Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624657 1 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

This home provides care for one child who may have social and emotional difficulties. A large national provider of children’s homes runs the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home on 30 September 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

An interim manager is running the home. They are also the registered manager for another of the provider’s children’s homes.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 12 January 2022

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2624657 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/01/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2624657 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is one child living in the home. The home is welcoming and well maintained, which helps the child feel comfortable. The child has input into the décor, including the living room colour scheme. The child’s bedroom is personalised with posters and photos. Storage for the child’s items is not adequate, because this has not been prioritised by the manager.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff know the child well and want the best for them. One of the child’s parents stated, ‘Staff have a good relationship with [name of child]. They are not just carers. They are more like parents to [name of child].’ The manager is proactive in seeking support from other professionals and has challenged the local authority regarding the child’s plan, when appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child does not feel listened to by managers and staff. This prevents the child maintaining positive relationships with staff. The child has an advocate who supports them to attend meetings and voice their opinions. The manager does not consider creative ways to ensure that the child understands why decisions are made and how their views, wishes and feelings are listened to.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote time for the child with their family and ensure that this is positive and safe. This is important to the child. Staff support the child to understand and explore their identity in a safe way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has a healthy lifestyle. The child attends activities such as mixed martial arts, basketball, and the gym, which support their overall well-being. Staff offer support to the child regarding their emotional health, including direct work, online learning and a safe space to talk. The manager has worked in partnership with professionals and parents to consider a range of options for the child. This has provided the child with opportunities to engage with relevant services for their needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to access education. The child does not attend school. However, the child takes part in educational activities, including daily time with a tutor, outdoor activities and online learning. The manager has been proactive in seeking external services to provide additional opportunities for the child. This has enabled the child to engage and achieve.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager and staff have not actively supported the child to consider options post-secondary school. Applications for colleges have not been completed and deadlines have been missed. This does not provide the child with a positive sense of achievement or plan for their future. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624657 4

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

The child feels safe in the home. There are detailed risk assessments that are specific to the individual child, the manager reviews these regularly. This ensures that staff can respond to identified risks. Staff support the child to understand risks through direct work, online learning, and links with external agencies such as the police. This provides the child with information to make informed choices and improve their safety.

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

Safeguarding arrangements for the child meet statutory guidelines. Incidents are reported and recorded appropriately. The manager evaluates incidents and areas for learning are identified. The manager provides the child and staff with opportunities to reflect and learn from incidents.

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

Positive behaviour is rewarded, and consequences are appropriate. The use of restorative practice increases the child’s sense of personal responsibility.

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

Arrangements for managing medication are safe. Trained staff administer medication. Staff understand the plans to respond to anaphylaxis resulting from allergies.

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

Recruitment checks are robust. New staff are suitably vetted following safer recruitment guidelines prior to starting work in the home. This promotes safe working practices and minimises risks to children.

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

The manager ensures that any allegations against staff are managed effectively and shared with appropriate agencies. The management team offers appropriate support.

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

The manager does not ensure that records are kept of those visiting the home.

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good

The registered manager left in September 2022. The registered person acted promptly to ensure that a new manager was appointed. The new manager is a registered manager for another of the organisation’s children’s homes. The manager will be permanently in charge of three homes. A completed application has not been received in a timely manner for the registration of the new manager.

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good

There have been staff changes since the last inspection. However, several consistent permanent staff members have supported the child. This has provided continuity of care for the child.

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good

Leaders and managers ensure that staff have access to training that is relevant to the child’s identified needs and risks. Staff have not completed training relevant to the child’s cultural needs, including caring for a Black or Mixed Heritage child. This Inspection report for children’s home: 2624657 5 limits staff’s understanding of the child’s needs and their ability to support the child to fully explore their identity. The children’s guide does not reflect the child’s identity or interests.

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good

The manager provides staff with reflective, practice-related supervision. Staff feel able to raise issues and concerns. Staff attend monthly team meetings. These provide staff with a place to reflect on practice and consider areas of development, as well as the needs of the child.

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good

Internal monitoring systems are effective. They identify shortfalls and actions for improvement within the home and staff team. The manager uses external monitoring to improve practice within the home, and this is shared with staff.

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good

The home’s area risk assessment is robust and considers the child’s individual needs and risks.

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good

The manager and staff team do not work together to ensure that communication is effective. Routines and boundaries are inconsistent, and the child does not receive continuity between staff. The manager has acknowledged this. However, improvements are not yet embedded.

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good

The manager does not have adequate oversight of the quality of work undertaken by staff. For example, the manager does not evaluate the records of direct work with the child. The impact of this work on the child is unknown by the manager. Staff are not always aware of the actions needed to support the child throughout their next steps.

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good

The manager does not ensure that the home’s practices are in line with the home’s statement of purpose. The use of door alarms on the child’s bedroom door is not consistent with the home’s statement of purpose. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624657 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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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

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; and

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(2) (a)(ii)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to the registered person ensuring that staff find alternative ways to communicate with children to ensure that they understand the information being shared and the reasons for decisions that are made. 16 March 2023

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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

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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 work as a team where appropriate; and

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(2)(b)(f)) 16 March 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624657 7 In particular, the registered person should make sure that the staff work as a team to ensure that the child receives consistent routines and boundaries. The registered person should ensure that the quality of staff’s direct work with children is critically evaluated.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that a record of the visitors to the home is kept. 16 March 2023

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (5))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this refers to the registered person ensuring that the use of internal door alarms is reflected in the home’s statement of purpose. 16 March 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are actively supported and encouraged to identify suitable college placements and training post sixteen. Also, that relevant support is offered to develop the skills necessary to succeed in the option they chose. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraphs 5.13 and 5.16)  The registered person should ensure that children are provided with appropriate furniture to store their personal items, including drawers and a wardrobe with doors. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.19)  The registered person should ensure that managers and staff have completed training relevant to the needs of children and are confident to apply their learning to children’s everyday care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the children’s guide is reviewed and revised to reflect different ethnicities and interests. In particular, the registered person should consider the children who live in the home when reviewing the document. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 24, paragraph 4.23) Inspection report for children’s home: 2624657 8

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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: 2624657 9

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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 Drakes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspectors

Jenni Gadsby, Social Care Inspector Nick Veysey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624657 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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