Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 1 SC456911 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 privately owned by a national provider. It provides care for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in July 2022.

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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: 20 September 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: SC456911 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/09/2022 Full Good 09/12/2021 Full Good 10/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness 09/07/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, one child was living at the home. One child recently moved on to live with foster carers. This was a planned and positive move. The current child is settled and happy. This shows that they have a sense of belonging and strong relationships with the staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff have a good understanding of the child’s health needs. They encourage the child to eat healthily and attend all health appointments. Staff talk openly about emotional well-being. This has supported the child to talk to staff about low mood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

There is an atmosphere of enjoyment at the home. On the day of the inspection, the child and staff were hosting Nigeria Day. This included a celebration of the culture, food, and music of Nigeria. This was to show the child and staff the traditions of the Nigerian staff. The child was able to take part in hosting this event, which was a positive experience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A child compared the expense of going on a seaside holiday against having a holiday in Wales, which was their preferred destination. This holiday involved doing activities, such as mountain biking and climbing Mount Snowdon. The child successfully climbed for eight hours to reach the top of the mountain and earned a certificate of completion. This shows the growing confidence of the child, which is encouraged and supported by staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff ensure that any barriers to learning are explored and a solution is identified. Previously, the child refused to attend any education. Since then, the staff have encouraged and supported the child to attend a small local school. The child is enjoying learning and has maintained 100% attendance.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate for the child to spend time with the people they care about. The child’s grandparent visited for five days so that the child was able to spend a significant amount of time with a treasured family member. Staff supported them both to have trips out. This helped the child to retain their family relationships and sense of identity.

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

The child previously had missing-from-care incidents, which have reduced significantly. Staff ensure that safeguarding is discussed, and the child understands that staff are concerned about their personal safety. Partner agencies are notified quickly about any concerns.

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

Risk management plans are updated regularly and reflect current concerns. Staff understand these plans, and work hard to provide the child with support that is Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 4 reflective of their current risk level. This helps children to have new experiences that consider their age, ability and understanding.

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

Key-worker sessions are reflective, and show that the child is able to discuss how they feel emotionally. Staff encourage discussion and the topics in the sessions are wide ranging. This enables the child to develop negotiation skills and understand personal relationships and how to respond to situations that they find personally challenging.

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

Restraint is used as a last resort. Staff use positive rewards to encourage the child to find alternative ways to cope with feeling frustrated or angry. There is a consequence book, which shows that staff mainly use positive consequences. A ‘lucky dip’ reward box is used when staff feel that the child has made a contribution, however small this may be.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is suitably qualified and new to the management role. She undertakes monthly audits that ensure that the children receive good-quality care. Patterns and trends are identified from safeguarding incidents, missing-from-care episodes, and restraint records. This helps managers to identify training needs, and to address any changes necessary to manage risk levels.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers have a good understanding of the child’s history, their needs, and their goals. They translate this into care plans that identify and address the most- important issues for the child. All staff, including senior managers, understand the progress that the child is making.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers recognise and celebrate important milestones. They know the child and make them feel important in their lives. The manager actively seeks the child’s opinions. The manager uses the child’s contribution to influence the service.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a two-week induction package for new staff that is delivered at a training centre. Staff say that they value the opportunity to have this time to work collaboratively with other teams. This helps the staff to feel valued and to understand the culture of the organisation. All staff receive regular supervision sessions and annual appraisals. This means that staff training needs and areas of support are quickly identified and resolved.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is relatively new to management and, until recently, has been supported with extra supervision to ensure good management oversight. This support has since reduced. This does not provide enough time for the manager to embed processes and support the newer members of staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Files are stored electronically and on paper. The storage of the files is not always consistent and some files are hard to locate. The manager and quality assurance manager have recognised this. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that those with a leadership and/or a management role are visible and accessible to staff, and able to deliver their leadership and management responsibilities. In particular, ensure that the manager receives additional supervision to embed the leadership responsibilities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 52, paragraph 10.07)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all the children’s case records are kept up to date and stored securely while they remain at the home. In particular, ensure that case records and supervision files are clearly documented for storage and accessibility. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)

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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: SC456911 6

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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

Trudy Potter, Social Care Inspector Tom McGhee, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456911 7 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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