Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Durham

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 1 SC457573 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider.

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There has been no registered manager since 24 May 2024.

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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

Date of last inspection: 16 January 2024

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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: SC457573 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 09/01/2023 Full Good 20/09/2022 Full Inadequate 28/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff speak positively and warmly about the children. Since the last inspection, staff have worked hard to improve and promote good relationships with children. Staff enjoy spending time with the children around the community and encourage them to build positive friendships outside the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is a strong focus in the home. Staff ensure that children attend and enjoy education. Children have made good progress and they have personalised education plans which support them to raise aspirations for further education. Children who return to their family and carers are supported to enrol into new schools before they move.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are known and are well supported by staff. Staff encourage children to have a healthy diet and lead healthy lives. Cultural and diversity matters are openly discussed and children’s rights to make choices about diet and lifestyle choices are promoted and respected.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children settle well and make good progress. Staff’s care is tailored and individualised to each child; for example, one child has been supported to have a few pets and share their passion with adults in the home. This has enriched the child’s life. Staff listen to children, and they live in a positive environment which provides them with stability.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to develop daily living skills to promote their independence. Children have improved personal hygiene and develop self-care skills to help them for when they are due to move from the home. Additionally, this helps to improve children’s self-esteem. One parent said that staff are trying to teach their child the skills that they will need when they leave care.

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

Managers and staff instil clear boundaries and routines for the children. This helps to provide a stable, predictable and safe home. Children say that they feel safe. Staff have well-developed strategies to keep children safer and to support children in how to keep themselves safe. Staff encourage children to talk about topics which include staying safe from sexual harm, healthy relationships and peer pressure.

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

Children are supported to take age-appropriate risks, such as having free time with their friends. A real strength is the children’s safety plans in that staff work with family and friends to build support networks when children are in the community.

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

Staff encourage children to share their concerns and views. This supports children’s emotional well-being. Staff help children to manage their emotions and behaviours, which means that children rarely need staff to physically intervene to keep them and Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 4 others safe. Furthermore, staff have the support of a therapist to provide them with strategies to use to help the children.

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

Children have individualised risk management and behaviour support plans. These help staff to understand and respond to children’s vulnerabilities. For example, staff are proactive and respond appropriately when children go missing. They have received training and follow the missing-from-home protocol. Staff spend time with the children and talk to them following missing-from-care incidents to listen to their experiences. This reassures the children that staff care about them.

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

Since the last inspection, the management oversight of risks has improved, and is reflected in children’s case records.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Since the registered manager left, the home has been run by the deputy manager and responsible individual. A new manager has recently been appointed but is yet to start working at the home. Leaders and managers have developed plans to ensure that there is effective management oversight of the day-to-day running of the home. Managers dedicate a ‘daily golden hour’ to monitoring activities which provide them with assurances that the home is operating in accordance with its aims and objectives.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers understand the needs of the children. Managers know the strengths of the home and have good oversight of staff’s practice. They have established a reflective environment where staff are encouraged to develop through training and monthly supervision sessions. Furthermore, the managers take decisive action to address shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff support children to learn from their experiences by having focused discussions to address their current risks and vulnerabilities. Staff encourage children to talk openly about issues when things have not gone well so that they can work together to find safer solutions. However, staff have not always used appropriate language to demonstrate that children’s complaints or allegations are understood. Managers appreciate that using caring language, both written and spoken, needs to remain a strong focus for the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

A significant amount of work completed over the last five months keeps children at the centre of practice. There is a strong focus on building relationships. The shift in culture is demonstrated through the positive outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is spacious and comfortable. Managers acknowledge that the home could be more homely, for example with the addition of more soft furnishings, and through decorating interior walls and bedrooms. The garden is overgrown and managers recognise that maintenance should be carried out more quickly so that the children can enjoy their outdoor space. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 5

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are supported to express themselves as individuals. The registered person should ensure that staff are prepared and able to listen to children who want to talk about any concerns they may have, that these concerns are recorded using caring language, both written and spoken, and that their concerns are addressed. In particular, key-work sessions should be consistent and highlight when a child is expressing a query, a complaint or an allegation. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.13)  The registered person should ensure that the home is maintained to a good standard and offer children a homely, domestic environment. In particular, the registered person should ensure there is a clear plan in place to monitor the timely completion of any repairs to the home, redecoration and garden maintenance. (‘Guide to the

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Recommendations

Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: SC457573 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

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Inspectors

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Claire Webster, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457573 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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