Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Manchester

Inspection report for children’s home: SC064666 1 SC064666 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 is operated by a private organisation and provides care for children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC064666 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/05/2022 Full Good 26/05/2021 Full Good 23/07/2019 Full Good 07/06/2018 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC064666 3

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improvement to be good

The organisation made the choice not to have any children living in the home shortly after the last inspection. A manager was appointed in November 2023, who made the child-focused decision to open the home quickly to provide care for two children he and the team already knew. Staff are in the process of implementing measures to meet the regulations; however, structures and boundaries for children are not yet fully embedded.

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improvement to be good

The two children are siblings. They have built positive relationships with staff and are able to voice their views openly. Children ask staff for support, who then offer reassurance. Children are happy and settled and said that this feels like their home.

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improvement to be good

Staff understand the importance of education. They advocated effectively for one child to integrate back into mainstream school, taking into account the child’s views. However, when a child is not in full-time education, staff are not always proactive in implementing daily plans to structure the child’s day. Daily routines and expectations are not yet consistent or made clear to the children.

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improvement to be good

Children feel comfortable asking for help when they need to. Staff have a good understanding of how children’s mental health can impact on their overall well-being and know how to access specialist services. They are able to offer support to children with dietary and anxiety needs in a way that is sensitive and prevents children feeling stigmatised.

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improvement to be good

Children are supported to maintain relationships with their family. Staff welcome parents into the home. Staff stay with children when necessary to ensure that family time is a positive experience, and they transport children to see their family when this is required. Children are able to talk to staff about relationships with their birth family, which helps them to understand their identity.

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improvement to be good

Leaders and managers made the decision to offer this home quickly in the best interests of the children, and indeed the children have settled well. Children said that they feel safe. However, the location risk assessment and fire risk assessments were not fully considered or updated prior to children moving in.

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improvement to be good

Staff respond effectively when children go missing from the home. Staff use a robust missing-from-home protocol to help them locate children who are missing. Children are offered return home interviews, which help professionals to understand the reasons that children go missing and have led to a reduction in missing-from- home incidents. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064666 4 Staff help children to understand risks of substance misuse and encourage them to develop different coping strategies. Staff access external specialist support services to help educate children about risk. However, children are not given consistent messages about the risks associated with smoking, both to their health and as a potential fire hazard in the home.

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improvement to be good

The manager ensures that notifications of serious incidents are sent to Ofsted in a timely manner. There is management oversight of incident reports and reflection for future learning is provided. This means that risks can be identified quickly and support put in place for children and staff to help reduce the risk.

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improvement to be good

Staff use rewards to promote children’s positive behaviour. The use of consequences to address negative behaviour is fair and proportionate. There has been no use of physical intervention since the home reopened.

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good

The home is managed by a suitably experienced and qualified acting manager, who has submitted an application to register with Ofsted. The manager is also supporting the development of one staff member who hopes to become the manager in the future. Together, they support the team and are building on their skills and knowledge.

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good

Although some steps were taken to make the home more comfortable for children moving in, leaders and managers have not completed works required on the property since the previous inspection. The bathroom and back garden have not yet been refurbished. As a result, the previous requirement made has not been met and is restated.

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good

There is an extensive training programme for staff. In addition to mandatory training, staff have attended additional training, such as around understanding exploitation, substance misuse and self-harm, and have access to training specifically relating to the children’s needs. This ensures that staff have the right skills and knowledge to care for the children.

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good

The management structure is not clear in the statement of purpose and the responsible individual named is incorrect. In addition, leaders and managers have not notified Ofsted of the change of responsible individual as required by regulation.

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good

Children are cared for by permanent staff members. Agency staff are not used. If there are staff vacancies, the manager seeks to recruit new permanent staff. Any gaps are covered by staff from another home run by the provider who know the children, to help minimise disruption. Inspection report for children’s home: SC064666 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

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

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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)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that staff take steps to reduce risk in the home and help children to understand risks and how to keep themselves safe. 30 March 2024

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Requirement Due date

After consultation with the fire and rescue authority, the registered person must—

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Requirement Due date

take adequate precautions against the risk of fire, including the provision of suitable fire equipment in the children’s home;

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Requirement Due date

provide adequate means of escape from the home in the event of fire; 30 March 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064666 6 make arrangements for persons working at the home to receive suitable training in fire prevention; and

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Requirement Due date

ensure, by means of fire drills and practices at suitable intervals, that persons working at the home and, so far as reasonably practicable, children are aware of the procedure to be followed in case of fire. (Regulation 25 (1)(a)(b)(c)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that the fire risk assessment contains accurate information and that recommendations made are completed.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children’s home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the location risk assessment includes consultation with others. Consideration must be given to the risks associated with the needs of the children who move into the home. 30 April 2024

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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

ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

enable each child to participate in the daily life of the home. (Regulation 6 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to repairing and repainting the upstairs damage to the wall, and the refurbishment of the 30 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC064666 7 bathroom facilities and additional work in the back garden. This is a repeat requirement.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must give notice in writing to HMCI, as soon as it is reasonably practicable to do so, if any of the following events take place or are expected by the registered person to take place—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered provider is an organisation—

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Requirement Due date

any change in the identity of the responsible individual. (Regulation 49 (1)(e)(iii)) 30 April 2024

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that children who are not in full-time education are given a clear routine each day with suitable structured activities to support them back into education. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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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: SC064666 8

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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

Sarah Probert, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC064666 9 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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