Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 1 SC043972 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 one of a number of children’s homes run by a large private organisation. The home provides care for up to five children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, there were four children living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since November 2022. The deputy manager is in the process of applying for registration.

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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

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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: 26 October 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: SC043972 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

26/10/2022 Full Good 22/02/2022 Full Good 16/03/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 23/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress in relation to their starting points. They enjoy good relationships with the staff who care for them. Staff provide children with continuity of care to promote consistency and stability in their lives. One child’s social worker said, ‘I think it’s going really well and they’re meeting all of his needs. I think it’s a good placement and I would recommend it.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are registered with the services they need to be healthy. Staff maintain effective partnerships with health professionals to ensure that the health needs of children are consistently met. Staff are good role models for children. This ensures that children benefit from adults they can talk to and learn from.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with effective support through one-to-one work. This helps children to reflect on their feelings and behaviour. A child said, ‘Staff are very curious and take an interest. It’s a nice house with nice people.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Some children do well in education and attend college regularly. One child’s social worker said, ‘He has established trusting relationships with staff. He is doing well educationally.’ However, some children’s educational attendance can be sporadic. The manager provides children with incentives and rewards to encourage their educational attendance. However, staff do not always provide creative opportunities for informal education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to keep in touch with their friends and families. This ensures that children sustain their close relationships with the people who are most important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from a physically safe, comfortable and homely living environment. Children’s bedrooms are nicely furnished and decorated in accordance with their feelings and wishes.

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

Children’s safety is consistently at the centre of staff’s practice. Risks associated with children are managed safely and effectively by staff. Staff have a good understanding of the specific needs and vulnerabilities of children and take appropriate action to address them.

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

Children are kept safe and feel safe living at the home. Staff maintain effective partnerships with social workers and other safeguarding agencies to promote the safety of children.

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

Staff promote children’s positive behaviour and take action to prevent negative behaviours from escalating. Children become increasingly safer because of the Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 4 actions staff take to help and protect them. There have been no complaints or restraints since the last inspection.

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

Staff use rewards to reinforce children’s positive behaviour. The use of consequences to address negative behaviour is fair and proportionate.

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

Children are protected if they go missing from the home. Staff actively look for children and keep in regular contact with them when they are missing. Staff work closely with the police to locate children quickly and encourage their safe return.

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

Significant incidents are reported to the appropriate authorities so that the right action is taken by the right professionals to protect children from harm. Staff are trained in child protection so that they know how to deal with allegations and report suspected abuse. There have been no allegations since the last inspection.

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

Employed staff are selected and vetted carefully to ensure that children are protected from unsuitable people. Staff meet the aims and objectives outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. They maintain effective partnerships with all external professionals to ensure that the needs of the children are reliably met.

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

Health and safety in the home is addressed effectively by staff to ensure that a safe environment is maintained for children.

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good

There is a manager in place at the home that is in the process of submitting their application to register with Ofsted. They are currently being supported by a more experienced manager to develop their skills and knowledge in the role.

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good

Sufficient staff are employed to meet the needs and numbers of children. Staff benefit from regular team meetings and receive practice-related supervision. Staff benefit from good-quality training to help them meet the specific needs of children.

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good

The provider has met the requirement and one of two recommendations from the last inspection. The unmet recommendation in relation to a child’s requests to have a double bed is repeated. This has not been purchased due to company policy, rather than reviewing children’s requests and needs on an individual basis.

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good

The home is visited by an independent person to review the quality of children’s care and the arrangements made to promote their safety and well-being. These visits help staff and managers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the home. As a result, they act to secure continuing improvement.

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good

The manager of the home has completed a detailed quality of care review. The report includes the views of children, social workers and other stakeholders. However, there is no evidence to show that the report had been sent to Ofsted, as required by regulation. This reduces the oversight of the regulator. Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 5

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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 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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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;

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Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a) (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(viii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to supporting improved educational attendance and providing educational activities when children are not attending education. 1 September 2023

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if— 31 July 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 6 there is no registered manager in respect of the home; and

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Requirement Due date

is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home.

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Requirement Due date

If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of—

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person so appointed; and

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Requirement Due date

the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii) (2)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed; and

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Requirement Due date

make a copy of the quality of care review report available on request to a placing authority, if the placing authority is not the parent of a child accommodated in the home. (Regulation 45 (4)(a)(b)) 31 July 2023

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that any reasonable request made by a child is taken seriously and a response considers their needs on an individual basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 21, paragraph 4.4) Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 7

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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: SC043972 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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Inspectors

Anthony Kyem, Social Care Inspector Tracey Sykes, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC043972 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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