Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Herefordshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2599399 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This is a privately owned children’s home that provides care for two children with social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager has been registered with Ofsted since September 2020.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

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

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2599399 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2023 Full Good 29/11/2022 Full Inadequate 30/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2599399 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and no children have moved out. At the time of this inspection, two children lived at the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have formed positive relationships with staff. Staff have created a supportive environment that has enabled children to explore emerging identity needs and to develop their self-confidence and self-esteem. This good support helps children to be proud of who they are.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

When children are not attending education, staff work with them and support alternative learning. When children face barriers to learning, the manager attends meetings with education professionals and ensures that individualised strategies to support the child are implemented. One teacher described staff as ‘brilliant, caring and consistent’.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy taking part in a variety of activities that they choose. These include horse-riding, cadets, roller skating and drama club. Children are also encouraged to have their friends visit the home for evening meals and to socialise in the community. Activities encourage children to have fun and build relationships.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to read and understand written information. One child has enjoyed writing her own ‘my plan’, which gave her the opportunity to share her thoughts about her care. However, the plans written by staff have failed to provide information on a child’s identity, health needs and day-to-day preferences. This could lead to inconsistencies in the care provided to this child.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home provides a welcoming and safe environment. The atmosphere is calm and relaxed. Since the last inspection, the home has been redecorated, and during the inspection, one child proudly showed the inspector the new wallpaper and soft furnishings.

p.3

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

Staff have a good understanding of children’s risks and respond to children’s presenting behaviours appropriately. There are written risk assessments in place for the children. However, these documents have not been updated to inform staff of children’s emerging risks and the expected strategies. During the inspection, the manager accepted this shortfall and explained the changes she would make.

p.3

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

When children go missing from the home, staff follow the procedures. Staff make efforts to locate children, including contacting family and friends and searching the local areas. When children return, they are welcomed back to the home, and staff spend time talking to them to discuss risks and how they spent their time when they Inspection report for children’s home: 2599399 4 were missing. Staff share this information with professionals to develop strategies to reduce missing-from-home incidents.

p.3

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

Physical interventions have not been used, and children rarely receive consequences. Staff ensure that children receive regular praise and that their achievements are celebrated. Staff complete reflective discussions with children to consider their emotions and the causes. This approach has been successful in strengthening relationships in the home.

p.4

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

Staff encourage children to learn independence skills. For example, one child is learning to cook, maintain employment and attend medical appointments alone. Staff work closely with professionals to ensure that the support offered matches the child’s abilities and future plans.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is qualified and has relevant experience for the role. They are committed to developing good practice. The manager has built positive relationships with the children and has a good understanding of how they feel about living at the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager has good working relationships with partner agencies and promptly raises concerns when children are not getting the support that is required. As a result, their challenge has ensured that a child’s local authority acted on the child’s wishes and that she received the support she needs to reach her goals.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff group in the home is stable. Staff speak positively about working in the home and feel well supported by the manager. Staff receive regular and reflective supervision sessions and annual appraisals. The manager is aware of staff members’ performance needs and sets clear goals to ensure that there is continuous development and support.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training for staff is bespoke to the needs of the children. The manager has ensured that staff have been provided with additional training to ensure that they have up- to-date knowledge of how to care for children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the last inspection, the manager’s monitoring systems have improved. The manager has introduced peer audits between herself and other senior managers. These have been effective in identifying areas for development. In addition, the manager uses reflective practice with other registered managers in the organisation to develop learning opportunities and strategies to improve the quality of care given. Inspection report for children’s home: 2599399 5

p.4

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.

p.5

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

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)(iv))

p.5

Requirement Due date

This relates to the registered manager ensuring that the children’s care plans consider children’s wishes in relation to their identity and how this influences their day-to-day care.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered manager should ensure that children’s plans are updated and are clear about the strategies in place to support a child’s health needs. 25 October 2023

p.5

Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that when there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, includes details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day-to-day basis. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’. Page 42, paragraph 9.5’) Inspection report for children’s home: 2599399 6

p.5

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: 2599399 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

p.7

Inspector

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2599399 8 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8