Children's Home run by Cambian Autism Services Limited in Lancashire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2693741 1 Registered provider: Cambian Autism Services 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

The home is run by a private company and provides care for up to three children with learning disabilities. The company also provides education on site at a registered school. The inspectors only inspected the social care provision at this setting. There were three children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

There is not currently a registered manager in post.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2693741 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/05/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2693741 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has moved in since the last inspection. This move was well planned and there were lots of opportunities for the child to visit the home and get to know the new staff. The child had a detailed guide to the home which further helped them to prepare for the move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are supported by nurturing, empathetic and positive staff who have a genuine desire for children to develop their skills and have positive experiences. Children take part in a wide variety of activities that are introduced slowly so that they can get the very best from them. Activities have included climbing centres, swimming and the cinema. One child is also building up to horse riding. This support means that children are not excluded from activities due to their additional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend the school that is on the same site and are supported by the staff from the home. This promotes smooth transitions for the children and offers consistency. All children attend school full time and are making good progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff know and understand the children well. They are skilled at making observations on the children’s wellbeing and taking appropriate action. Medication is reviewed when necessary and children receive appropriate medical intervention. As a result, children are healthier and happier.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is nicely decorated and has a homely feel. There is a large, enclosed garden and there are photos of the children and their families enjoying time together. Maintenance issues are addressed quickly as they arise. The children have access to books, games and sensory toys. However, for one child, the use of a weighted blanket has not been appropriately assessed to ensure it is being used safely.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to their preferred communication aids and staff understand how to communicate with children effectively. For one child whose first language is not English, the staff have requested additional resources and guidance so that they can continue to ensure that the child is supported to use and hear his first language.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff support the children to have time with their families both in and out of the home. One parent said, ‘Staff genuinely care, they have the child’s interest at heart, and they are protective of them.’

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

There has been one restraint since the last inspection. This is a reduction in the use of restraint and the only incident. This demonstrates that the children have good relationships with the staff and that the staff are skilled in de-escalation techniques. The use of restraint on this occasion has been evaluated as being appropriate. There were Inspection report for children’s home: 2693741 4 reflective discussions with the staff, that informed future planning for the child. Staff ensured that the child was spoken to in a way that they could engage with following the restraint.

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

Children have access to independent advocates who visit the home. Staff actively encourage children’s participation in their care. When there are blocks to children participating, the staff think of other ways that this can be achieved to ensure that it remains meaningful.

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

All children are prescribed medication. This is stored and administered appropriately by trained and competent staff. There have not been any medication discrepancies and there are processes in place to ensure that the stock levels are correct.

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

Children are supported to take part in regular fire drills. This means that children know what to do if the alarm sounds and accept help from the staff. This helps children to keep safe. However, personal emergency evacuation plans are not reviewed to consider a change in strategies.

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

Staff are recruited following robust recruitment processes. This means that the risk of unsuitable people working in the home is reduced.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has recently left their position. The staff team have been supported by senior managers and other registered managers from the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been a lot of staff changes. Team leaders have stepped up to provide support, guidance and advice to the new team which has helped them to build relationships with the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Staff receive regular supervision, probationary reviews and appraisals when appropriate. However, agency staff that have been used consistently during periods of staffing shortages have not received supervision sessions. This is a missed opportunity to reflect and build on skills and knowledge needed to support the children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Team meetings take place regularly. However, these are not child centred or used to improve practice. This is a missed opportunity for the team to come together to speak about the outcomes and experiences of children and agree plans.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff have a positive ethos and respond quicky and creatively to situations so that they can be better managed. However, there has been a lack of management oversight of some systems and staff practice, that while they have not had an impact on children, had gone unnoticed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2693741 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 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—

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Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(e)(h))

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Requirement Due date

This relates specifically to staff receiving training in autism spectrum disorder to help build their skills and knowledge in this area.

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Requirement Due date

This further relates to ensuring that agency staff that are being consistently used in the home are receiving supervision. Team meetings are used to discuss the progress, outcomes and experiences of children. 19 July 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: 2693741 6 Additionally, this relates to leaders and managers ensuring that they have full oversight in order to identify any issues with staff practice or on issues that could affect children’s wellbeing.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. This includes assessing the risk of strategies used to promote wellbeing. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations’ page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 2693741 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Autism Services Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cambian Autism Services Limited, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Kerri Lynch, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2693741 8 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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