Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457434 1 SC457434 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 one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties. One child currently lives in the home and one child has recently left.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2022.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC457434 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 17/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/04/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC457434 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff create a welcoming atmosphere in the home. Children move into this home following detailed planning. Children are supported to visit the home before moving in. They are given a children’s guide and staff explain how the home operates. Children receive a welcome gift on their arrival. This helps children to settle in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff nurture positive relationships with children. Children enjoy spending time with staff and taking part in activities together. These activities include watching movies, bowling and day trips. These opportunities provide children with enjoyable experiences. They also enhance their social skills and help children to thrive in this positive environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education attendance for children is variable. When barriers to learning occur, staff work closely with teaching staff to address the issues and overcome the challenges. Staff are creative in providing children with informal education. This means that children benefit from clear plans to support their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children understand why it is important to stay healthy and they lead healthy lifestyles. Staff encourage children to remain active and enjoy a balanced diet. In addition, children are supported to attend medical appointments as and when necessary.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have a voice in the running of their home. They have regular consultations as well as focused and informal key-work sessions with staff. This means that the children can share their wishes and feelings openly and that staff listen and act on them. Children feel valued and respected because they are involved in decisions that directly concern them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff focus on helping children to develop life skills. There is now a clear pathway that staff follow to ensure that children are supported to develop these skills. Children do household chores, such as cleaning and cooking, and they learn how to manage their money. This ensures that they will be able to live comfortably when they move from the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children stay in touch with their families and friends. They maintain positive links with the people who are important to them, and this means that they will not be isolated in the future. Staff support children to maintain and strengthen these relationships. They help with transport for children to visit their families and friends on a regular basis.

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

Staff complete safeguarding and child protection training as part of their induction. Their knowledge of safeguarding procedures enables them to understand the risks Inspection report for children’s home: SC457434 4 and vulnerabilities of the children. This means that staff are more able to safeguard children effectively.

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

Staff ensure that children’s risk assessments and care plans are clear and regularly reviewed. They carry out focused work with children which offers opportunities for them to explore events or feelings that promote good behaviour. As a result, there has only been one physical restraint and very few incidents since the last inspection. This is testament to the good relationships that exist between staff and children. The level of trust the children have means that they feel safe to explore their feelings with staff. This helps children learn to manage their emotions more effectively.

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

Children rarely go missing from this home. When they do, staff take swift action to ensure the child’s safe return. Staff carry out local searches in the community and work closely with the police, social workers and families to ensure the safe return of the children. Once children are found, independent return-home interviews are requested. This ensures that children are effectively safeguarded.

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

The manager adheres to safer recruitment procedures. He ensures that all relevant checks and verifications are complete before staff work with children. This helps to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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

Leaders and managers ensure that any concerns raised with regard to staff practice are appropriately referred and addressed in line with statutory safeguarding procedures. The manager works closely with designated officers and social workers to ensure that the information is shared promptly. This means that the right decisions are made to quickly keep children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported in his role by a team of both experienced and new staff who are child focused. The registered manager knows the service’s strengths well and has a vision for areas of development. The requirements and one recommendation made at the previous inspection have been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are well supported in their roles. They benefit from regular team meetings and supervision. However, formal supervision is not consistently reflective. This shortfall means that the staff are not always provided with the space and time to scrutinise and challenge their practice. This is a missed opportunity for staff to improve their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to care for the children effectively. All staff have a structured training programme that is relevant to the individual needs of the children. Mandatory training is up to date and the staff identify what further training they would benefit from. New staff receive a well-structured induction programme. This ensures that staff are equipped to meet children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457434 5 The manager has auditing tools in place to monitor the children’s progress, staff performance and the overall quality of care that children receive. Despite these monitoring systems, there are some key documents which are not signed, dated or do not accurately reflect the new child in the home. The manager acknowledges this shortfall and is the process of addressing this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff work well with other professionals and with children’s families. This supports partnership working and means that children’s welfare is better protected. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457434 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 registered person must maintain records (“case records”) for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 4 November 2022

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Recommendation

 The registered provider 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)

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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: SC457434 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

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

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Inspector

Evelyn Chafota, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457434 8 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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