Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in East Riding of Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1231525 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. It can provide care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The suitably qualified manager registered in April 2017.

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Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1231525 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

22/03/2023 Full Good 12/10/2021 Full Good 16/12/2019 Full Good 06/03/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1231525 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child living in the home has positive relationships with the staff, who focus on the child and listen to their views. There are lots of activities the child enjoys with staff, and pamper days, shopping trips and country walks are particular favourites. The child values these social events.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is encouraged to view the home as their own. The environment is comfortable and decorated to a high standard. The child’s space is not limited to their bedroom, and there is a strong sense of the whole house being the child’s home. The child said, ‘It is my home, not the staff’s. I like them being here for me, but it is my home.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The care plans that staff follow to care for the child are clear and informative. This means that staff provide consistent, warm care which helps the child to continue to build strong relationships with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has made progress from their starting point, and incidents have decreased in frequency and seriousness. There have been no missing-from-home incidents since the last inspection. The child now recognises and manages their own emotions better. This has created a sense of well-being and control for the child as they move into adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work with others to advocate on behalf of the child. The child has been supported to improve their education attendance and engagement. Consequently, the child sat their GCSE exams and has been awarded a place in college. The child has been supported to take control of their own care arrangements, and they are confident to chair their own meetings and take a lead in the care they receive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child is supported to experience new opportunities and develop. They have interviewed for two part-time jobs and gained employment. The child has received their provisional driving licence and started taking driving lessons. They have experienced working life and the responsibility of being an employee. The child’s work ethic and commitment resulted in the offer of a supervisory role. These opportunities have increased the child’s confidence and understanding of their own value in society.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child’s time at the home is captured well by staff. The child’s daily records are written with understanding and care for the child. The staff write to the child in a daily journal that the child can read and take with them when they move on from the home. However, most photos from the child’s time at the home have been lost. Photos of activities, events and experiences were kept on the home’s mobile phone. These records were not printed or stored securely. When the mobile phone was lost, so too were the child’s photos. The child now has limited keepsakes of their time at the home to reflect on in the future. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231525 4 Monitoring and surveillance are intrusive and unnecessary. The child’s bedroom has a door alarm that is activated when the child goes to bed and is left on until the next morning. This practice is not for any safeguarding reason, and it has been in place

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

for some time without the necessity of the alarm being reviewed.

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

The staff know the child well and are familiar with their risk assessment. Any emerging risks or needs for the child are discussed in individual staff supervision sessions and team meetings. This increases the staff’s understanding and reduces the child’s vulnerability.

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

Allegations against staff are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. When necessary, action is taken to address poor practice or conduct issues. The child knows how to make a complaint and feels listened to. Staff are reminded regularly about safeguarding practice and procedures during supervision and team meetings. This helps to promote a positive safeguarding culture in the home.

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

The child knows about personal safety. The staff have regular discussions to address concerns and talk openly with the child about risk. The manager and staff encourage the child to increase their independence in a safe way. When issues arise, learning takes place, which increases the child’s awareness and confidence. This allows the child to take risks that are appropriate for their age and stage of development.

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

Incidents of self-harm have reduced in severity. Positive relationships between the staff and the child support a safe space for the child to share their emotions. The child can now recognise this and will manage difficult times without the support of the staff.

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

The manager and staff have gone to extensive lengths to ensure the emotional well- being of the child. The manager has used clinical resources to assess anyone or anything that may pose a risk to the child. This allowed the staff to better understand the child’s behaviour and how to respond. This means that staff rarely physically intervene as a safety measure.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads a team that has high aspirations for children and wants the child who lives in the home to reach their full potential. Feedback from staff and professionals was positive.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff learn to understand the child through reflective practice. The manager conducts group debriefs after incidents to support team learning. This is then followed up in individual discussions to give further support if it is needed. This approach speeds up the learning process for the staff and increases the quality of care for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231525 5 Leaders and managers consult with the staff team. The staff can give feedback on improving their roles on a quarterly basis. The consultation process has successfully identified shortfalls and has allowed the managers to gain several ideas from the staff, such as improved working patterns. This makes the staff feel valued and improves the working environment for them, and therefore, the living environment for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff receive training to meet the needs of the child. New employees receive a thorough induction before starting their role. Training is then revisited regularly by the manager to speed up staff learning and development. This ensures that the child receives appropriate care and support from staff who are well trained.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is an embedded system for the child and others to make complaints. However, two complaints have not been recorded properly, nor have they been managed in line with the home’s complaints policy. This means that Ofsted is unable to evaluate the records to ensure that the complaints have been managed effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The child’s house meetings have not taken place for several months. Meetings were taking place on a regular basis before October 2023. These meetings were another forum for the child to voice their opinion. The lack of recent meetings has reduced the opportunities for the child to have their voice formally heard and for action to be taken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has not obtained verification of why two employees left previous roles of working with children or vulnerable adults. Satisfactory references were received and verified, but the reason for their resignations was not listed or questioned during their recruitment. Safer recruitment practices have not been met in full on these occasions. Inspection report for children’s home: 1231525 6

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to express views, wishes and feelings; and

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Requirement Due date

regularly consult children, and seek their feedback, about the quality of the home’s care. (Regulation 7 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that children are provided with regular opportunities to share their views, wishes and feelings. 2 April 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; 2 April 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 1231525 7 the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)(d))

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that a record is made of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (3)) 2 April 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should 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)  The registered person should ensure the safe storage of electronic records, and business continuity planning should be in place to prevent loss or damage to them. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 14.2)

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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: 1231525 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

Lee Riley, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1231525 9 and inspects 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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