Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456542 1 SC456542 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

The provider states in its statement of purpose that this home provides care for one child with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties that result in complex needs. The manager is in the process of applying to register with Ofsted.

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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

Date of last inspection: 27 September 2022

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC456542 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/09/2022 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Good 24/04/2019 Full Outstanding 18/07/2018 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC456542 3

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improvement to be good

There is one child living at the home, and one child has moved out since the previous inspection. Moves both in and out of the home have been well planned and sensitive to the children’s needs. This means that children’s experiences are made as positive as possible for them and also meets a requirement made at the previous inspection.

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improvement to be good

The home is spacious and has a good array of communal areas. However, the cleanliness of the home falls below expected standards, including in children’s bedrooms. Maintenance issues are not readily addressed, and as a result, the environment looks tired. There has not been any improvement in this area from the previous inspection when a requirement was made.

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improvement to be good

The staff support children to spend time with their family and they advocate on their behalf when children have requested more time. The staff support children to build on their relationships with their families, and staff themselves have positive links with families. ’

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improvement to be good

Children are encouraged to attend education, and the staff work closely with education staff to improve the children’s attendance and achievement. Children are supported to prepare for their next steps in education. Staff are creative in finding new provisions for children when there have been difficulties. Children have sat their exams and successfully secured college placements.

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improvement to be good

Staff ensure that children have access to advocacy services so that their views, wishes and feelings are considered when important decisions are being made about their lives.

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improvement to be good

The staff have conversations with children regularly on a variety of topics. These are well recorded and relate to children’s individual plans. This means that children are being educated by the staff on matters that directly affect them.

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improvement to be good

The staff ensure that children’s health needs are met, for example in attending appointments and making referrals to appropriate services. Children are supported at appointments to engage with different professionals so that they receive help. However, children do not have access to medication that is prescribed for them as and when they may need this.

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improvement to be good

The children have enjoyed a variety of activities, including go-karting, pool, cinema, and boat trips on the lake. Children are listened to when they express their preferences for particular activities. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456542 4

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improvement to be good

Children are very rarely missing from home. On occasions when they have been missing, staff have followed the guidelines and actively looked for them. Children are offered warmth and support on their return to the home as staff try to establish why the child left the home without permission. However, the manager does not evaluate these incident reports, which represents a missed opportunity to address any staff practice issues, or to review what was successful and identify any future learning.

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improvement to be good

There have been two allegations made about staff. One of these was from a child in the home, and the other was from a third party. The staff failed to recognise that a child had made an allegation and to follow the correct procedures, so there was a delay in the manager being made aware of the allegation. Positively, the manager made the appropriate referrals and completed supervisions with the staff involved, as well as discussing the process for allegation management in a team meeting. Both allegations were well documented and there was no further action.

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improvement to be good

There have been no restraints and incidents are rare. Staff are skilled at de- escalation techniques that support the children to be calm and able to continue with their day.

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improvement to be good

The staff have a good understanding of the risks to individual children and how to respond to these. However, the staff are not consistently requesting that children hand in lighters at night time or removing these when they are seen, as highlighted in the child’s plans, to prevent a child smoking in their room or burning items.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are being followed, which ensures that only those adults suitable to work with children are doing so.

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good

The home is being managed by a newly appointed, interim manager. She is in the process of registering with Ofsted. The previous manager was present for the inspection.

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good

There have been internal staff promotions in the home that have been supportive of staff development and retention. The manager does not use agency staff and has covered gaps in the rota with staff from other homes in the organisation and bank staff.

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good

The staff have attended training specific to children’s individual needs. However, not all staff have completed their mandatory training within the expected timescales. This is important to ensure that staff are providing consistent care. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456542 5 The manager’s oversight of the home requires improvement. The manager does not evaluate incident reports or consequences given to children. This is a missed opportunity to identify issues with practice or to evaluate the effectiveness of the measures implemented. Additionally, checklists that have been introduced to support the running of the home are not being monitored.

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good

The staff say that they feel supported by the manager and feel that the team members work well together. The staff receive regular supervision, and monthly team meetings are child focused, which provides staff with the information needed to support the children.

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good

Any complaints made by staff are addressed swiftly and appropriately to ensure that these do not affect the morale of the team.

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good

The manager has good links with other professionals and ensures that representatives from the team attend any reviews or meetings about the children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456542 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to staff following children’s plans and requesting that lighters are handed in by children and removed from them if they are seen.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to staff identifying when a child has made an allegation and following the correct procedures. 10 November 2023

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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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

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff— 10 November 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456542 7 provide to children living in the home the physical necessities they need in order to live there comfortably;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(a)(b)(vii)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to the registered person ensuring that the home, including children’s bedrooms, is clean and maintained to a high standard.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to staff having completed their mandatory training within the expected timescales.

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Requirement Due date

This further relates to the registered person evaluating incident records, missing-from-home records and consequences used to identify and address issues with staff practice and to provide an oversight of effectiveness, any emerging patterns and reflection on the event. 10 November 2023 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456542 8 The health and well-being standard is that—

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Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met;

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Requirement Due date

children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

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Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

that each child has access to such dental, medical, nursing, psychiatric and psychological advice, treatment and other services as the child may require. (Regulation 10(1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to children having access to prescribed rescue medication for asthma 10 November 2023

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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: SC456542 9

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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

Kerri Lynch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456542 10 regulates and inspects 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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