Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Blackpool

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 1 SC415710

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Cambian Childcare Limited

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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This monitoring visit

Ofsted completed a full inspection on the 26 and 27 June 2023 and the home was judged to be inadequate. A notice of the restriction of accommodation was issued on 28 June 2023. This monitoring visit was completed to review the provider’s adherence to the notice of restriction and to review the progress made since the full inspection.

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This monitoring visit

The notice of restriction has been adhered to and two children are currently living at the home.

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This monitoring visit

The lounge and the children’s bedrooms have been refurbished. The children were able to choose the wallpaper and colour of paint for their bedrooms and, as a result, their bedrooms reflect their interests and tastes. Other improvements to the home since the last inspection have included the removal of broken radiator covers and the repair of the cupboard for storing hazardous products, which is now secure and kept locked.

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This monitoring visit

Some staff have completed training in relation to child sexual exploitation, missing from home and safeguarding. Staff who have attended this training demonstrated an understanding of these key areas of risk. Those staff who have yet to complete this training are scheduled to do so. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 2 The frequency of safeguarding concerns, including allegations, has reduced. When such concerns have arisen, staff have taken appropriate action. Staff understand the role of the designated officer and what they need to do should there be an allegation against a member of staff.

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This monitoring visit

For one child, missing-from-home incidents have reduced since the last inspection. Despite this progress, there continues to be significant concern for the child’s safety when they go missing. The registered manager and staff have worked with professionals and proactively made attempts to locate the child when they have been missing. On the child’s return to the home, they have the opportunity to speak to someone about their reasons for leaving the home.

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This monitoring visit

Improvements to risk management plans have been made, but are not yet sufficient. For example, missing-from-home plans do not include all known information, including the potential triggers for the child going missing.

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This monitoring visit

Children are now engaging in different activities in and outside of the home. One child has been able to attend a community cookery class, visit trampoline parks, and is now attending horse riding lessons. The child told the inspector, ‘Everything is alright. Its better at the home. I am doing more activities and I have got things to do. I have been horse riding.’ There are toys in the home for the child to play with and, during the inspection, the child was enjoying playing and building with interlocking plastic bricks with staff.

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This monitoring visit

Staff have completed work around offending behaviour and criminalisation with one child. There have been no further incidents of criminality. However, the registered manager has not obtained a copy of a court order related to one child’s involvement with the youth offending service.

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This monitoring visit

A peripatetic manager has been working in home for four days a week to support the manager. This is helping to develop the registered manager’s skills and knowledge and has increased the management oversight of the home. The responsible individual has also increased their oversight of the home and is undertaking monthly audits. Furthermore, supervision for the registered manager has increased in frequency.

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This monitoring visit

The registered manager and staff have built good relationships with the children and encourage them to share their views, wishes and feelings about their care. The registered manager and staff have provided a caring and nurturing environment for the children.

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This monitoring visit

Staff feel supported by the registered manager. Staff from other homes in the organisation are required to work in the home to cover staff absences. The registered manager is taking steps to ensure that staff who do not normally work in the home understand the children’s needs. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 3 The dates for the requirements raised at the last inspection have not yet been reached and, therefore, those requirements are restated. The notice of restriction of accommodation remains in place.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 26/06/2023 Full Inadequate 29/09/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 19/01/2022 Full Good 08/01/2020 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 4

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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 with 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

that staff— 15 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 5 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. (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, and ensure that 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. 15 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 6 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;

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Requirement Due date

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. 15 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 7 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

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 ensure that children’s risk assessments reflect children’s current risks. Ensure that risk assessments are understood and followed by all the staff. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 8 Leaders and managers must ensure that investigations are completed immediately with staff when safeguarding concerns have been raised.

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Requirement Due date

Leaders and managers must ensure that 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—

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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

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)) 15 August 2023 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 9 In particular, leaders and managers should ensure that there is effective oversight and review of the steps taken to safeguard children.

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Requirement Due date

Furthermore, the registered person must ensure that 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

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

This is a repeated requirement. 15 August 2023

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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

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 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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Inspectors

Tracey Sykes, Social Care Inspector Claire Deary, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: SC415710 11 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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