Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Warwickshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457488 1 SC457488 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

The home is privately owned and is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have learning disabilities.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since February 2023 and holds a relevant qualification at level 5.

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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: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC457488 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 14/09/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/06/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/05/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC457488 3

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improvement to be good

The home closed for about a year. During this time, extensive refurbishment took place. It is now nicely decorated with the theme ‘bringing the outside inside’. The home reopened to children and the first child moved in to the home in May this year.

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improvement to be good

One child currently lives in this home. He has lived there for four weeks and is already making good progress. For example, he has developed his independence and self-care skills. The child’s move was well planned, with consultation taking place with a range of professionals and the child’s parents. This aided a smooth move in to the home.

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improvement to be good

In contrast to this, two siblings moved in to the home and were admitted on an emergency basis. There were missed opportunities for information-sharing to take place prior to them moving in. This meant that the manager did not have all the available information and, as a result, it quickly became clear that the staff were not able to keep the children safe. The two children remained in the home for a short period of time before they had to move out. The poor planning has impacted on children’s outcomes and on the judgement.

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improvement to be good

The current child is settled in the home. He is being supported to lead a healthier lifestyle than he was, and this is having a positive impact on his health and well- being. He is forming good relationships with the staff team, and has taken part in a range of activities, including educational trips to museums and visits to the seaside. The manager is working hard to help identify a school placement for him.

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improvement to be good

The current child told the inspector that he likes living in this home. He said that he felt that he was the best cook, and that staff are nice to him. The child’s parents told the inspector that they are happy with the care being provided to their son, and that the communication from staff is good.

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improvement to be good

Staff expect children to follow some house rules. However, these rules are confusing and are contradictory to the child’s individual care planning. For example, one house rule states that children can have access to the internet for one hour a day. However, the child can use the internet for longer than this. Furthermore, staff’s recordings of incidents require development. They contain incorrect words, which impact on the way that some documents are changed into widget format for the child. This can cause confusion. The manager is aware that this is an area for development and has a plan to help to address this moving forward. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457488 4

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improvement to be good

There have been no incidents of children going missing, no complaints and no allegations of abuse. The physical environment of the home is safe.

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improvement to be good

No staff, apart from the manager, holds a level 3 qualification in residential childcare. However, staff have taken part in a wide range of training and ongoing workshops with the home’s clinical worker. Many staff are new to the role and, although they have undergone training, it is taking time to develop and fine tune the skills required. This has meant that, on occasions, staff’s actions have not been in line with the manager’s expectations when managing incidents. The manager is aware of this and is working hard to support the staff team to develop these skills.

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improvement to be good

The organisation has recruited a number of staff since the last inspection. Unfortunately, the cabinet that contained the documents that demonstrated that all of the necessary checks have been completed could not be accessed. Therefore, it is unclear if staff have been safely recruited.

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improvement to be good

A bedroom door alarm is used for one child. However, the reasons for this are unclear. Managers were unable to demonstrate how this decision is being reviewed and considered against the child’s needs.

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improvement to be good

Online safety is given priority in the home. There are clear expectations about how to keep safe and staff complete regular checks on the child’s devices to ensure that he is making good and safe decisions.

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good

The manager is new to the home but is an experienced registered manager. She has a clear vision for the home. She is reflective of practice and has been supporting staff to develop their practice. The manager is aware of some of the shortfalls. An action plan is in place, and wider learning for the organisation has taken place regarding the sharing of information before children move in.

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good

The manager has needed to spend a lot of her time supporting the staff team during children’s times of crisis. This has impacted on other areas of her management responsibilities, such as making sure that all the documents, including the statement of purpose and location risk assessment, are up to date. Furthermore, some documents were difficult to locate during the inspection. For example, the child’s missing-from-care protocol could not be located.

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good

On the whole, staff report that they feel supported by the manager. Some staff told the inspector that they feel supported by their colleagues. However, others said that they do not. Team meetings have taken place, and this has allowed staff the opportunity to openly discuss some of their worries and concerns and how best to manage these. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457488 5 Staff told the inspector that they have regular supervision. However, these notes were not available to be viewed as they were in the locked cabinet that is not accessible due to a broken key.

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good

Parents and professionals spoken to commented about the good levels of communication and how welcome they are made to feel when they visit the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457488 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 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

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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) (2)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that the statement of purpose and location risk assessment are up to date. It further relates to ensuring that the child’s missing-from-care protocol is located, and written consideration of the reason why door alarms are used on a child’s bedroom door are located. Staff should also be skilled at managing children’s behaviours, and all documents should be accessible. 11 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

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. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children receive positive experiences of moving in and out of the home, and that house rules are individual to each child. It also relates to ensuring that documents are well written and that errors are 11 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC457488 7 picked up so that any information presented to a child has the correct pictures associated to the correct word.

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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: SC457488 8

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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 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Louise Battersby, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457488 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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