Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Middlesbrough

Inspection report for children’s home: SC454266 1 SC454266 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. It provides care for up to four children who may have emotional, social or mental health difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were three children living in the home at the time of the inspection, and all the children were spoken to.

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Information about this children’s home

The qualified, experienced manager registered with Ofsted in February 2019.

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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: 21 February 2023

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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: SC454266 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2023 Full Good 24/02/2022 Full Good 16/07/2019 Full Good 10/01/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC454266 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have safe and secure relationships with those who care for them. One child said, ‘This home is the next best thing to a loving family.’ The manager and staff know the children well, and they advocate strongly on their behalf. This promotes a sense of belonging for the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children attend educational settings tailored to meet their individual needs. When children face barriers to attending school, the care staff support the children both in the school and at the home. Children attend after-school homework clubs and additional tutor sessions. This ensures that the children continue to make good progress regardless of their starting point.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children participate in a range of community-based clubs and activities. When the children’s interests decline, the manager and staff seek alternatives to inspire and motivate the children. Attending these organised groups improves the children’s emotional well-being and increases their social skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Life skills are taught in well-planned stages. Children learn responsibility and accountability at a pace that meets their age and stage of development. Their individual plans focus on the child’s own aspirations and their abilities so that they can reach their version of independence.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs and important milestones are met. The manager and staff ensure that the children’s health, education and important events are prioritised. Children are supported to overcome barriers to attend meetings and appointments. One child said, ‘I love the way the manager is organised and counts me down to the days when I have things on.’

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

Children feel listened to by the staff, who advocate for them well. The children can identify trusted relationships that are able to support them through difficult situations. This allows children to feel safe and share how they feel.

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

The manager and staff work effectively to keep the children safe from harm. Collaborative work with the police and other agencies helps to identify the children’s risks to reduce them at an early stage. The actions of the manager and staff have supported the safety of children and enabled positive outcomes.

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

Children’s plans are informative and up to date. The children’s safety plans are completed immediately and shared with relevant stakeholders. The children’s risks are reviewed, and their plans are updated whenever events occur. This ensures that Inspection report for children’s home: SC454266 4 the children receive care from staff who know and have worked with the children’s current plans.

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

Children can identify and understand risk. Positive behaviour is promoted via daily interactions in line with the home’s model of practice. This helps the children to keep themselves safe in the home, online and in the community.

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

Children receive care from staff who are familiar and work in accordance with the provider’s safeguarding procedures. The manager delivers additional training and safeguarding practice drills to ensure the safety of children. This ensures that any risks are reduced with responses that are familiar to both staff and children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager completes rigorous monitoring of the home’s systems and processes. Concerns and practice issues are identified and addressed quickly. The manager identifies areas for improvement and shares them with the team for reflective learning.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children are well supported and strongly advocated for when issues arise. The manager escalates concerns quickly and professionally to seek an appropriate resolution from other agencies. Consequently, one child has been able to access suitable education within weeks of their arrival at the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the children, their plans and what is needed to support their progress. There is drive and determination to achieve important milestones and secure things that are important to the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision sessions are regular, supportive and effective. Children are at the core of the agenda throughout the session, which is evident in the supervision record. Reflective learning takes place, and the staff say that they receive excellent support from their leaders and managers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Training and development reflect the individual needs of the children. The manager and clinical staff seek additional resources and deliver them to the staff team. This broadens the staff’s knowledge and helps to embed cultural change.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Models of practice are embedded into the culture and ethos of the home. Additional training is sourced by the manager to broaden the knowledge base of the staff. Children understand the impact that their behaviour has on others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children moving into the home are assessed against the skill set of the staff team and those children who already live in the home. When children’s additional needs are identified, the manager seeks training and information or makes referrals to specialist health services. This ensures that the children receive care from staff who are trained to meet their individual needs. Inspection report for children’s home: SC454266 5 The change in staff has had a negative impact on the experience of children. Four employees have moved on, and others have reduced their hours. One child raised her concerns about the degree of change and how this has impacted on their experience of living in this home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children do not know how to make a complaint. One child knew where the complaint forms were located but not what they needed to do to make a complaint. Children had been given the children’s guide when arriving at the home. However, there had been no consideration of the children’s individual understanding or need to have this regularly explained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Bedroom door alarms are used 24 hours a day for all children. Children’s plans state, ‘The door alarms are a measure to enable staff to monitor the whereabouts of children at all times.’ This practice does not reflect the children’s individual risks, meaning that the monitoring and surveillance are intrusive and unnecessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The communal television has been removed for long periods. This practice has been in place for some time. This is used as a method of control without proper recording and scrutiny. This affected one child’s experience of moving into the home at a time when they had no established routine or relationships. Inspection report for children’s home: SC454266 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 registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 ((d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should only use monitoring equipment when there is an identified need and for the least amount of time necessary. The use of monitoring equipment should be kept under review and have regard to the individual child. 22 November

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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

ensure that an explanation is given to each child as soon as reasonably practicable after the child’s arrival about—

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Requirement Due date

how to make a complaint or representations in relation to the home or the care the child receives and how any such complaint or representations will be dealt with. (Regulation 7 (2)(d)(ii)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager should ensure that all children understand the complaints procedure, having regard to each child’s individual needs. 22 November

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) Inspection report for children’s home: SC454266 7

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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: SC454266 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

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Janine Shortman-Thomas, Social Care Regulatory Inspection Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC454266 9 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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