Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Cornwall

Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This children’s home is part of a large national organisation. It is registered to care for up to two children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties or learning disabilities. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in October 2022.

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Inspection date: 16 November 2023

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 16 November 2023

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspector evaluated:

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Information about this inspection

 the care of children  the safety of children  the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children, using the social care common inspection framework. This assurance 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’. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 2

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Outcome from the inspection

We identified the following serious and widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection:

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Outcome from the inspection

 There are systemic failings in leadership and management and in the care and safeguarding of children. Leaders and managers have failed to ensure that the requirements made at the last inspection have been met.

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Outcome from the inspection

 Decisions about whether children’s needs can safely be met in this home and alongside one another lack sufficient consideration.

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Outcome from the inspection

 Leaders, managers and staff have failed to keep children safe from the risk of harm. Incidents of children going missing together and being at risk of sexual exploitation have not been prevented.

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Outcome from the inspection

 Despite surveillance measures in place, including at times waking night staff, children have gone missing from the home overnight. Strategies designed to prevent this have been ineffective. On one occasion, an unknown male also entered the home without staff knowing.

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Outcome from the inspection

 Several examples of poor staff practice are under investigation. Leaders and managers are unable to assure the regulator that staff fully understand and will comply with expectations to keep children safe.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers do not have effective oversight of practice in this home. They do not always identify when the care for children falls below that expected. Consequently, significant shortfalls in practice continue, which has resulted in children being left in situations of potential risk. The introduction of a peripatetic manager to support the registered manager has started to identify practice concerns. However, more action is needed to tackle and address the shortfalls swiftly. The very recent development of an action plan provides some reassurance that things should improve. The impact of the action plan is yet to be seen in practice.

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Findings from the inspection

The decision to move another child into the home following the last inspection brought about increased challenge for staff and impacted negatively on children. The risk assessment and pre-placement planning failed to fully consider how well each child’s needs could be met when living together. Furthermore, one of the children’s social workers was not consulted about the move. As a result of this placement, incidents increased and the children were not always safe. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 3 Managers and staff failed to act quickly enough to reduce risks for children. They did not always follow instructions in respect of monitoring the children. This led to children going missing from home during the night without staff being aware. This was also a feature at the previous inspection. Children have gone missing when staff were supposed to be awake during the night or when staff were expected to carry

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Findings from the inspection

out checks throughout the night. On one occasion, an unknown male was brought into the home by a child during the night without staff realising.

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Findings from the inspection

Leaders and managers do not ensure that all staff always follow instructions or make sure children’s care and risk management plans are followed. On one occasion, a child was left at risk of potential harm and their risks were not fully considered by staff. In another example, staff were instructed by a manager to check children were in their rooms every morning at 7am. Staff only carried out this task on the following two mornings.

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Findings from the inspection

Some management investigations into poor practice are weak. Not all are as detailed as they need to be. One investigation failed to consider the potential risk a child was placed at by the actions of a staff member. Other investigations have not been carried out quickly enough to swiftly address poor practice and are still waiting for senior management sign-off.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers have not ensured that they consistently and quickly notify Ofsted when there are safeguarding concerns for children or concerns about adults who work in the home as required. On occasion, there has been delay because staff have not escalated concerns to managers swiftly and effectively.

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Findings from the inspection

Managers do not always review incidents as well as they should. This prevents them identifying and challenging weaker practice quickly. As a result, this practice has continued. For example, there are errors in how staff manage incidents when children go missing from home.

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Findings from the inspection

Concerns identified at the last inspection regarding children having their liberty restricted have been addressed. The manager now actively reviews any action taken, in line with presenting risks. Despite this, risks have not decreased for children.

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Findings from the inspection

Children benefit from living in a warm, nicely furnished and welcoming environment. There are pictures of the children and staff around the home which provide reminders of positive experiences. One child has a memory book which gives them lasting memories of their time at this home.

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Findings from the inspection

There are some positive relationships between some children and some staff. These relationships are built on trust and mutual respect and children can talk to these staff about their worries and concerns.

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Findings from the inspection

Children are encouraged to attend school and staff have aspirations for their future. On occasions when children are excluded from school, staff challenge the school and they advocate well to make sure children are back in education as soon as possible. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 4 Children are supported to have good-quality time with their families and people who are important for them. For one child, work undertaken with a parent has improved the quality of family relationships and has paved the way for the child to be able to return home to their parent’s care.

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Findings from the inspection

Following this inspection, a notice restricting new admissions to the home was served. Ofsted will continue to monitor and inspect this home.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/10/2021 Full Good Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 5

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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 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

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

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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; ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

understand and apply the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

protect and promote each child’s welfare;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand and manage the impact of any experience of abuse or neglect;

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Requirement Due date

make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iv)(v)(ix))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, this relates to ensuring that children are cared for in line with their care plan and staff meet their needs and reduce known and emerging risks for them.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, undertake robust and meaningful assessment and consider each individual child’s needs and current and 31 December Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 6 emerging risks when considering the placement of additional children in the home.

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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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies.

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff act to keep children safe. Ensure that staff act in accordance with children’s plans and management direction when children are at risk of harm.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that when children go missing from home, staff act to find them quickly and there are effective systems in place so that staff know when children go missing.

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Requirement Due date

Ensure that children are offered a return home interview that helps inform future care planning and risk reduction. 31 December Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 7 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

In particular, ensure that leaders and managers have effective oversight of staff practice and the care and safety of the children and they act quickly when practice falls below an acceptable standard.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that leaders and managers have the skills, knowledge and experience to ensure that staff understand expectations of them and what they need to do to keep children safe and are held to account when practice is weak or unacceptable. 31 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff receive meaningful practice- related supervision in line with expectations. 31 December Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 8 Ensure that staff subject to performance plans are provided with clear information in respect of what they need to do to improve their practice within realistic timescales, and make sure they know how they will be supported to make the changes and what the expected outcome is. Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nicola McClements

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Inspector

Tracey Ledder, His Majesty’s Inspector Assurance inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 10 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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