Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bradford

Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 1 SC424141 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 privately run home is registered to provide care for up to six children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2022.

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Information about this children’s home

There were four children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/04/2022 Full Good 23/02/2022 Full Inadequate 04/02/2020 Full Good 04/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 3

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improvement to be good

The day-to-day experiences for children vary. Children feel settled because the relationships that they have with staff have helped them to make progress in terms of their emotional well-being. Some children have made progress in the activities they enjoy. However, there is a lack of structure and routine during the day for children not in education. Some children are spending time in the community with friends, and they are not attending education.

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improvement to be good

The furniture in some children’s bedrooms is damaged or broken and has not always been replaced in a timely manner. This meant that one child was sleeping on a broken bed. Another child did not have any storage for their clothes as their wardrobe had not been replaced. The home did not have a functioning washing machine, and there are areas of the home that would benefit from redecoration to provide children with a brighter space. The manager acted to address the concerns on the day of the inspection.

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improvement to be good

Not all children receive a meaningful education. There is a lack of continuous support to help some children to participate in further education, training, or employment in line with their plan. There are missed opportunities for both formal and informal learning for those children not in education.

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improvement to be good

Children’s well-being has improved because they respond to the nurturing and consistent care provided by staff. Children are reported to be in good physical health. However, most children continue to vape, smoke cigarettes, or use cannabis. Children have been referred to local services, but not all children are accessing this support.

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improvement to be good

The relationships between some of the children living at the home are not always positive. Children know how to complain and have raised concerns about their peers. One child said that they have felt bullied, and another child made a formal complaint about their peer. Despite significant staff efforts to repair the relationships between children, this has not always been successful in helping children to resolve their differences.

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improvement to be good

Children benefit from the positive relationships that they have built with staff. Children said that they get on well with staff and that they can go to them for help and support. Records show that staff have open and honest conversations with Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 4 children, and they respond sensitively when children are worried or anxious. This helps children to feel valued and provides them with a sense of security.

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improvement to be good

Equality and diversity are celebrated at this home. Staff are committed to meeting children’s cultural and religious needs. There is a proactive educational approach to supporting all children to learn about the different cultural backgrounds of their peers. This inclusive approach means that children have a sense of acceptance and belonging, and it also promotes understanding and tolerance.

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improvement to be good

Children are helped to spend time with the people who are important in their lives. Because of the strong relationships that staff build with families, one child has been supported to spend increased time at home. One parent said, ‘They go above and beyond not just to support the child, but to support me too.’

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improvement to be good

The shortfalls in children’s risk assessments mean that the guidance for staff to follow is not always clear and is sometimes ambiguous. In some risk assessments, key information about children is missing or is conflicting across documents. This relates to the supervision of a child being bullied by another child. This has led to an inconsistent response by staff, which increases the risk to the child.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always follow the guidance provided in children’s risk management plans. Staff appropriately identified the need to prevent a child from having access to aerosols following them lighting a fire in the home. However, at the time of the inspection, an aerosol was present in their bedroom. This places children and staff at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Children smoke cigarettes and vape inside the home. A strong smell of cannabis, along with evidence of a child smoking cigarettes and extinguishing them on the furniture, raises concerns about fire safety in the home. Inspectors saw lots of good examples of key-work sessions in response to fire safety, which helps to educate children about the risks and dangers of smoking, but this has not been effective.

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improvement to be good

Staff rarely need to intervene physically with children. When children have been held, records show that the action taken by staff has been necessary and proportionate to ensure that children are protected. However, the debrief with staff has not always happened. When the manager has been involved in the restraint, they have indicated that the debrief did take place but there was no record to support this shown. Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 5 Children do not go missing from home often. There are comprehensive plans that provide staff with guidance on how to respond should a child go missing. Staff understand their responsibilities, search for children, and report them as missing in line with their plan. The manager has not always ensured that arrangements are in place to ensure that the child’s placing authority provide the child with the opportunity to talk to an independent person when they return home.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to understand risks and to be solution-focused. Children are involved in finding ways to reduce or prevent risks. Staff regularly revisit the work that they do with children to reduce the likelihood of risks increasing. This helps children to be equipped to make the right choices.

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good

There have been changes to the staff team since the last full inspection, with several new staff now working at the home who are new to working in care.

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good

The manager has not ensured that the systems in place to audit and monitor the quality of care provided to children are effective. This has meant that shortfalls relating to the gaps in risk assessments, records and progressing repairs have not always been identified and addressed in a timely way.

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good

New staff have received a detailed and comprehensive induction. Mandatory training ensures that staff have the necessary knowledge to care for children. Additional training in child exploitation and drugs and alcohol was delivered by an external agency and further informs staff on how to safeguard children. Staff training records are not always updated to reflect the additional training that staff complete. This prevents the manager from having a full and clear understanding of the training needs of individual staff.

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good

The manager has reviewed the suitability of the location of the premises. However, they have not consulted with and taken into consideration the views of each relevant person when completing the review. This is a missed opportunity to determine risks to children in the local community.

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good

The manager lacked oversight of a recent complaint. However, staff had responded and worked with a child to help them to resolve their complaint.

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good

Delays in accessing children’s care plans and records relating to discussion at their statutory review mean that these are not always available to review. The manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 6 addressed these shortfalls with the placing local authority on the day of the inspection.

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good

A blanket approach to the use of bedroom door alarms does not consider the risks for individual children. The manager has not ensured that the placing authority has provided written consent for the use of the alarms.

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good

Staff receive regular support and supervision. Staff meetings take place regularly and provide staff with the opportunity to discuss the risks to children and the progress they are making.

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good

The manager has built strong relationships with professionals involved in the care of each child. Consistently, children’s social workers said that staff have strong relationships with the children, and communication with the home is good. Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 7

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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

provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(vii)) 5 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(x)) 19 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— that staff—

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(vi)) 5 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 8 In particular, ensure that children are supervised in line with their plans. This relates specifically to when a child is bullied by another child.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that when children have been missing they are provided with the opportunity to talk to an independent person when they return home.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that risk assessments for children provide accurate and clear guidance for staff to follow to mitigate those risks. This relates specifically to the supervision of children who are being bullied.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that when there is a risk of fire starting, restricted items are confiscated in line with the child’s plan.

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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; and promotes their welfare.

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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

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(g)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the home is well maintained, and that repairs or the replacement of furniture and equipment are acted on in a timely manner.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children’s records are kept up to date. This specifically relates to making sure that each child has a care plan written by the placing authority on their files.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that records are streamlined to provide the manager with oversight. This relates specifically to the recording of staff training. 5 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 9 Monitoring systems should provide the manager with oversight of any complaints made.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(b)) 19 May 2023

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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 (3)(b)(i)(ii)(c)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, when the manager is involved in the restraint of a child, a person not involved in the restraint should offer the manager a debrief. 19 May 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 19 May 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 10

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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: SC424141 11

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Caretech Estates Ltd, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Fitzsimmons

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Inspectors

Rachel Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC424141 12 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.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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