Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 1 SC457573 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. The home provides care for up to three children who may have emotional and social difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The inspector spoke with the one child 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 on 6 January 2023.

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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: 20 September 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Ofsted judged this children’s home as inadequate at the last inspection. Ofsted issued two compliance notices under regulations 12 and 13 due to serious concerns relating to the safety and protection of children and widespread failings in the leadership and management of the home.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on 7 November 2022 where it was decided that both compliance notices had been met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/09/2022 Full Inadequate 28/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 24/10/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The provider’s commitment and drive to make the required improvements to both the management and staffing of the home, as well as to the care of the child living in the home, have resulted in significant progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home enjoys trusting and secure relationships with committed staff. The child rated living in the home as nine and a half out of 10, which is a reflection of the quality of care that is being provided by the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is warm and welcoming and furnished to a good standard. Further decoration has been carried out in the home, making it a brighter and more homely environment for children to live in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s views are regularly sought by the staff through fortnightly children’s meetings and key-work sessions. The child said they feel listened to and that any reasonable requests made are now acted on. This is evident through the addition of a ‘you said, we did’ document.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Key-work sessions are now planned in response to the child’s identified needs and cover a broad range of subjects. Unplanned sessions are also undertaken following all incidents. This provides the child with an opportunity to increase their knowledge about situations that they may find themselves in, thereby supporting them to be increasingly safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s health needs are met. Staff support the child to attend all routine health appointments, and they continue to implement healthy eating within the home. The staff engage the child in regular exercise and encourage attendance at sports clubs. Staff nurture the child’s love for cooking and support them to make some evening meals each week. This enables the child to develop healthy lifestyle habits that can be taken forward into independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home continues to be without an education placement. The manager has challenged the delay in progressing the education plan and regularly seeks updates from relevant professionals. Staff have been creative in developing an informal education plan that provides the child with some education provision.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager challenges other professionals and agencies appropriately, but this approach is not consistent. When no progress is made following the challenge, the manager fails to escalate the concern, resulting in no resolution and further delay for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 4

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

Staff work hard to keep the child safe and manage the risks that they are faced with. Staff respond to the immediate risks and act to reduce them. Staff have a good understanding of the home’s safeguarding procedures and follow them.

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

The child is provided with a clear message that their safety and well-being are a high priority for staff. The manager and staff model positive behaviour, and there is mutual respect between the child and the staff. Following one child’s move from the home following a significant incident, there have been no physical interventions and no missing-from-home episodes.

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

Safer recruitment processes are followed, and the appropriate checks are made before staff start working with children. This helps to ensure the children’s safety.

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

Previously identified shortfalls remain regarding the recording of consequences. There is no record of the alternative strategies that staff have used before applying the consequence. There is no evidence of debriefs taking place with the staff involved, and the manager’s evaluation of the effectiveness of such practice is not included. On two occasions, the manager gave a consequence and then evaluated her own use of the measure. This means that it is not clear whether the use of such measures is fair and appropriate.

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

The records of physical interventions are not completed as required by regulation. The records do not include an appropriate evaluation of the effectiveness of the hold. On two occasions, the member of staff performing the hold then undertook the debrief with the child, which is not good practice. On one occasion, the record had not been signed and dated by the manager within the required timescale. The manager’s analysis does not identify the shortfalls identified, so it cannot be established whether the holds are safe, necessary and proportionate.

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

Children’s documents are thorough and well written. The child’s behaviour risk management plan is detailed and easy to read. It clearly identifies the risks as well as the strategies in place for how the staff should work with the child to reduce the risks. However, one identified risk is not included within the child’s risk management plan. This means that staff do not have all the relevant information about the child’s known risks when working with the child.

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

The previously issued requirement regarding the quality of the impact risk assessments could not be considered as part of this inspection as no children have moved into the home since the last inspection. This will therefore be restated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is managed by a permanent, suitably experienced registered manager. Overwhelmingly positive feedback has been received from the child and the staff about the manager. Staff who have worked in the home for some time can clearly identify the progress that has been made since the manager’s appointment. Staff Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 5 describe the manager as being approachable, and they say they feel supported by the manager and are clearer about their roles and responsibilities.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about her role and has a clear vision for the home. She wants to improve performance while ensuring that all children living in the home are happy and safe. The manager leads by example and is reflective yet willing to take on board any challenges raised.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is now properly staffed. There is a clear induction process in place for new members of staff. Supervision takes place regularly, and staff say they find this beneficial to their learning and development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child’s records are kept up to date and are of a good standard. Child-friendly care plans have been developed. The manager welcomes external scrutiny from the independent visitor. Recommendations are shared in the staff team meetings to make further improvements and raise the standard of care that children receive. This demonstrates a culture of openness and willingness to listen and change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Management reviewing and auditing processes have been strengthened. The manager uses these processes to scrutinise the practice of the staff, track the progress of children and make effective changes when she identifies shortfalls. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 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)) 10 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to impact risk assessments and children’s individual risk assessments. 10 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 7 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must prepare and implement a policy (“the behaviour management policy”) which sets out—

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Requirement Due date

how appropriate behaviour is to be promoted in the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

the measures of control, discipline and restraint which may be used in relation to children in the home.

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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

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use 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 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 (1)(a)(b) (3)(a)(ii)(v)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to consequence records and physical intervention records. 10 March 2023

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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) Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 8 Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Paula Shepherd, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 10 regulates and inspects 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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