Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456477 1 SC456477 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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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. The home provides care for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties. It provides care for up to four children. At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

Two children were spoken to as part 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 outstanding

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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: SC456477 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

25/07/2023 Full Good 28/02/2023 Full Good 09/03/2022 Full Good 23/09/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC456477 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s voices are at the heart of the home. Children are regularly given opportunities to share their wishes and feelings with staff who record them clearly. The home has an ‘open door’ policy with regard to the office, and one child was observed to go in to speak to staff and access one of his folders. The child was observed to be relaxed in doing this and staff explained that the children can access certain parts of their paperwork at any time. This supports children to have a sense of involvement and ownership over their lives.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children can readily name staff who they enjoy spending time with. Children actively seek staff out to join them on activities and days out of their choosing. The relationships between the staff and children are observed to be nurturing, with staff taking time to understand how the child is feeling and how best to support them. One parent spoken to was asked about the progress that she thinks her child has made since coming to live at the home. She stated, ‘He has learned to trust again.’ Children’s needs are well understood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to take part in a range of unique activities and projects in line with their interests and aspirations. Children have a keen interest in animals and staff have supported them to keep their small pets in the home. One member of staff has a small holding, and children are encouraged to attend and assist with animal care and other activities, such as building huts for the animals. This helps the children to learn nurturing behaviours and develop their passion for caring for animals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have made progress in education since living at the home. While one child is not currently in full-time education, the staff have supported him in accessing learning opportunities and advocated on his behalf to ensure that his time in school meets his needs. Staff look at alternative ways to support the children’s education. For example, one child would like to work in the construction industry in the future and staff have given him the opportunity to engage in projects that relate to this aspiration. This shows that staff are making good efforts to ensure that the children are learning outside of formal education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to improve their independence skills in the home in line with their age. One child is currently in the process of moving upstairs to a self-contained area in line with his wishes and feelings. There has been a risk assessment around this and regular key work to further his independence skills. Key-work sessions are done creatively and at a level that the child can understand. However, the risk assessment needs to remain under constant review while the child is residing in his semi- independent living area, to ensure that he is kept safe.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The physical environment of the home is warm and friendly. The children’s bedrooms are personalised and meet their needs. However, there are some general maintenance issues Inspection report for children’s home: SC456477 4 in the home that need to be addressed, including an issue with the fire escape stairs, which puts children at risk in the event of a fire. The registered manager is aware of these issues and is continually following the progress of the requested maintenance work with the relevant persons.

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

Risk assessments are robust and consider factors that are individual for each child. There are procedures for staff to follow to manage presenting risks and keep the children safe. Staff understand the risks for children and how to protect them. Key-working sessions are completed around individual risks. This ensures that children are safeguarded from a range of risks.

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

Physical intervention is minimal and, when required, undertaken by suitably trained staff. Children are provided with a debrief after the incident to share their wishes and feelings. Physical intervention is used as a last resort as staff favour a more therapeutic model of behaviour management.

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

Staff have a good understanding of the therapeutic models of care in place, and this is evident in the recordings. Children have shared their views regarding what helps them to feel calmer and these are reflected within their plans. Staff are consistent with their responses to children and, as a result, children have made progress in their ability to understand and manage their behaviours.

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

The registered manager and the staff at the home liaise well with other agencies and professionals to ensure that the children are safeguarded and supported appropriately. The staff have received positive feedback from the professionals they work with, who have praised them on their communication skills and their commitment towards the children. The multi-agency approach taken by the home helps children to stay safe and ensure that their needs are supported.

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

There can be some difficulties with the children’s relationships with each other in the home. The relationship between the children requires consistent management concerning the risks posed. There are current plans in place to reduce the risk and to keep the children safe.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The home is managed by a permanent registered manager who has worked at the home for many years. The staff team is stable, and this provides consistency for the children. Staff share a wealth of experience, which has been crucial in them supporting one another and reflecting on and discussing the children. Staff are suitably trained, and the manager ensures that staff have access to a wide range of training opportunities to meet the individual needs of the children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager and staff know the children well. They are passionate about the care and support provided to children. External professionals are actively challenged if the Inspection report for children’s home: SC456477 5 manager does not believe that they are working in the child’s best interests. The staff are aspirational for the children and support them to make progress in all areas of their lives, which is demonstrated through the key-working sessions and the relationships observed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff speak highly of the management team and feel strongly supported by them. Staff mentioned that management have high aspirations and expectations of them, but this is because they genuinely want to see them succeed. Staff said that the manager is approachable and will take time to support them, even on her days off. Staff also feel strongly supported by the team leaders and the deputy. There is evidence of a strong team ethic and an understanding of mutual support, which further helps children to feel safe and supported.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has regular and efficient oversight over the home, which is reflected in detailed recordings, including monthly audits. The manager ensures that the strengths of the home and staff team are maximised by sharing examples of positive practice with the team during staff meetings. The manager is aware of the areas for improvement in the home and can reflect on these and make plans to action them, such as issues with the overall maintenance of the home. This shows that the manager is taking steps to make the home the best she can for the children who live there to ensure that there is a homely and comfortable environment.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Staff commented that they sometimes feel confined by company policies, which may reduce the options of allowing the children to take more calculated risks with staff knowledge and approval. However, this is related to the overarching company policies and is not specific to the manager in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456477 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is safe for children. The registered person should ensure that maintenance work is carried out on the fire escape and that any damage in the home is repaired quickly (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including 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: SC456477 7

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Susan Fitzsimmons

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Inspectors

Ladean Wilson, Social Care Inspector Lisa Finch, Social Care Inspector Manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC456477 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 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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