Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 1 SC415710 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 is registered to provide care for up to three children who may have experienced social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since April 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are widespread failures that mean children and young people’s welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the experiences of children and young people are poor.

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inadequate

Date of last inspection: 29 September 2022

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

29/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/01/2022 Full Good 08/01/2020 Full Good 22/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 3

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inadequate

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection. While progress has been made by some children, significant shortfalls in help and protection and leadership and management have impacted on children’s overall experiences and safety.

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inadequate

Children’s educational progress is mixed. One child, who was not previously accessing education, is now attending school full time and making progress. However, another child who is currently being educated in the home is not engaging with their tutor and there is no clear plan to overcome this. The education arrangements for the third child are also poorly considered and there has been a lack of effective challenge by the manager to address this. For those children not in full-time education, there is a disorganised approach by staff to schedule and implement alternative educational activities.

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inadequate

Some staff are not equipped with the knowledge, skills and understanding to provide therapeutic parenting to the children in line with the home’s statement of purpose. This contributes to children making limited progress and means that children are not provided with the support and help that they need.

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inadequate

Staff are inconsistent in their approach to supporting children to have time with their families. One professional said, ‘They support and facilitate family time really well.’ However, staff have failed to take another child to see their family in accordance with their agreed plans. This has impacted on the child being able to maintain their relationships with important loved ones.

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inadequate

Staff are not always given clear guidance on how to meet children’s needs. Placement plans contain inaccurate information or have sections left blank. In other instances, staff do not follow agreed plans to promote children’s interests and hobbies. This means children are not provided with the opportunity to develop their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests.

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

Safeguarding practices are ineffective. Managers are failing to provide staff with clear information to manage children’s risks and vulnerabilities safely and effectively. Risk assessments are confusing and inconsistent. The assessments do not identify all known risks and do not support staff to understand and manage these risks.

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

Staff are not managing children’s behaviour proactively and, as a result, risk-taking behaviours are increasing. Children who have not been involved in criminal behaviour before moving into the home are now involved. On one occasion, staff left the office unattended, with the keys to the company car on the desk. A child took Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 4 the keys and drove the car before being arrested by police. This incident had the potential to result in serious harm to the child or others.

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

Risks to children are not safely managed. On one occasion, staff were not aware that children were missing from the home for a substantial period of time. This delayed them in taking action to locate the children. Despite this, the manager has not completed a review to identify any learning. When children return from being missing, they are not offered an interview with an independent person to understand why they went missing or where they have been. As a result, the plans in place to reduce further incidents of children going missing are ineffective.

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

Staff do not have a good understanding of child exploitation and cannot recognise when a child may be at risk. Staff lack professional curiosity, particularly when children go missing, and they do not take action to protect the children.

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

Hazardous substances, which are meant to locked away in a cupboard, have been stored in the staff office. Children can enter the office to speak to staff and this leaves a window of opportunity for children to gain access to the hazardous substances.

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

Staff are not always safely recruited. Gaps were identified in the suitability checks of staff. This means that leaders and managers cannot be assured that those working in the home are safe to do so. A requirement in relation to this is restated.

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

The manager does not ensure that the regulator receives notification of significant events in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been registered since April 2023. The manager has not yet developed a sufficient understanding of the home’s areas for development or taken effective action to make improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are substantial shortfalls in the oversight of the home by leaders. For example, following significant safeguarding incidents, the manager’s evaluation has been limited and they have not taken required action to address shortfalls in staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff morale is low. The home has high levels of staff sickness and, as a result, bank staff are used regularly. Efforts have been made to use the same bank staff. However, the use of bank staff has added to the inconsistent and, at times, poor quality of care provided to children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive supervision from the manager on a regular basis. However, the quality of the sessions varies and they do not always support the development of staff’s skills and knowledge. Team meetings are being used to support staff’s learning and development. Despite this, staff are not yet equipped to meet children’s needs or keep them safe. Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 5 The manager has missed opportunities to obtain feedback about the home from children, parents, staff and external agencies. This limits the manager’s insight into how the home can improve and also to understand what is working well.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The responsible individual took steps during the inspection to address some of the shortfalls identified. However, prior to the inspection, they had not provided adequate support to the manager and staff to ensure that children were safe and that their needs were being met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

A restriction notice was served following this inspection. This will be monitored with a further visit to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 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, The 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

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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Requirement Due date

provide personalised care that meets each child’s needs, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans, taking account of the child’s background. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(b)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that children’s plans are specific to their individual needs. Staff should have an understanding of these plans, to provide children with personalised care. 15 August 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—

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers; 15 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 7 help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must support children to engage in the education provided in the home. Also, ensure clear plans are in place for children who are not in education.

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Requirement Due date

The enjoyment and achievement standard is that children take part in and benefit from a variety of activities that meet their needs and develop and reflect their creative, cultural, intellectual, physical and social interests and skills.

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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

develop the child’s interests and hobbies;

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Requirement Due date

participate in activities that the child enjoys and which meet and expand the child’s interests and preferences; and

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child’s interests and hobbies. (Regulation 9 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, encourage and support children to access activities. 15 August 2023

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on—

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and

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Requirement Due date

positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans; 15 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 8 help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

are provided with supervision and support to enable them to understand and manage their own feelings and responses to the behaviour and emotions of children, and to help children to do the same. (Regulation 11 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(viii) (ix)(x))

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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; 15 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 9 help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers must ensure that staff understand their responsibilities in safeguarding children, especially when children are missing from home.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers should have clear and consistent systems in place to monitor children’s risk assessments and to ensure that children’s risk assessments reflect children’s current risks. Ensure that risk assessments are understood and followed by all the staff.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and manager must ensure investigations are completed immediately with staff when safeguarding concerns have been raised.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure the physical environment of the home is safe for children.

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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— 15 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 10 helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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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

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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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

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met

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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)(a)(b)(d)(e)(f)(g)(i)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, leaders and managers should ensure that there is effective oversight and review of steps taken to safeguard children.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, the registered person must ensure monitoring and review systems are in place so there is sufficient oversight of the quality of care provided to children and any shortfalls are identified and addressed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children’s safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only— 15 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 11 employ an individual to work at the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

If the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(b)(c)(e)) 15 August 2023

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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: SC415710 12

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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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Inspectors

Nicola Clements, Social Care Inspector Tracey Sykes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC415710 13 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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