Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home: SC483856 1 SC483856 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 privately owned children’s home provides care for up to five children who may have social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, three children were living at the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in May 2020.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: SC483856 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

02/03/2023 Full good 16/03/2022 Full good 24/07/2019 Full good 04/03/2019 Interim sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children's home: SC483856 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved out in line with their plans after living in the home for over four years. Two children are settled and have lived in the home for over a year. One child recently moved in and is also settling in well. The children benefit from individualised care and support from staff who have high aspirations for them. Through this support, the children are achieving positive outcomes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provided stability and supported one child who recently moved from the home into semi-independent living. The child completed their education and built their independence skills. Staff supported the child with emotions and decision-making, which meant that risks to them were reduced. The child was involved in the planning for their move, and staff have positively maintained a relationship with the child.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are encouraged to develop their independence skills as part of their plan. There is a clear independence training programme in place that helps prepare children to move on from the home into semi-independent living. This includes areas such as budgeting, meal planning and understanding household bills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made good progress in their education in relation to their starting points. Staff have high expectations of children attending school or colleges. They maintain good communication with the schools and the headteachers of the virtual schools to ensure that children’s educational needs are met. The manager is working with other professionals to re-engage one child who is new to the home back into education. In the meantime, the child has a daily education plan in place that includes formal and informal learning.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have a good understanding of each child’s health needs. Children are registered with a doctor, dentist and optician and access these services when needed. Staff educate children on healthy eating and the importance of exercise. Staff are also supported by a clinical therapist who regularly attends staff meetings and can offer support to the children when needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to have a positive time with their families. Some of the children’s families live a significant distance from the home, yet the staff ensure that they help the children to regularly spend time with them over the weekends. Staff have regular communication with families. The families are kept up to date on their child’s progress and achievements.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children actively participate in decisions concerning their day-to-day lives. They are regularly consulted and have positive weekly feedback sessions with the staff. This captures the child’s voice and celebrates any achievement for the week. Inspection report for children's home: SC483856 4

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

Children said that staff keep them safe and they feel safe. The children know how to make a complaint and can identify a trusting staff member with whom they can talk to about any concerns or worries. There have been no complaints raised.

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

There are clear risk assessments in place that are kept under review. There is a strong proactive response when a risk has been identified. Significant incidents are well managed to ensure that the children are safe. The staff follow children’s risk assessments, and there is clear management oversight. The children have an opportunity to debrief after each incident, and staff are clear on how they are going to support the children in reducing risk-taking behaviour.

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

Staff respond appropriately to any children who have been missing from home. There are appropriate safety plans in place, which help the staff to manage and reduce risk. When a child has been missing, incident reports are detailed and include the action staff have taken to locate the child. As a result, children are rarely missing from home.

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

Children are supported to manage their behaviours by having positive relationships with staff. This has meant that children do not need physical interventions or consequences for negative behaviour.

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

Children are protected from online abuse. There are safeguards in place so that if incidents do happen, there is a quick response from staff. There is clear work undertaken with children on how to keep safe online.

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

The manager reports any safeguarding concerns to the relevant professionals and completes any investigations required. Staff have a good understanding of the whistle-blowing policies. However, the manager did not ensure that the local authority was kept informed of the outcome of the investigation. This will ensure that there continues to be positive partnership working and clear oversight.

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

The physical environment is safe for children. All health and safety checks have been completed. Children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms and to take some age-appropriate responsibility to keep them tidy. However, staff do not always assess children’s individual levels of need for support. As a result, one child’s bedroom was untidy, and the wallpaper was left damaged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced, qualified, child-focused and aspirational registered manager leads the home. There is clear management oversight. This ensures that clear plans are in place for children. This enables children to make progress and move forward with their plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is appropriately staffed to meet children’s needs. The staff are committed and child-centred, and they feel supported by the manager. There have been Inspection report for children's home: SC483856 5 several staff employed from overseas. The manager has ensured that safer recruitment practice is in place and all relevant checks have been completed. This ensures the children’s welfare and safety in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive effective supervision sessions and appraisals. These take place regularly and are in line with the statement of purpose. The supervision records are clear, and there is reflective practice taking place. This allows the staff to develop their skills and knowledge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive appropriate training and an in-depth induction programme. All staff are up to date with their mandatory training. The manager has sourced additional training to help staff meet children’s individual cultural needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff build effective working relationships with other professionals and families. One mother said, ‘I can’t speak highly enough about the home and the opportunities they have given to my son, especially taking him on holiday. The communication is excellent, and the staff actively advocate for my son.’ Having these strong links has allowed the manager to raise issues with other professionals if she believes that they are not helping to meet the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly, and the staff can contribute to them. Staff are reflective about their practice, and the manager ensures that there are opportunities to refresh the staff’s knowledge and improve practice. Inspection report for children's home: SC483856 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is well maintained and that any damage identified is quickly repaired. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 56, paragraph 11.5)  The registered person should ensure that the relevant officer in the local authority is promptly informed of any outcome of an investigation into an allegation against a staff member working at the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.18)

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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: SC483856 7

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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

Simon Jones, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: SC483856 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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