Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2649745 1 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 provides care for one child who experiences social and/or emotional difficulties. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a suitably qualified registered manager in post.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: 19 October 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: 2649745 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

19/10/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2649745 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child said that she is very happy in this home. She speaks positively about her home and was happy to show the inspector her bedroom. She told the inspector that her bedroom has recently been decorated in the colours that she likes. The bedroom was observed to be clean and tidy. The child showed great pride in her room and keeping this nice. She has also painted a bright and colourful rainbow arch in the lounge. The child said, ‘Everything is so good here that it would take too long to say everything that is good about my home. There is nothing that I would want to change.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child receives very good levels of care in this home. She benefits from a stable and nurturing team of staff who have cared for her consistently since she moved in. Staff have worked hard to build positive and trusting relationships with the child. This means that the child has been able to move away from needing the very high levels of support that she initially needed.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are respectful and value the child, her views and her identity. Through listening to the child, they have adapted the support that they provide to her. This has included asking for the child’s views on family time and education. When the child expressed that she did not wish to do an animal care course, staff listened to her. They have advocated well for her during meetings about this.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made very good progress since being in this home. The child has received a high level of support from staff. This means that her emotional wellbeing has improved over time. There has been significant progress made to enable the child to return to education. Staff regularly talk to the child and have open conversations with her about any worries that she has. The staff are working together well so that they can provide her with consistently high levels of care. During the inspection, the child spoke openly to staff about her wishes and views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to lead a healthy lifestyle and to be active. They encourage her to be involved in preparing meals and to be active in the local community. They have provided strong boundaries and positive routines for her. Staff have supported her well to attend meetings that are held about her. They advocate for her when this is needed. Staff have been proactive in ensuring that education is provided in a way that meets the child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Clinical advice is provided by the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and an in-house mental health practitioner to support positive mental health. They think about relevant research and training that may be required by staff so that they are better able to support the child. When the child has said that she wants to have a break from working with CAMHS, the staff have explored other ways of providing support. Inspection report for children’s home: 2649745 4 One young person moved on from this home when they reached adulthood. A thorough plan supported them to move into their new home positively. This young person received a high level of support throughout their four-week transition. Staff maintain regular contact with this young person and continue to visit them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment is clean and well maintained. This has a homely feel, and the child has been involved in making changes to the interior of the home. The child benefits from r lovely smelling home-cooked meals. There are some improvements to the exterior of the home that have been identified by the manager. These will be addressed soon.

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improvement to be good

On one occasion leaders and managers did not taken robust action to keep one child safe. When the child went missing from the home during the night, this was not identified in good time. Although a member of staff had checked her room in the night, they did not notice that she was not there. The checks in place for this child were not thorough enough.

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improvement to be good

When staff became aware the child was missing the next morning, they did take prompt action to look for her. They also reported her as missing to the police and the social worker. Positive actions have since been taken by leaders and managers to address this. There is a more robust plan in place now to ensure that this child is safe.

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improvement to be good

When leaders and managers were concerned about the actions of staff in the child’s previous home, this was not reported promptly to relevant agencies. Positive action has now been taken to correct this.

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improvement to be good

On other occasions, prompt action has been taken to keep children safe. Prompt action was taken to seek medical support for one child’s emotional wellbeing. Leaders and managers advocated for him to ensure that he received the best level of care.

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improvement to be good

The child has indicated that they feel safe in this home. They said that they can talk to trusted members of staff when they feel worried. The child is provided with positive boundaries and routines that enable her to feel safe. There is good communication between staff and social workers.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the child well and has developed a strong relationship with her. She speaks positively about the child and has high aspirations for her future. The manager is regularly involved in the day-to-day care of the child. During this inspection, managers and staff were observed to have warm and nurturing relationships with the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 2649745 5 The manager is suitably experienced and qualified. There is a stable group of staff who have worked consistently with this child. Staff report having positive working relationships with one another. This supports them in working well with this child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the manager and say that they receive good levels of support and training. This helps staff to improve their practice and skills, which means that the child receives a consistent level of support from staff. Positive feedback was received from the social work team. One senior manager said, ‘This is our best home that we have worked with nationally. Staff communicate well with professionals, and children really thrive in this home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are using relevant research to improve the experiences of the child. This has included looking into current research and good practice to help managers to identify better ways to support the child. The manager has regularly attended managers’ forums held by the local authority to consider best practice. She has also supported staff in other homes with skills and good practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager works in partnership with people who are important to the child. Weekly meetings take place with other professionals. The manager has regular contact with the child’s family, social worker and other professionals. Staff talk to one another daily to share important information about the child. This means that they can provide her with consistent levels of care. There is clear evidence of managers working in partnership with the local authority to develop agreed plans for this child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is good management oversight recorded in the home’s documentation. This gives opportunities for leaders and managers to learn from practice and to make positive changes to this. Monitoring and review systems are in place to make continuous improvements so that there are positive levels of reflection and learning. Inspection report for children’s home: 2649745 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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)) 30 November

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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: 2649745 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Victoria Elworthy

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Inspector

Sarah Sheffield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2649745 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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