Children's Home run by Cambridgeshire County Council in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report children's home: 2603668 1 Registered provider: Cambridgeshire County Council

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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 local authority home provides care for up to four children with learning and/or physical disabilities.

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Information about this children's home

The registered manager left in January 2024. A new manager was appointed in October 2023 and is in the process of registering 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

Date of last inspection: 31 January 2024

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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 children's home: 2603668 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/05/2022 Full Good 08/02/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness 25/05/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report children's home: 2603668 3

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improvement to be good

There were three children living at the home at the time of inspection. There have been no new children move in or out of the home.

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improvement to be good

At times, there are not enough staff on shift to support children in the community. The children have increased levels of supervision when outside the home. The manager has asked for additional staff at weekends. However, during the evenings, if a child wants to go out there are not always enough staff to make this possible. This could mean children are unable to access the community if they wish to.

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improvement to be good

The home requires decorating and cleaning. This shortfall was identified at the last two inspections and remains unaddressed. The manager has made some small amendments to the home and requested quotes for the work. However, redecoration has not started. The bathroom floor is stained and looks unclean. The children have been asked for their views for the colours as part of the decoration plan. As this has not taken place, the children may feel that their views are not being listened to.

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improvement to be good

Children’s positive achievements are not recorded. There is no system to capture rewards or positive achievements. Although staff offer praise to children, without any record their successes may not be celebrated and areas of progress may be unclear.

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improvement to be good

The children are settled and comfortable at the home. Staff understand how to communicate with the children. Staff have recently attended training in a communication method that one child uses regularly. A staff member identified a communication aid that a different child could use on their electronic device. This has enabled the child to express their views.

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improvement to be good

The children are all in education. The manager identifies any barriers to children’s learning. One child was finding the taxi journey to and from school difficult. The manager arranged meetings to discuss these concerns. A plan was agreed for staff to go in the taxi to support the child. The manager also arranged for the child to be picked up from school early to avoid a wait that distressed the child.

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improvement to be good

Children’s behaviour support plans and risk assessments are not always clear. For one child, the staff supervision levels in the community depend on whether they are walking or using a pushchair. The child’s plans do not specify the difference. This means that these plans have not been followed. Inspection report children's home: 2603668 4 Unexplained marks and bruises on children are explored but not fully recorded. The manager has introduced a new monitoring log for marks noted on children. This makes it easier to have oversight of these and ensure follow up actions are taken. The information in incident forms is minimal. Some of the details on incident forms have not been added to the log of concerns.

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improvement to be good

Actions from an investigation have not been carried out. An investigation into a concern led to recommendations and training. This training has not been undertaken in a timely manner. The family of the child about who the concerns were raised have not received a formal outcome of the investigation. This means they do not have written confirmation of the actions taken to prevent a similar incident occurring.

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improvement to be good

The staff have made three errors when administering medication to children. The information is all contained in the subsequent investigations. The investigation reports were carried out after the event which meant that while these were being investigated there was no record of the error. The investigations highlight some recommendations that have not all taken place. One staff member continues to administer medication despite a recommendation that they should be reassessed for medication administration competency. The investigations do not evaluate the errors or identify any patterns. This could mean a wider concern about the medication systems could be missed.

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improvement to be good

Safer recruitment processes are not consistently followed. Gaps in staff’s employment histories and reasons for leaving previous care roles are not always explored. During the inspection, there were long delays in finding the recruitment documents. This means the manager is not able to easily confirm that all checks have been carried out.

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improvement to be good

Restraints and incidents do not happen regularly. When incidents increased for one child the manager identified a trigger and took action. The staff arranged for a dentist to visit the home. Following this visit and treatment, the incidents for this child reduced.

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

The manager is currently in the process of registering with Ofsted. The manager is aware of the areas of the home that require improvement. There have been some positive changes since last inspection but these are still being embedded.

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

The manager was unaware of a risk assessment regarding one staff member. The risk assessment was in place before the manager started at the home. The risk assessment was not being followed. This did not impact on children’s safety however, this could have had the potential to.

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

Management oversight is not always detailed. Managers provide oversight following incidents. However, their comments are brief and do not fully the explain actions taken. This could mean that there is a lack of learning identified following incidents.

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

The review of the premises does not include feedback from others. This lack of consultation may mean that location risks are not identified. Inspection report children's home: 2603668 5 Staff supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly. This gives the staff opportunities to discuss their roles and identify any learning needed. Staff are positive about support that they receive from the manager. The children’s professionals are also positive about the support to children. Inspection report children's home: 2603668 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, 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 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

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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that full details are included in incident reports, any actions taken following unexplained bruises are recorded and children's risk assessments clearly specify staff supervision levels. 16 August 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— 16 August 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2603668 7 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

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(a)(c)(h))

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Requirement Due date

ensure that risk assessments are followed and recommendations from investigations are completed.

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Requirement Due date

ensure that investigations look at the wider context to identify areas for improvement.

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Requirement Due date

provide families with formal outcomes following any complaints.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

understand the children's home's overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children;

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Requirement Due date

use this understanding to deliver care that meets children's needs and supports them to fulfil their potential.

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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 the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished so as to—

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that the home is cleaned and decorated to a good standard.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 30 August 2024 Inspection report children's home: 2603668 8 The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only employ an individual to work at the children's home,

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Requirement Due date

if the individual satisfies the requirements in paragraph (3).

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Requirement Due date

full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (1) (2)(a) (3)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that any gaps in employment are explored and the reasons for leaving previous care roles are provided and recruitment records are clear and accessible. 30 August 2024

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must review the appropriateness and suitability of the location of the premises used for the purposes of the children's home at least once in each calendar year taking into account the requirement in regulation 12(2)(c) (the protection of children standard).

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Requirement Due date

When conducting the review, the registered person must consult, and take into account the views of, each relevant person. (Regulation 46 (1) (2)) 4 October 2024

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that there is a system for rewarding and celebrating positive behaviour and recognising where children have managed situations well. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 47, paragraph 9.39)  The registered person should ensure that they plan staffing levels to ensure that they meet the needs of children and can respond flexibly to unexpected events or opportunities. In particular, ensure there are enough staff to support children to access the community regularly. ('Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the quality standards', page 54, paragraph 10.15) Inspection report children's home: 2603668 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 children's home: 2603668 10

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Children's home details

Registered provider address: Sunley House, Summers Hill Drive, Papworth Everard, Cambridge CB23 3AB

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Inspector

Leanne Lyon, Social Care Inspector Inspection report children's home: 2603668 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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