Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Warwickshire

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC476249 1 SC476249

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Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is run by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to five children who experience social and emotional difficulties. Two children currently live in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in November 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

Date of last inspection: 12 October 2022

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Information about this children’s home

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Information about this children’s home

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC476249 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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The care of children

Care planning for children has improved. Children’s plans are well written and include clear expectations of realistic and achievable targets and goals. Children’s records are contemporaneous, clear and updated regularly.

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The care of children

Since the last inspection, one has child moved out of the home to be closer to their family, and another child has moved in. One child has lived in the home for several years and said, ‘I don’t ever want to leave, I love it here.’ There are positive relationships between the staff and children.

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The care of children

Children attend and engage with their schooling in a setting that meets their needs. The registered manager speaks with the education provider when required and has good relationships with professionals linked to the children. The registered manager is active in ensuring that children receive good-quality education.

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The care of children

Since the last inspection, the home has been redecorated throughout. The home is well furnished and staff have involved the children in choosing how the home looks. However, the home is messy and dirty in places. There is some paint and graffiti to the rear external wall of the home. Furthermore, the boiler room door was unlocked and contained hazardous materials inside. This is not conducive to promoting a safe environment for children to live.

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The care of children

Children’s rooms are well decorated, and the children choose soft furnishings and how their room looks. Both children at the home have their own bathrooms, which are also decorated to reflect their likes and tastes. However, one of the toilets in the home is for the express use of staff and visitors only. This excludes children and does not give them free access to their home.

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The safety of children

Since the last inspection, the registered manager has submitted safeguarding notifications to the regulator in a timely fashion. The content of these notifications has been appropriate. Follow-up responses from the registered manager following safeguarding notifications have also been effective.

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The safety of children

There are risk management plans for all children, which are based on local authority care plans. Risks affecting children are well identified and plans to mitigate these risks are clear for the staff to follow. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC476249 3 The home is large and spacious and staff generally keep on top of repairs and maintenance. However, three fire doors were found not to work as they should. One in particular was jammed and would not close. This exposes children and staff to unnecessary risk in the event of a house fire.

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The safety of children

Children’s individual care plans have a balanced assessment of risks that may affect the child. However, one risk assessment was not updated promptly following an incident. A serious incident took place several weeks ago when one young child went missing from the home. The child’s risk assessment has not been updated to reflect this, which leaves staff without the knowledge they need to safeguard the child effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Leaders and managers have made improvements in the home since the last inspection. The manager registered in November 2022, is suitably qualified for the role and oversees the running of the home with support from a deputy manager. A quality assurance manager visits the home once a month to support monitoring and oversight of records in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered manager offers appropriate challenge to external agencies and internal senior managers in the organisation. The registered manager is particularly tenacious in raising challenge if there are concerns about the children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

The registered manager and deputy manager oversee all behaviour management records. Staff have received training on restorative practice. Consequences are now restorative in nature and any that are not are revoked by the managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

All documents reviewed were recorded in a clear, concise and understandable way. These records are regularly reviewed and monitored by leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers

Staff are well trained and receive regular, reflective supervision and annual appraisals. The staff are supported to implement the training they receive to improve the quality of care experienced by the children. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC476249 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/10/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 25/01/2022 Full Good 28/02/2020 Interim Declined in effectiveness 24/07/2019 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC476249 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered persons 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 persons 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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that the home environment is clean, welcoming and homely for children. 1 May 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; 1 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC476249 6 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that risk management plans are updated promptly following a significant incident.

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)) 1 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(a) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that all the fire doors are repaired and close as they are designed to. 1 May 2023 Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC476249 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: Metropolitan House, 3 Drakes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Ricky D’Arcy, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: SC476249 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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Inspector

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