Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Somerset

Inspection report for children’s home: 2614511 1 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 part of a large private organisation. The company employs its own clinical team.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, there were two children living in the home. A third child recently moved out but still contributed to the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager of the home has been registered with Ofsted since December 2021.

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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 good

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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: 8 November 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: 2614511 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

08/11/2022 Full Good 14/12/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2614511 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children make good progress in this home. When children’s progress has plateaued, managers look at the reasons why and adapt the child’s care plan. At times, this has meant decisions have been made to move some children to other homes. These decisions are carefully considered and involve the children when appropriate and individuals with parental responsibility. Staff provide ongoing support to children who have moved. This has included day-to-day care when they live in other homes operated by the same organisation to ensure consistency for the children, and outreach support for children who have moved to semi-independent living.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children attend school regularly and have made notable progress from their starting points. Children had often been out of school for long periods of time before coming to live at this home. Because of staff’s support and close work with education providers, children soon re-engage with learning. This year, children have completed their GCSE exams, one child has secured a part-time job and another is now positive about going to school and the plans for starting a college course in mechanics.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Typically, children make good progress to develop positive and healthy lifestyles. Most children no longer misuse illegal substances, and others are now attending regular health and dental checks. However, most children use vapes, and while staff talk with children about the risks, they are still allowed to continue using them. Children are also aware that several staff use vapes themselves. More action is needed to ensure that vaping does not become an accepted norm in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s emotional health needs are very well met. A holistic approach is strongly embedded throughout the home. Staff work in partnership with the experienced and supportive clinical team. Children all attend and engage with therapeutic support, and staff receive good-quality clinical supervision that helps them work with children effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is a welcoming atmosphere in the home; the downstairs is full of children’s artwork and photos of them enjoying activities. Home-cooked food is prepared and shared together. Children like their bedrooms and have personalised them to their individual tastes. However, the upstairs of the home, including the corridor and bathrooms, lacks homely touches. The manager is aware of this and is planning to make improvements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff often bring their dogs into the home so the children can pet and walk them. Children are involved in the decisions about this and said they are happy with most of the dogs visiting. However, children told the inspectors they are currently not so happy about one dog visiting the home. More work is needed to review the ongoing visits of dogs to the home to ensure these visits are always child-led and Inspection report for children’s home: 2614511 4 appropriate.

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

Most children say they feel happy and safe living in this home. They can name staff they like and who they feel safe with. During the inspection, several concerns were raised by a child to inspectors. Swift action was taken by leaders and managers to deal with the concerns, including referring them to external agencies. The child’s concerns are not yet concluded.

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

Other safeguarding concerns have been responded to swiftly. Partnership working with other agencies means that leaders, managers and staff have a good understanding of the risks to children in the local and wider area. Child protection records would benefit from further review. Currently, the decision-making in relation to lower-level concerns is not comprehensively recorded.

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

Leaders, managers and staff have a good understanding of the particular needs and vulnerabilities facing the children. They are well trained to recognise signs of potential exploitation and take swift and decisive action to keep children safe. Staff support children to take age-appropriate risks when they are ready. Staff regularly talk with children about how to stay safe.

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

When children go missing from the home, staff take the right action to find them and return them safely to the home. They speak with children after the incident to find out why they ran away and what staff can do to help. Independent return home interviews also take place. Some environmental restrictions are in use in the home, and children are aware of these restrictions and are accepting of them. The restrictions are kept under regular review to ensure they are necessary and the least restrictive approach. To date, staff do not always make a record to capture their checks on children when door alarms go off.

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

Children are helped to develop positive behaviour and healthy relationships with others. Staff use the support of clinicians and other specialists to help them devise child-focused therapeutic approaches to behaviour management. Incidents of two children going missing from home together have increased in recent weeks. Decisive action has been taken in response and to keep children safe. Managers have explored the reasons for this increase to learn lessons and prevent a repeat.

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

Children’s sexual health needs are understood and met, including support from external sexual health professionals. Currently one child is supported to manage their own medication. This is a positive development. Staff undertake audits of medication. Managers are expected to oversee these audits, but they have not signed the records to confirm this oversight since the last inspection. In addition, staff have not ensured that medication held by children is always stored away safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report for children’s home: 2614511 5 An experienced manager leads this home effectively. The manager is well supported by the responsible individual, senior leaders and the staff team and also manages another home that she has applied to register for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers monitor the impact of their work with children closely. They understand children’s needs and take decisive action to ensure the right support is in place at the right time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers work closely with others. They keep them up to date and work in partnership to make decisions that affect children’s care. The manager challenges other professionals when their support of children falls short of what is expected. In recent months, this challenge has ensured that progress has been made to secure a child their passport and that another child has the right education provision in place. The manager understands how to advocate for children, making good use of external agencies such as the children’s rights commissioner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Detailed records are made that show the children’s journeys in the home and the progress that they make. Since the last inspection, good work has taken place to involve children more in contributing information to their care plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are provided with good support to help them develop in their role. They are enabled to complete care qualifications and have access to a wide range of training to help them meet children’s needs. In recent months, this has included training in drug and alcohol support, managing self-harm and a therapeutic behaviour support approach. Supervision is reflective and held regularly.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team around the child meetings happen regularly and provide helpful opportunities to review the children’s care and identify ways to support them further. Good work is done to ensure that all relevant people are involved in these discussions so that practice is shared and consistent.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The requirement and recommendation that were raised at the last inspection have been met. Debrief discussions for staff now happen more consistently, and children’s views are incorporated into their care planning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2614511 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 health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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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

achieve the health and well-being outcomes that are recorded in the child’s relevant plans; and

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Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, review the use of vapes to ensure that all actions are taken to support children not to use them.

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Requirement Due date

Additionally, ensure that medication that is self-administered by children is always stored securely, and that medication audit records are reviewed by managers as required. 2 October 2023

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that records are maintained that detail when door alarms have been activated and staff’s response. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should review how conclusions and investigations into lower-level concerns are documented to ensure that there is clear evidence of Inspection report for children’s home: 2614511 7 how the outcome decision was reached. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that children’s views are taken into account when planning their care. In particular, they should review the purpose of staff’s dogs visiting the home to ensure that, if appropriate, visits are only arranged to meet children’s needs and are in accordance with their wishes. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 21, paragraph 4.5)  The registered person should consider ways to improve the personalisation and homely feel of the upstairs of the home in line with the atmosphere throughout the ground floor. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.10)

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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: 2614511 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

Hazel Bailey, Social Care Inspector Paula Lahey, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2614511 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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