Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Wolverhampton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 1 SC359846 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is part of a large private organisation. Staff provide care for up to five children between the ages of eight and 16. The children who live at the home may have experienced childhood adversity.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager post has been vacant since May 2023. There is a manager in post who intends to make an application 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 inadequate

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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

Date of last inspection: 18 September 2023

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

18/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 05/06/2023 Full Inadequate 08/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/06/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 3

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improvement to be good

At the time of the inspection, two children lived in the home.

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improvement to be good

When children move into the home, this is not always well planned. The lack of a thorough assessment by the manager when one child moved in contributed to staff being unable to meet each child’s needs. An increase in concerning incidents over a short period resulted in one child’s placement ending immediately.

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improvement to be good

Managers work in partnership with other professionals to identify educational placements for children. One child has secured a vocation-based course and is making progress. However, staff do not consistently encourage children to form good daily routines while education arrangements are being confirmed. This does not support the children to be ready for learning.

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improvement to be good

Children have positive relationships with the adults who care for them. Children enjoy spending time with staff, including going on activities such as swimming and shopping. This supports children to feel that they belong.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy good health and are supported to attend routine health appointments. The manager consults well with health professionals. This ensures that children’s individual health needs are met. Discussions with staff help children to explore health- related issues such as the effects of drug use, diet and sexual health.

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improvement to be good

Some areas of the home are nicely decorated and reflect children’s tastes. Children’s bedrooms are decorated to their liking. However, some areas of the environment require maintenance. For example, there are holes in the bathroom walls and the hallway has scuffs to the walls. This detracts from the children living in a homely and comfortable environment.

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improvement to be good

Some significant incidents happened in the period before this inspection. For example, despite intervention from staff, a child drove the home car away from the premises. The prompt response of staff in notifying the police supported a safe return. On another occasion, a child known to staff entered the home without the staff’s knowledge. Following incidents, managers have promptly conducted a detailed review to understand what happened and learn lessons to improve practice. An improvement plan includes upskilling staff, strengthening processes and making changes to the home’s physical environment. Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 4 Some children’s risk assessments do not always contain the full range of relevant information about the risks posed to a child and the agreed management strategies. This hinders staff as they do not have full guidance to support their practice.

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improvement to be good

Staff carry out physical interventions safely. The manager has good oversight of all incidents of physical intervention to ensure that the intervention is necessary and staff practice is appropriate. When learning is identified, the manager addresses this promptly with staff. However, the recording of physical intervention incidents is not always clear.

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improvement to be good

Leaders respond well when children make allegations and complaints. The manager liaises with professionals promptly, and thorough investigations take place. The manager keeps children informed throughout. As a result, children feel heard when they voice concerns.

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improvement to be good

When children go missing from care, staff respond well. Staff understand children’s individual missing-from-care protocols. Leaders and staff ensure that children can talk to someone when they return, and return home interviews are arranged to help establish why the child went missing and what action may be needed to improve the child’s safety.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The manager has been in post since September 2023. However, despite being in post for several months, she has not yet applied to register with Ofsted. Failure to apply means that, in accordance with the social care common inspection framework, the inspection judgement for leadership and management is inadequate.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Many staff who work in the home are new in post and require considerable guidance from leaders and managers. Leaders have plans for the development of the team, including further safeguarding training and mentoring from experienced staff from other homes. New staff have completed a comprehensive two-week induction programme before starting in their role. All staff have completed training concerning the administration of medication, safe practice, online safety, and child sexual and criminal exploitation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Recruitment is carried out safely for new staff. Leaders assure themselves that staff are suitable for the role before starting.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff receive regular professional supervision. Leaders use supervision to develop staff knowledge of practice expectations. Leaders check on staff’s well-being and ensure that they are supported. Staff feel able to speak to leaders confidently about any concerns they have. Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 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 persons 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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)) 19 June 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— 19 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 6 use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(h))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that children’s plans are updated with relevant information in a timely manner.

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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 children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)) 19 June 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of the children and is a homely, domestic environment. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that where children placed in the home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff support the child to sustain or regain their confidence in education and engage in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 28,

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Recommendations

paragraph 5.15)  The registered person should ensure that the home has enough suitably trained staff (including someone in a management role) on duty to meet the assessed needs of all children in the home and that those staff are able to respond to emergency Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 7 placements, where accepted. The registered person must demonstrate every effort to achieve continuity of staffing so that children’s attachments are not overly disrupted, including ensuring that the employment of any temporary staff will not prevent children from receiving the continuity of care that they need (Regulation 31(1)). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 51, paragraph 10.1)

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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: SC359846 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

Chanel Bryant, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC359846 9 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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