Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 1240802 1 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

The home can provide care for up to five children who have social and emotional needs. At the time of the inspection, there were three children living in the home. One child moved into the home a week before the inspection. Two children have moved out of the home within this review period.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since June 2021. The manager was registered with Ofsted in September 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

The home is part of a large private organisation. The company employs its own clinical team. This resource is shared between this home and four other homes within the organisation.

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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: improved effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1240802 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/10/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/11/2019 Full Outstanding 18/02/2019 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 1240802 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in this home. Both children who have left and those that live in the home now are making steady progress towards the goals that have been individualised to their needs. The manager has good oversight of the progress children make; she clearly records and analyses both successes and any barriers, and takes steps to overcome these barriers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child moved into this home one week ago. They and their social worker described how positive and child-centred this move was for the child who was moving a considerable distance. The manager and staff completed several visits, including virtual and in person, as well as providing a virtual guide of the home before the child arrived.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children moving on from the home are well supported and endings have been sensitively planned. The manager has created slide shows set to the child’s favourite song to document the times they have shared in the home. The children are also involved in scrapbooking to capture their memories and experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is prioritised and promoted. The child who has recently moved into the home has a school place at the company’s school and started within two weeks of arriving at the home. Another child has a high level of school attendance. For one child, this has been more of a challenge since entering post-16 education. The manager and staff have been proactive in offering them opportunities within local settings and now the child receives a small amount of tutoring, which is encouraged by the manager and staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family provided positive feedback on the care their children receive from the manager and staff team. Comments included how therapeutically their child is cared for and that the manager and staff have a good understanding of the children and their needs.

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

Wider professionals reported positively on the care the children receive in this home. Children are kept safe, with a strong emphasis on multi-agency working to promote their safety and better outcomes.

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

The children feel that staff have helped them in the time that they have lived in the home. However, for one child, the rural location of the home has limited their ability to develop some of their independence skills, due to the lack of public transport links locally. This is a source of frustration for the child, which leaders and managers recognise. However, the child’s independence skills have been promoted in other ways, and they occupy the home’s annex, which has its own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, so their autonomy can be developed and supported. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240802 4 Children have access to therapeutic support in this home, which is delivered flexibly to suit each child. In addition, the manager promotes a trauma-informed approach to the care delivered by the staff team and is ambitious to further develop the staff skill set in this area.

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

Children use vapes in this home. There is a clear message from staff that this is discouraged, and the home has a zero tolerance to smoking. Children are advised of the support available to them in regard to their smoking when they first arrive at the home. However, this is not always clear in the children’s records.

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

Following an incident of physical intervention, the debrief with the member of staff was not recorded. The member of staff stated that they were supported at the time and following the incident. However, records do not reflect this, nor the manager offering professional challenge and learning for the involved staff.

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

Restrictive practices are in place in this home. This includes the use of door alarms and window restrictors. While the leaders and managers have a clear understanding and rationale for these being used as a protective measure, this is not well documented in the records. The manager started to address this during the inspection and recognised that there should be regular reviews with the aim of reducing restrictive practices where appropriate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is a strong leader and strives to lead the home by example. They are well supported by the senior management team, whose members share the same vision for the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager’s therapeutic background and expertise are evident throughout the home. The manager completes thorough and effective reflections following incidents, which provide helpful critique and learning opportunities for staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is well staffed for the number of children living in the home, and safer recruitment practices are in place.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff report that they receive high-quality training and benefit from the manager’s expertise in this field. However, systems to ensure oversight of staff training is up to date and relevant are weak.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children’s records do not always reflect the level of care for each child. Some records are contradictory, which could lead to confusion and inconsistency in the delivery of care. It is not always recorded when children have played an active part in, or reviewed, what has been written about them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive effective supervision which is timely and well recorded. In addition, meetings with the wider staff team offer further reflection opportunities with the Inspection report for children’s home: 1240802 5 clinical team, who offer further therapeutic suggestions regarding the children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are aware of the weaknesses of the home and have plans as to how these will be addressed. Inspection report for children’s home: 1240802 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 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

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is clear rationale for any restrictive practices, these are well documented and only applied for the minimum amount of time necessary. 1 April 2023

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Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are continually supported to make healthy choices around smoking and vapes and that plans are reflected in the children’s records. 1 September 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1240802 7 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 each child’s relevant plans are followed; and

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Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure children’s plans accurately reflect the care for the child, including clear objectives, and that it is well recorded when these have been shared with children. 1 September 2023

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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 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. (Regulation 35 (1)(a)(b) (3)(b)(i))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that following the use of restraint the registered manager has spoken with the staff involved and recorded this discussion, including any reflections. 1 April 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 1240802 8

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and they should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. In addition, the registered person should have appropriate mechanisms to provide effective oversight of training needs and where mandatory and service-specific training refreshers may be beneficial to ensure there is no lapse in training. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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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: 1240802 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

Katie Ratcliffe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1240802 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or

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Inspector

medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspector

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Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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