Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC476292 1 SC476292 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 home is owned by a private company. It provides care for up to three children.

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Information about this children’s home

The home has a new manager who has applied to register with Ofsted.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC476292 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2022 Full Good 21/04/2021 Full Good 21/01/2020 Interim Not judged 25/09/2019 Interim Not judged Inspection report for children’s home: SC476292 3

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inadequate

This inspection has identified serious failures in safeguarding practices and the leadership and management of the home. These failures have meant that serious concerns have not been responded to in a timely manner and concerns about staff practice have not been sufficiently addressed.

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inadequate

Since the previous inspection, three children have moved out of the home and two children have moved into the home. At the time of this inspection, two children were living in the home.

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inadequate

Children’s care plans do not contain all relevant information about the children. For example, one plan did not contain information about a child’s health diagnosis. This did not ensure that staff have access to all relevant information to safely care for the child.

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inadequate

Despite the safeguarding concerns identified, children do access education and are making progress. Education professionals said that staff communicate well with school and keep them updated. Staff actively support the children to reduce their barriers to learning.

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inadequate

Children are encouraged to enjoy a range of different activities. For example, one child enjoys weekly horse-riding lessons and plans to volunteer at the local stables. Children also enjoy spending time with the staff, cooking, watching films and going shopping. These experiences provide children with opportunities for fun.

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inadequate

One child recently moved out of the home. This was earlier than expected as managers and staff could no longer meet the child’s changing needs. However, the manager and staff ensured that the child had a positive ending. The child had time to say goodbye to staff and maintained contact with the other child. When children move into the home, the manager ensures that a thoughtful introduction takes place. This helps to reduce anxieties and supports children to build new relationships.

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inadequate

The home is well presented and is maintained to a good standard.

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

Safeguarding arrangements in the home do not prioritise children’s safety and well- being. Managers failed to ensure that a significant disclosure of alleged abuse made by a child was reported to the police in a timely manner. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476292 4 Managers do not take sufficient, robust action to address staff’s poor performance to improve the care and safety of children. For example, a manager’s failure to report an allegation of abuse had not been acted upon. In addition, and despite the known concerns, managers did not complete the learning outcomes identified by an internal investigation with a member of staff. This was a missed opportunity to improve poor care practices.

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

Staff do not consistently follow guidance and care plans to keep children safe. For example, a member of staff failed to ensure that a child had access to required medication when out in the community. This member of staff also failed to ensure that the child had access to medical support when needed. This does not demonstrate that staff understand their roles and responsibilities in keeping children safe.

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

Sufficient action is not taken by managers and staff to safeguard children when they are missing from the home and missing-from-home risk assessments lack key information. In addition, staff do not always report children missing to the police in line with their agreed plans. On one occasion, staff failed to act on the instructions provided by the police to search for a child and did not act on intelligence they had received about a child’s potential whereabouts. Consequently, there was a delay in the child being supported to return home safely.

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

When children raise concerns about staff practice, they are not always made aware of the actions taken by managers in response to their concerns. Children are not provided with an outcome to their concern. This leaves children feeling that they are not listened to or valued.

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

Safer recruitment practices are not consistently followed. This does not ensure that only suitable people are employed to work with children.

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

A new manager recently started working in the home. Action has been taken to update risk management strategies and the two children who have recently moved into the home have not gone missing from the home and have not displayed self- injurious behaviours.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders’ and managers’ monitoring and reviewing systems have been ineffective. Their poor oversight has led to ineffective action to address unsafe practice. This has impacted on the quality of care that children receive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not addressed one requirement issued at the previous inspection. This was in relation to the use of door alarms on children’s bedroom doors for safeguarding reasons. Door alarms for each child have not been individually assessed and it is unclear why they are necessary.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers have not always advocated effectively or challenged other agencies in the best interest of the children. For example, the manager told the inspector that she Inspection report for children’s home: SC476292 5 did not agree with the social worker’s response to a child’s disclosure and the police’s response when a child went missing. These concerns have not been escalated by the manager. This practice fails to ensure that children receive the support required to keep them safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Not all staff have received an annual appraisal. This is a missed opportunity for managers and staff to reflect on staff’s development needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The staff have received mandatory training and training specific to children’s presenting needs. Despite this training, staff have not always taken the required action to keep children safe. During the inspection, managers identified that staff required additional training.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Since the last inspection, a new manager has been appointed and has applied to register with Ofsted. The new manager and responsible individual acknowledged the failures identified at this inspection. Following the inspection, the management team took immediate action to develop a plan to rectify the safeguarding concerns and regulatory breaches. Inspection report for children’s home: SC476292 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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that managers escalate concerns effectively. 22 January 2024

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)) 22 January 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476292 7 This relates to ensuring that all concerns raised by children are reported in a timely manner and investigated. In addition, that any required actions following investigation are followed.

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Requirement Due date

The provider must ensure that children understand the steps taken to investigate the concerns they have raised against care staff.

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Requirement Due date

This also relates to ensuring that children’s risks are accurately reflected in their written documentation and that risk assessments clearly advise staff how to respond to risk.

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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; and

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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; and

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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 to the manager ensuring that required monitoring systems are in place that are regularly reviewed and evaluated.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the manager must review and evaluate the quality of care and respond to shortfalls in practice.

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Requirement Due date

The provider must also ensure that staff have the skills to meet the needs of the children. 22 January 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476292 8 The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that children have individualised care plans that are reviewed and updated in consultation with children. 22 January 2024

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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 for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children. (Regulation 24 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that door alarms are only used as set out in a child’s agreed risk assessment.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and is restated. 22 January 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year.

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to managers ensuring that all staff working in the home receive a practice-related appraisal. 22 January 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure good employment practice. They must ensure that the recruitment of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.1)

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: SC476292 9 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: SC476292 10

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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

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC476292 11 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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Inspector

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