needing support. This is in Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC065261 2 the very early stages of progression meaning the impact of this decision cannot yet be tested.

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This monitoring visit

There continue to be significant weaknesses with safeguarding investigations and this is leaving children at risk of harm. A lack of sufficient rigour or professional curiosity when exploring concerns results in investigations lacking sufficient detail and effective evaluation. Leaders and managers continue to not always share concerns about children’s safeguarding or welfare with Ofsted, when the seriousness of the concerns means that they should have done. Several safeguarding notifications have either not been sent to Ofsted, or significantly delayed. There is an improvement in the frequency and speed with which such notifications are made to local authorities. However, subsequent actions taken in response to the safeguarding concerns that led to the notifications being made do not always ensure that children are safe. This includes allowing staff to continue to work with children when allegations of harm are made against them. Leaders and managers do not

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This monitoring visit

assess this risk or mitigate to ensure children’s safety.

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This monitoring visit

The process to manage unexplained injuries to children is unsafe. There is a lack of oversight and challenge by leaders and managers to understand what has happened. In addition, managers do not consistently recognise when safeguarding referrals need to be made in relation to injuries. Therefore, leaders and managers do not identify and challenge poor practice robustly. This places children at risk of harm due to inappropriate or unexpected interventions.

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This monitoring visit

The home assured us that they had undertaken a review into historic safeguarding concerns and senior leaders have appointed an experienced manager to oversee safeguarding on a temporary basis. While this has led to some improvements in the safeguarding records, it has not yet improved safeguarding practice in the home. At this visit, leaders and managers were unable to confirm that children were safe.

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This monitoring visit

Staff in most of the houses were knowledgeable about the children they support. Staff were decorating most houses in readiness for Christmas. However, staff in the two houses identified by senior leaders as staying open for children under the new proposed arrangements were not preparing well for Christmas. Staff in these two homes did not know important information about children when asked, for example in relation to their religious and cultural needs. The quality of the environment for children is not consistently good enough. For example, one young person’s room is unclean and significant hazards prevent a clear path to the door in the event of a fire. Some concerns raised by parents in formal complaints to the home have not yet been addressed.

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This monitoring visit

Senior leaders have shared their plans to improve the quality of care and safeguarding for children in the home. This includes another change in leadership with the recent appointment of a new responsible individual and a new manager. These plans remain very new and untested and therefore it is not possible to assess whether this will lead to improvements in the home. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC065261 3 The requirements made at the full inspection were not reviewed in full and so remain in place for review at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC065261 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/10/2022 Full Inadequate 28/06/2022 Full Inadequate 12/10/2021 Full Inadequate 20/07/2021 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC065261 5

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably.

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Requirement Due date

that the care is delivered by a person who—

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Requirement Due date

has the experience, knowledge and skills to deliver that care. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(vii) (3)(c)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that there are sufficient staff to provide continuity of care to meet children’s needs.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at a previous inspection and is restated. 4 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC065261 6 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— that staff—

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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 home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm.

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Requirement Due date

that the effectiveness of the home’s child protection policies is monitored regularly. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that up-to- date safeguarding records are maintained. The registered person should also ensure that timely review of the progress of management investigations takes place, to avoid drift. The registered person should ensure that when management investigations are completed, further concerns raised are discussed with safeguarding authorities as needed. 4 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC065261 7 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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

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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to 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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

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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)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that staff receive the necessary specialist training to be able to apply the statement of purpose and to meet children’s needs. The registered person should also ensure that systems are in 4 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC065261 8 place to monitor the quality of care provided in the home and to understand the impact that the care has for children.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the previous inspection and is restated.

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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.

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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

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that all care plans are clear, concise and relevant to children’s current needs and behaviours. The registered person should also ensure that children’s care plans are supported by clear, achievable targets, which are reviewed.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at a previous inspection and is restated. 4 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

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

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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 4 November 2022 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC065261 9 within 5 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)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that incidents of restraint are reviewed for effectiveness. The registered person must also ensure that all staff who are involved in a restraint receive a debrief, and that debriefs are recorded for all children.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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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)(e))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that when serious information is uncovered as part of investigations, Ofsted is notified. 4 November 2022

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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: SC065261 10

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Children’s home details

Provision sub-type: Residential special school

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Autism Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cambian Autism Services Limited, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Patrick Sullivan

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Inspectors

Clare Nixson, Social Care Inspector Paula Lahey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC065261 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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