Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC450992 1 SC450992 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 provides care for up to six children who may have complex social and emotional needs because of their childhood experiences or previous trauma. The home is privately owned and forms part of a large social care organisation that offers therapeutic support.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 24 May 2022. She is suitably experienced and has recently acquired the level 5 qualification in leadership and management.

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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 to be good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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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: SC450992 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/06/2022 Full Good 12/01/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 07/10/2019 Full Good 04/02/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC450992 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three children have moved into this home since the last inspection. Care planning for new children moving into the home is well considered. The registered manager assesses all the children’s needs to ensure that the staff team has the appropriate skills to meet the children’s needs. Children experience gradual, planned transitions into the home. This helps children settle in quickly.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff offer children support and encouragement to help prepare them for adult life. One child has been preparing for independence since the last inspection. The manager has assessed the child’s skills effectively, and the team continues to offer them support in areas such as cooking and looking after the home. This is aiding children to make progress ready for when they move on.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children benefit from positive relationships with the staff team. Children spend time chatting with staff. Staff use additional resources in specialist areas of need to help children, for example around healthy relationships. The children also regularly go out with staff to visit places of their choice, such as the park, shopping and go- karting, and one child has recently been to the cinema and a theme park. This helps children to develop trusting relationships and have fulfilling experiences.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s education is promoted. The manager works effectively with other professionals. The team supports children to go to school. One child has successfully attended their GCSE exams recently after the manager arranged for them to access additional tutoring to support them. Another child, who struggles with engaging in school, is supported through regular direct work. The manager has met with other professionals to explore alternative educational options. This approach gives children the best opportunity to meet their full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are prioritised by staff. One child has a complex health condition. Since living in the home, the health condition has been managed effectively by the child, with the support of staff. Staff received additional training to give them the skills they need to support the child with their health. The team follows good plans and engages with health professionals. This ensures that the child is kept safe and their health concerns are well managed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home has been repainted and decorated in parts since the previous inspection. However, there remain some areas of the home in need of repair or redecoration. For example, there are some walls that have recently been filled in which need repainting, there is damage to a garden fence and there remain areas with institutional signage around the home. Staff also lock some rooms in the home without sufficient cause. These things prevent the home from feeling cosy and like a family environment. This means that the requirement issued under regulation 6 is not yet met. Inspection report for children’s home: SC450992 4

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

Children have remained settled in the home since the previous inspection. Professionals report that children who have arrived more recently have had fewer safeguarding incidents since living in the home. For example, children have not gone missing from home since the previous inspection, and there have been only three incidents where children have been held for their own safety in the last year.

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

The manager encourages a positive approach to children’s behaviour in the home. As a result, consequences given to children are rare, and when used, are restorative. This helps children to understand the impact of their behaviour while also making them feel supported.

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

Staff offer children nurturing care and keep them safe if they hurt themselves. Some children have struggled with their emotional well-being since the previous inspection. When incidents occur, staff act to remove any items that might cause harm to the child, specialist help is sought and children’s local authorities are informed. Staff then complete safety plans with children so that they are involved in their risk management planning. This is helping to keep children safe in the moment and helping to improve their well-being over time.

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

When a child made an allegation, safeguarding procedures were followed to keep them safe. The manager investigated effectively, informed the local authority designated officer and engaged the child’s local authority so that someone independent consulted with the child. However, when the child was worried, the manager did not consult effectively with the child to reassure them. While this practice did not leave the child unsafe, it did not show the child that their views were fully listened to.

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

Staff only hold children when necessary. When staff have used physical intervention, this is proportionate and clearly recorded. However, staff do not always follow children’s plans and understand how to support children to help minimise their distress as far as possible. In one incident, this resulted in the police being called to the home. The manager identified that this was not proportionate and discussed the incident with the staff. However, the manager has not carried out further training with the team, despite this being identified as needed. The manager recognises this shortfall and intends to address this as a priority.

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

Managers do not always update written plans to inform the staff of the strategies they need to use and when, regarding all risks. For example, the manager advised that staff should be checking children’s phones and going through them every day. There are no records to suggest that this takes place, nor any guidance for the staff team to follow. While this has not resulted in any safeguarding incidents, there are nine new staff members working in the home since the last inspection who are therefore likely to need up-to-date guidance. Therefore, the manager cannot assure themselves that plans are effective and that everyone knows what to do to manage this type of risk. Inspection report for children’s home: SC450992 5 A child has been assessed as requiring a bedroom door alarm. The reasons for this still being required are not explained in their assessment. Without proper assessment, based on the specific needs of the child, the bedroom door alarm could

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good

There is a consistent registered manager who has led the home since the previous inspection. She has recently obtained her level 5 qualification to equip her in the role. She is supportive of the staff team, and she has developed positive, warm relationships with the children. Other professionals have also commented on her effective communication with them.

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good

The registered manager regularly monitors and reviews the care by overseeing incidents and completing monthly audits. However, this is not always effective in improving care when shortfalls are identified. For example, when practice around restraints with one child was poor, this was not promptly rectified with further training. This allows unskilled practice to persist. Similarly, the registered manager did not identify some shortfalls around risk management planning for children, which prevents staff from being fully equipped to manage all risks for children.

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good

Regular health and safety checks take place; however, managers have not ensured that actions set by the fire risk assessment in February 2023 were completed in the set timescale, for example the quality of fire doors and items kept unsafely in storage areas of the home. This action may have compromised safety in the event of a fire.

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good

The manager provides staff with regular guidance and supervision. Staff describe her as always being there to offer them advice, and supervision sessions reflect this approach, although they are not always used as an opportunity to upskill staff. The manager, however, does use monthly team meetings to thoroughly discuss children’s needs and progress. This ensures the team has a coordinated approach to children’s care. However, there are areas where the staff team could be offered greater input to develop its practice.

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good

The staff team has grown significantly since the previous inspection. Due to the increase of children moving in, new team members have been safely recruited. This results in nine new staff who are all new to residential care. While few staff have achieved their level 3 qualification, no staff are out of timescales. This means the previous requirement issued under regulation 32 is now met.

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good

Staff receive training in the areas of need for children. Staff received a thorough induction, followed by a primary training package. This is supported by additional guidance from the home’s clinical therapist, who regularly meets with the manager to reflect and make actions to improve children’s care. The therapist also meets with Inspection report for children’s home: SC450992 6 staff to carry out therapeutic care training with them. This supports children to be cared for by people who understand their needs.

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good

The manager has reviewed and changed the format of the locality risk assessment. This means that information in this is now more detailed, and risks in the local area are properly considered. Inspection report for children’s home: SC450992 7

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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

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 (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that the home’s environment is well maintained, and that work is undertaken to repair damage to areas of the home. The provider should also ensure that children have full access to their home and that rooms are not locked unnecessarily.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is repeated from the previous inspection. 31 August 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;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that there are clear plans to manage any risks for children around 31 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC450992 8 internet safety, and reasons for the use of bedroom door alarms should be clearly recorded. The provider should also ensure that staff follow children’s plans in incidents when children become distressed.

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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

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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;

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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)(g)(ii)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that any actions required when they identify practice shortfalls are taken promptly to improve the practice. The registered person should also ensure that children are consulted with and their wishes are listened to promptly if a child makes an allegation about an adult caring for them. 31 August 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

In particular, the registered person should ensure that any actions identified in their annual fire report as being needed as a matter of fire safety are addressed promptly. 17 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC450992 9

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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: SC450992 10

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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

Fiona Roche, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC450992 11 regulates and inspects 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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