Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Bolton

Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1156098 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 home is owned and operated by a private provider. It is registered to provide care for up to three children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child is currently living in this home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager has been in post since 18 August 2023.

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Inspection date: 9 January 2024

Judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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Inspection date: 9 January 2024

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Information about this inspection

At this inspection, the inspectors 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: 1156098 2

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Findings from the inspection

We did not identify any serious or widespread concerns in relation to the care or protection of children at this assurance inspection.

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Findings from the inspection

The child has positive relationships with staff. Staff have worked hard to build their relationships with the child by engaging in their interests, such as scootering. The child seeks out the staff to share the details of their day and is comfortable expressing their views and feelings. Staff respond to the child with emotional warmth.

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Findings from the inspection

The home is well decorated, and it is spacious and comfortable. Staff supported the child to personalise their bedroom on the day they moved in. Staff regularly seek the views of the child and act on them, which are recorded in the child’s ‘You said, We did’ book.

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Findings from the inspection

The child is attending school. The child has continued to go to the school they were going to before moving into the home. Staff take the child to and from school and liaise regularly with education professionals. As a result, the child’s attendance has improved significantly.

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Findings from the inspection

The child had a positive experience moving into the home. Staff spoke with the child over a video call and made sure that the child had the children’s guide before they moved in so that they were familiar with staff and the house. However, not all children have had positive transitions moving on from the home. The manager has not consistently considered the location of the home and the skills of the staff team before agreeing to the placements for individual children. This led to a child moving out of the home with no notice, following an incident in the community. A requirement in relation to transitions for children has been restated.

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Findings from the inspection

Staff understand the risks to the child who lives in the home and how to reduce them, such as those relating to online safety. The risk assessment is clear and updated regularly. The risk assessment provides strategies for the staff to use when preventing and responding to risk. However, staff have not consistently been vigilant or identified risks in the home. The child had items that were not appropriate for their age in their bedroom. Staff were unclear of where the child got them or how they brought them into the home. Therefore, there are potential risks to the child that have not been identified or explored. A requirement has been made in relation to this.

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Findings from the inspection

The manager has ensured that staff have completed mandatory training, including safeguarding training. Staff have also completed training that is specific to meet the needs of the child they care for, such as self-harm and exploitation. The manager identifies staff development needs and provides guidance to improve their practice. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1156098 3 Staff follow children’s individual missing plans when they are missing from the home. Staff do try and locate children when they are missing, although there was one occasion when they did not. Staff make detailed recordings of missing episodes. They liaise with multi-agency partners to understand why children have gone missing from home and how these episodes can be reduced. Managers usually have oversight of missing episodes in a timely fashion. However, there are some identified gaps.

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Findings from the inspection

The managers and leaders are using the findings from external monitoring to improve the service. However, progress in some areas is slow. Managers and leaders have met the majority of the previous requirements and recommendations set, with exception of one requirement, which has been restated. Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1156098 4

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/04/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/01/2023 Full Inadequate 28/03/2022 Interim Declined in effectiveness 15/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1156098 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement is restated. 9 April 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe; and

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)) 9 February 2024 Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1156098 6

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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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Inspectors

Sarah Huntbatch, Social Care Inspector Leanne Carr, Social Care Inspector Assurance inspection report for children's home: 1156098 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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