Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2623004 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 children’s home is operated by a private company. It is registered to provide care for one child who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

A manager has been in post since May 2023, but is not yet registered 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 and/or widespread failures that mean children are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: outstanding

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2623004 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/03/2023 Full Outstanding 26/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2623004 3

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inadequate

Since the last inspection, one child has moved from the home to live independently. Another child has moved into the home. The provider has not been prepared for the complexities and vulnerabilities of this new child. This has meant that staff have not been able to keep the child safe.

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inadequate

There is a lack of routine and structure in the home. The child is not currently in formal education. Staff have put educational routines in place for the child, but these have not been effective and the child has not engaged with these plans.

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inadequate

Staff have tried to form positive relationships with the child. However, staff have not been able to help the child to develop strategies to manage difficult feelings. As a result, there has been an increase in behaviours that compromise the child’s safety. This is having a negative effect on the child’s experiences of living in the home.

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inadequate

Staff carry out direct work with the child. Staff use the sessions to discuss a range of topics, including risk-taking behaviours. However, this work has not been effective. The child cannot always recognise when they are in unsafe situations or with unsafe people. As a result of this, the child continues to be at significant risk.

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inadequate

The home is comfortable and homely, and the child’s bedroom is highly personalised with photos of the child’s family on display. Staff have worked hard to try to make the child feel at home.

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inadequate

Staff work with the child’s family members to support positive family time. This contributes to the child’s sense of identity and belonging.

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

There are serious shortfalls in safeguarding practice. This is because of poor leadership and management. These weaknesses have had a significant and negative effect on the child’s safety.

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

Risk has been poorly managed. Risk assessments outline strategies to enable staff to keep children safe and manage risk. However, staff have not consistently followed these risk assessments. This has meant that the child has been put at significant risk of harm.

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

There have been several occasions when the child has been missing from the home. When this has happened, staff have failed to intervene to prevent harm. They have not followed the child to locate and return them. The child is at high risk of child sexual exploitation when they are missing. Inspection report for children’s home: 2623004 4 Staff have not physically intervened to protect the child. There have been occasions when physical restraint would have been appropriate and helped to keep the child safe. This means that staff fail to recognise the indicators of possible risk and do not intervene to prevent harm to the child.

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

The child always needs the support of two adults to help keep them safe. Regardless of this need, when the home has been short-staffed, one adult has cared for the child. This has led to situations where the child’s risk has increased significantly.

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

The response to safeguarding concerns relating to staff practice is ineffective. The manager has been aware of concerns relating to staff practice but has failed to take appropriate action.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have accepted the placement of a child with complex needs and vulnerabilities. This means that the home should have been equipped to manage and reduce risks effectively, at the outset of the placement. Despite these known factors, leaders and managers have failed to ensure that staff have the right knowledge and skills to manage this child’s known risks.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers have failed to ensure effective safeguarding practice. They have failed to recognise that staff are not following agreed plans, specifically to manage risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management oversight is inconsistent and lacks analysis. Managers do not ensure that staff have debriefs following safeguarding incidents. This means that staff are not learning from incidents and risks have been repeated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are shortfalls in the manager’s oversight of significant incidents. Records are not regularly reviewed or analysed by the manager. This lack of scrutiny means that inconsistencies go unchallenged.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Poor deployment of staff has left the child inadequately cared for. This has led to the child evading staff and leaving the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2623004 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 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff have the skills to take action and implement the steps within the child’s risk-management plans. 18 February 2024

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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

promotes their welfare. 18 February 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2623004 6 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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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)(a)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that there is sufficient monitoring of incidents and management oversight.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, ensure that staff have the skills, knowledge and support to meet the needs of the child and that there are enough staff on duty to meet the needs of the child.

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Requirement Due date

* These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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: 2623004 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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Inspector

Cathy Wilkins, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2623004 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 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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