Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Essex

Inspection report children’s home: SC471153 1 SC471153 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 owned and managed by a private organisation. It provides care within a therapeutic environment for up to two children with a range of emotional and social needs.

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Information about this children’s home

The suitably qualified manager registered with Ofsted in May 2023.

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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 children’s home: SC471153 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/04/2022 Full Good 05/10/2021 Full Good 29/10/2019 Full Good 26/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC471153 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, two children were living at the home. Five children have left the home since the last inspection. Two children moved on in an unplanned way. This resulted in a full review. Lessons have been learned and admission processes strengthened as a result. Children who have left continue to be in touch with the manager and staff. Children are kept in mind by the manager, who ensures communication with the children on important dates such as birthdays and Christmas.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress at this home. They are settled and benefit from a warm, nurturing and positive environment. Children are cared for by consistent staff who use a therapeutic approach. Staff respond to children in a playful and empathetic way that helps children to make progress. Internal therapeutic consultation and training is provided to help staff to understand the impact of trauma on children’s lives and the ways in which to help children move forward. One child said they like ‘the vibe’ of the home. Staff know the children extremely well. Children trust staff and want to spend time with their key workers.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff are committed to supporting the children in their education. Strong liaison and communication with education professionals ensure that children’s educational needs are recognised, especially when children have had gaps in their education and may struggle to return to mainstream education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home suffered from significant damage in 2023 which made it unusable for a period. The home was made safe and secure and repairs and redecoration were very quickly undertaken. The home is well looked after with a new modern kitchen. The recent weather caused a large tree in the garden to come down; arrangements are in place for the tree to be taken away.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are quickly recognised and incorporated into health plans. However, for one child who was struggling with their personal hygiene, there was no clear evidence to show the support that staff provided.

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

There have been no restraints for a significant time. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of de-escalation and using trauma-informed responses to children who may be distressed.

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

Comprehensive safe recruitment checks are undertaken centrally by a human resources lead and shared with the home’s manager. For workers coming from Overseas, checks are equally comprehensive and the manager provides support to help these staff settle into the country and their new roles. Inspection report children’s home: SC471153 4 Risk assessments are comprehensive, well written and clear for staff to understand. The use of a traffic light system enables the manager and team leaders to regularly review the levels of risk in relation to specific behaviours. These include behaviours such as smoking and vaping, self-harm, missing from care and property damage. The team has developed a positive relationship with the children and young person’s police officer, who offers informal advice and support in a supportive and non- judgemental way.

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

For the two children currently living at the home, there have been no episodes of going missing from care. For those children previously living at the home, there were some missing-from-care episodes, which were managed well. Staff are highly confident and well trained to respond quickly. For one child, an episode of missing from care was lengthy. The manager escalated their concerns to the placing authority regarding a delay in arranging a strategy meeting.

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

One significant incident involved a child leaving the home for a week. The managers and leaders worked tirelessly to ensure that the child was helped and protected while the local authority worked to ensure that the child was returned to the home safely.

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

Staff support children to see their friends and families. Close liaison with placing authorities ensures that arrangements are clear reviewed when necessary. Staff were quick to respond to an incident to support a child who was away from the home to return quickly and safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is registered and experienced. They have recently achieved a relevant level 5 qualification. The manager has met the one requirement from the last inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads the home and staff team in a competent and supportive way. Professionals gave positive feedback. They said that they ‘can’t fault the home’ and that communication and liaison is ‘great’. One professional said, ‘I have been to a lot of homes and this is by far one of the best,’ Staff say that they benefit from a consistent leadership team and are positive about the manager. Staff feel supported, valued and respected.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Access to high-quality and purposeful training enables staff to develop a range of skills to confidently support children’s complex needs. Topics include radicalisation, allergen awareness, safeguarding, trauma and attachment and stress management.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager provides staff with regular, reflective and well-documented supervision. They provided additional support and guidance for an overseas worker in their new role.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Team meetings take place regularly and ensure a comprehensive overview of children’s needs in addition to a focus on practice development. One team meeting Inspection report children’s home: SC471153 5 looked at improvements of incident records being written and included a role play to help staff understand what is necessary to document. This enabled discussion and reflection in a safe and supportive environment. Employee of the month has also been introduced to ensure that staff feel valued. Inspection report children’s home: SC471153 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that, in line with their individual health plans and the ethos of the home, children are offered advice, support and guidance on health and well-being. In particular, evidence discussions around personal hygiene in key-work sessions. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 35, paragraph 7.18)

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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 children’s home: SC471153 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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Children’s home details

Registered manager: Eleanor Perronet-Miller

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Inspector:

Emily Stevens, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC471153 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 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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