Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1159397 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

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. Care is provided for up to four children aged between 11 and 18 years who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides a therapeutic programme for children who have experienced, or are at risk of, sexual exploitation. At the time of the inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home registered in March 2016. There is currently no registered manager in post. An interim manager is responsible for the day-to-day running of the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1159397 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 04/05/2022 Full Inadequate 18/11/2021 Interim Declined in effectiveness 11/08/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 1159397 3

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improvement to be good

Children’s overall experiences of living in the home are mixed. Children have had positive relationships with staff. However, there have been several staff changes since the last inspection. This means that the children have had disrupted care, which has created inconsistency in the staff team.

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improvement to be good

The approach staff take to addressing children’s unwanted behaviours has not been consistent and sometimes these behaviours have not been addressed at all. There have historically been issues with staff conduct and the interim manager is addressing this by challenging the culture in the team. There is some evidence that improvements are being made.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to have relationships with people who are important to them. Staff have been able to mediate between family members, which has led to staff being able to facilitate safe family time for one child who lives a significant distance from their family.

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improvement to be good

Staff support children to attend and engage in their healthcare appointments. Staff have supported one child with their fear of the dentist, and the child has now attended a dental appointment. Additional therapeutic support is available to staff to promote the mental health and physical well-being of children. This helps staff to understand the children’s complex needs and respond accordingly.

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improvement to be good

Activities are offered to children to encourage them to enjoy leisure time. These activities allow children to broaden their experiences and develop their self-esteem. Leisure activities include theme parks, educational visits and trips to the beach. These opportunities create lasting memories of the children’s time in the home and help children to feel valued.

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improvement to be good

Where possible, children are welcomed into the home as part of carefully planned introductions. Time is taken to meet the child and they can visit the home before they move in. Similarly, staff help children to move on from the home in a planned way. When a transition cannot be planned, staff are sensitive to this. Staff continue to keep in touch with children who have moved on. This provides children with an extended support network which they benefit from.

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improvement to be good

Risk management systems are inconsistent. Risk assessments and behaviour management plans are regularly updated and reviewed, but not all strategies in place ensure that children are consistently safeguarded from harm. One child told a member of staff about a serious safeguarding concern, and this was documented Inspection report for children’s home: 1159397 4 incorrectly. It was not raised as a safeguarding issue and therefore the correct processes were not followed in a timely way. Poor recording and not following due processes can leave children at risk of harm.

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improvement to be good

Not all members of staff are equipped with the skills they need to promote the safety and well-being of children. Two staff members do not have the qualifications required to do their role. In addition, one staff member did not know what they should do if a child made a disclosure to them. This shortfall means that not all staff are equipped to carry out their roles effectively in order to safeguard children.

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improvement to be good

The home is decorated and furnished to a good standard. However, the outside area of the premises contained discarded items of furniture, such as a fridge, cooker, used mattresses and rolls of carpet. This makes the grounds look unsightly and poses a risk to the children when accessing the outside of the home.

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improvement to be good

Previously raised shortfalls about the recording of physical interventions have not been fully addressed. There are now records of conversations with staff and children following a physical intervention. However, one recent incident was not appropriately reviewed or had sufficient oversight by a suitable manager.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from care, staff take effective action. They understand their roles and responsibilities, such as searching for children and alerting relevant professionals. The interim manager carefully reviews the actions taken by staff to ensure that the correct procedures are followed.

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good

The interim manager has made some improvements to staff conduct, the quality of documentation, and the way in which clinical support is used in the home. However, the effectiveness of these changes, and how they will be maintained longer term, cannot be fully evaluated.

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good

The interim manager has failed to notify Ofsted of a significant incident during which a child was harmed and had to go to hospital. This did not provide Ofsted with the information to ensure that the child was safeguarded effectively at the time.

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good

Formal supervision for the staff is not consistent. This has meant that staff have not always had the forum to discuss and record matters with a manager. The interim manager has put systems in place to ensure that staff now receive supervision, and staff have said they value this opportunity to discuss their practice.

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good

The location risk assessment does not include information about the local area where the home is. It gives a geographically inaccurate picture of the nearest large city. Therefore, it does not accurately represent the statistics of that area. This means that risks associated from nearby towns have not been considered. Inspection report for children’s home: 1159397 5 The home has operated outside the described quality and purpose of care stated in the home’s statement of purpose, particularly in relation to the therapeutic assessment process and subsequent work that would be carried out with a child. This means that any work carried out is not informed by a full assessment and therefore has not been as effective as it should.

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good

The interim manager has had concerns about the external scrutiny of the home by the independent visitor. Despite stating that this has been challenged, there is no evidence which would substantiate this. In addition, the interim manager takes an ad hoc approach to how they oversee the day-to-day running of the home. This limits the effectiveness of reviewing and evaluating the children’s experiences and outcomes. Inspection report for children’s home: 1159397 6

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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 must comply within the given timescales.

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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 staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should have systems in place to monitor and review the quality of the work carried out in the home. This is to ensure continuity and consistency of care for children. 30 September

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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. 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: 1159397 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that the staff respond appropriately when there are safeguarding concerns.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the outside of the premises needs to be free of hazards to the children and clear of rubbish and debris that could pose a risk to their health.

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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

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 30 September

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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

For the purposes of paragraph (3)(b), an individual who works in the home in a care role has the appropriate 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: 1159397 8 qualification if, by the relevant date, the individual has attained—

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Requirement Due date

the Level 3 Diploma for Residential Childcare (England) (“the Level 3 Diploma”); or

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Requirement Due date

a qualification which the registered person considers to be equivalent to the Level 3 Diploma.

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who starts working in a care role in a home after 1st April 2014, the date which falls 2 years after the date on which the individual started working in a care role in a home; or

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Requirement Due date

in the case of an individual who was working in a care role in a home on 1st April 2014, 1st April 2016.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may defer the relevant date if the individual—

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Requirement Due date

does not work, or has not worked, in a care role in a home for a prolonged period; or

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Requirement Due date

works, or has worked, in a care role in a home on a part- time basis. (Regulation 32 (1) (4)(a)(b) (5)(a)(b) (6)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the provider must ensure that all staff have the appropriate qualifications required of them. The provider must ensure that staff are enrolled on the qualification in a timely way and that they have completed the qualification in the time frame permitted.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement (“the statement of purpose”) which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

Subject to paragraph (6), the registered person must ensure that the home is at all times conducted in a manner which is consistent with its statement of purpose. (Regulation 16 (1) (5)) 30 September

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Recommendations

Inspection report for children’s home: 1159397 9  The registered person should ensure that staff understand what is expected of them in terms of their behaviour. Boundaries between staff and children should be consistent with the registered person modelling how this should look. This will enable positive relationships to develop while ensuring the safety of the children. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 39, paragraph 8.11)  The registered person should ensure that any incidents of physical intervention are documented accurately and are overseen by the manager/senior staff member at the time of the incident. Having another manager who was not on site at the time of the incident do this does not provide accurate oversight of the incident or the practice used. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 49, paragraph 9.59)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all relevant details are included in the location risk assessment process. This includes considering the risks associated with the areas geographically closest to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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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: 1159397 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

Gail McGann, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1159397 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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