Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Worcestershire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC478134 1 SC478134 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 provides care for up to four children with social and/or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left in September 2023. A new manager has been appointed, who has applied 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 requires improvement to be good

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC478134 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/05/2023 Full Good 07/02/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 12/05/2021 Full Good 22/10/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC478134 3

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, the provider had taken the decision to stop operating the home due to insufficient staffing for a period of four months. The home began operating again in March 2023. At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home and there are no longer concerns about staffing sufficiency.

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improvement to be good

Children’s care is not always well planned. When children move into the home, assessments completed by managers do not fully evaluate the risks to children, their experiences, their likes and dislikes and identity needs. In addition, there are not always robust reviews when children move out of the home to consider the progress children have made or to inform further care planning. Furthermore, the manager has failed to ensure that introduction assessments, which are part of the home’s internal placement planning process, are completed. The approach fails to support staff in understanding how to meet the needs of the children and could lead to instability for them.

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improvement to be good

The children attend education and are making good progress. Staff support them to make friends with peers and complete additional learning. This helps the children to engage with education in a positive way.

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improvement to be good

The children enjoy various activities with staff, such as shopping, baking, bowling and painting. These activities encourage them to build important relationships and make positive memories. The children feel comfortable to share their feelings. Weekly children’s meetings provide the opportunity for them to choose meals and activities and to influence change. This practice ensures that children’s views are valued.

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improvement to be good

Children enjoy living at their new home. They make good use of the large garden and like spending time with each other. Children’s bedrooms have been decorated to reflect their personal interests. The home is comfortable and welcoming.

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improvement to be good

The children say that they feel safe. They have written assessments that provide guidance for staff to follow to keep children safe.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of physical intervention are rare. Since the last inspection, there has been one incident. Children and staff were consulted on their views following the intervention. However, the recording did not provide all the required information. For example, one member of staff recorded that she was hurt, but it was not clear from the record when this took place. In addition, the time of the intervention was not recorded. These Inspection report for children’s home: SC478134 4 shortfalls were not considered as part of the manager’s evaluation and this was a missed opportunity to identify actions for improvement.

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improvement to be good

Children rarely go missing from home. Since the last inspection, there has been one incident. In response, the staff took steps to locate the child and worked collaboratively with the police and the local authority. On return, the child was welcomed back to the home and encouraged by staff to share their experiences. The child made a disclosure about the time in which they had been missing from home. The manager shared the information appropriately with multi-agencies but failed to explain to the child the steps that would be taken following their disclosure. This compromised the child’s ability to reflect on their experiences.

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improvement to be good

Staff use incentives and consequences, and there is a reward system to reinforce children’s positive behaviour. However, staff do not consistently carry out meaningful reflective work with children when they do not meet these set targets. Furthermore, when children receive consequences, these are not recorded. This is a missed opportunity for children to learn about their behaviours and for the manager to evaluate staff practice.

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improvement to be good

When children have shared concerns about the behaviour of staff, the manager has addressed the concerns with staff. However, on one occasion, the manager could not provide evidence that the child was provided with an outcome, and the concerns were not shared with the child’s social worker. This makes it difficult to understand whether the child was satisfied with the processes and limits the placing authority’s ability to support the child.

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improvement to be good

Motion sensors are used on the stairs at night to notify staff of children’s movements. The manager has failed to ensure that all the children have been consulted about this measure and that children’s plans reflect the requirement. During the inspection, the manager said that he would review documentation to ensure that assessment is clear.

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improvement to be good

Regular health and safety checks take place. However, the manager has failed to ensure that the remedial works set out in the fire risk assessment have been completed. Furthermore, the manager has failed to ensure that all the children who live at the home have taken part in a fire evacuation. During the inspection, the manager took action to ensure that the works were completed. However, this may have compromised safety in the event of a fire.

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

There have been changes to the home’s management team. The registered manager left the home in September 2023 and several staff members left shortly after. A new manager and staff team are in place, and they are experienced and positive about working at the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC478134 5 The supervision and induction offered to staff require improvement. There have been changes for the team with staff joining from elsewhere in the organisation. These staff have not received an induction specific to the operation of this home. Additionally, staff are not provided with supervision in line with the home’s policy. This is a missed opportunity to ensure that there is an effective review of staff practice and means staff have missed out on the support that supervision and induction provide.

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

Managers have failed to escalate concerns adequately and challenge other professionals in a timely manner. For example, the manager recognised that there were delays from a child’s placing authority in decision-making over the child’s care planning. The manager submitted a complaint but has not followed this up when there have been delays in the placing authority responding.

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

The manager has failed to ensure that staff have completed training specific to children’s needs, including gender identity and substance misuse training. Furthermore, some staff’s behaviour management training is out of date. This does not ensure that staff have the required skills they need for their roles.

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

Feedback from professionals is good. Children’s social workers are positive about the care children receive and the progress that children make while living at the home.

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

The manager has not completed the quality of care review in line with the regulation. This is a missed opportunity to gather feedback from children and stakeholders and to identify areas for development.

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

The manager has monitoring systems in place. However, these have not been effective in identifying or addressing areas of concern. As a result, there are missed opportunities to learn and to develop the service provided to children. Inspection report for children’s home: SC478134 6

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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

In meeting the quality standards, the registered person must, and must ensure that staff—

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Requirement Due date

if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that managers escalate concerns effectively. 26 June 2024

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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

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person; and

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all concerns raised by children are reported in a timely manner and investigated. In addition, ensure that children understand the steps taken in response to concerns they have raised against care staff and after making disclosures. 26 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC478134 7 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

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

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

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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. (Regulation 13 (1)(a) (2)(c)(h)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, implement monitoring systems that are effective and bring improvement and ensure that all staff receive training that is specific to the needs of the children and that is kept up to date. 26 June 2024

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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.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

ensure the effective induction of each child into the home; and

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Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home. (Regulation 14 (1)(a) (2)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that managers demonstrate child-centred planning when children leave and enter the home. 26 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children. (Regulation 24 (1)(a)) 26 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC478134 8 In particular, ensure that monitoring systems are only used as set out in a child’s agreed risk assessment.

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Requirement Due date

If the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005(1) applies to the home—

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Requirement Due date

the registered person must ensure that the requirements of that Order and any regulations made under it, except for article 23 (duties of employees), are complied with in respect of the home. (Regulation 25 (2)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are aware of the fire procedures used in the home and that actions set by external assessments are responded to in a timely manner. 10 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that all staff working at the home receive practice-related supervision in line with the home’s workforce development plan and an induction into the home. 26 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that—

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes —

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation (35) (3)(a)(ii)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that consequences given to children are recorded and monitored and that records of physical interventions contain all necessary information and enable incidents to be understood to aid future learning. 26 June 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children (“a quality of care review”) at least once every 6 months. 26 June 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC478134 9 In order to complete a quality of care review the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating—

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Requirement Due date

the quality of care provided for children;

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Requirement Due date

the feedback and opinions about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it; and

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Requirement Due date

any actions that the registered person considers necessary in order to improve or maintain the quality of care provided for children.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. (Regulation 45 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c) (3) (4)(a))

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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 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: SC478134 10

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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

Sophie Hills, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC478134 11 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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