Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Shropshire

Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 1 SC454647 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned and provides care for up to five children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager at the time of this inspection. The appointed manager has made an application to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 12 September 2023

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/09/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 21/03/2023 Full Good 06/10/2021 Full Outstanding 10/09/2019 Full Outstanding Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 3

p.2

improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, two children have left the home, one child has remained, and another child was welcomed to the home. When children leave the home, the moves have been quick, which means children have not had well-planned goodbyes. The needs of children coming to live in the home are considered well against other children and the skillset of staff.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children make varied progress. One child is settling into their new home and establishing positive relationships with the staff. However, for other children, external influences on the child’s decision-making has meant that, despite work being completed, it does not appear that the child has made the progress expected.

p.3

improvement to be good

Clinical support is available. Children have access to an assistant mental health practitioner who offers one-to-one sessions. The engagement of children is varied, and therefore progress has been limited for some children. The assistant mental health practitioner offers support to the staff and attends regular team around the child meetings.

p.3

improvement to be good

Education is promoted. One child has done exceptionally well, sitting their exams and receiving a conditional offer to college. Another child has visited their school in preparation for starting in September. Furthermore, the relationship between the child’s home and school has improved because of better communication.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children’s health needs are generally met. The staff ensured that, for one child, a routine operation was completed before they moved out of the home. However, for another child, staff did not follow up agreed funding for dental treatment by the local authority as discussed in a previous inspection. This means that the child has not started treatment as expected.

p.3

improvement to be good

Some children have individualised in-house care plans. However, for one child, this has not been completed since they moved into the home and, for another child, their plan requires updating. It is not clear how children participate in their care planning or goal setting. This means that the children do not always know what progress they are making.

p.3

improvement to be good

The home is warm and welcoming with a homely feel throughout, with soft furnishings and pictures of the children enjoying activities. Children have personalised their bedrooms to their individual tastes and have access to ample communal space in the home and large garden. One staff room continues to be used for storage, despite previous conversations and recommendations by the independent visitor. This means that the staff do not have an appropriate space to sleep. Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 4

p.3

improvement to be good

Children have individualised behaviour management, missing from care and child sexual exploitation plans. Plans outline the individual risk for each child and these plans are updated on a regular basis. However, some updates that are held on the computer system and not printed or provided to staff to read, therefore it is not clear if all staff have read updates.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff respond when children go missing-from-home. Staff ensure that they follow missing from care protocols and respond quickly to locate and return children to the home. When children go missing during family time, the staff ensure they are quick to respond and on one occasion, the staff remained in the local area overnight to try and locate a child.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff manage significant incidents well. For example, staff were quick to react to an incident in the community to stop a child from being seriously hurt. As a result, the child is no longer living in the home to ensure of the child’s safety. The staff were supported by the assistant mental health practitioner following the incident.

p.4

improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been two incidents of physical intervention. Staff have failed to record the incidents accurately and there is no management oversight. Furthermore, there is no evidence of de-briefs taking place for children or staff.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff support children to understand risk. There is evidence of extensive work being completed with children to understand the associated risks of child sexual and criminal exploitation. However, despite this, children remain at risk when using social media. Some staff do not have the skills to thoroughly check devices which means opportunity to intercept concerns earlier may have been missed.

p.4

improvement to be good

Boundaries for staff are not clear. This is because of the changes to management and different expectations. As a result, there is some confusion around the staff smoking policy. Staff have continued to smoke cigarettes when approached by children. This does not role model the non-smoking policy in the home expected for children.

p.4

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

Significant changes to the management have caused instability for children. The current manager was appointed in April and has made their application to be registered with Ofsted. The manager is suitably skilled, experienced and qualified and has an ambitious vision for the future of the home.

p.4

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

The manager is aware of the shortfalls and works hard to implement change. Changes can be seen. However, these are not yet fully embedded. Time is needed to change the culture of the home and ensure that the staff team is committed to the required expectations of the new manager and deputy manager, who share the same ethos. Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 5 The manager is child centred and operates an ‘open door policy’. This has helped to develop trusted relationships with the children and, where needed, he has advocated and challenged on behalf of the children to ensure their rights.

p.4

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

Staff do not always receive regular supervision and there are significant delays in them receiving their annual appraisal. There has been an improvement to supervision, with staff starting to receive regular one-to-ones. However, some gaps remain. This means that staff are not always provided with the opportunity to plan for their development.

p.5

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

Safe recruitment is in place. Checks are completed on new staff to ensure that they are safe to work with children. New staff receive an induction and monitored probationary period. Staff are expected to complete mandatory training. However, completion rates are low and this means that some staff are not appropriately trained for their roles.

p.5

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

Monitoring and review systems are being developed. The management team has recognised that changes are needed to ensure that monitoring and review are effective.

p.5

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

The manager failed to send the updated version of the statement of purpose to Ofsted as required. This means that the staffing structure, including management, was incorrect. Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 6

p.5

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.

p.6

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.6

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.6

Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(iii)(vi)(vii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff help children to understand risk and take steps to keep themselves safe. That staff record physical restraint appropriately and all documentation is evaluated and signed off by management. 6 September 2024

p.6

Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered persona enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

p.6

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential.

p.6

Requirement Due date

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

p.6

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;

p.6

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team and where appropriate; 6 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 7 ensure that staff have the experiences, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.6

Requirement Due date

understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home;

p.7

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.7

Requirement Due date

research and developments in relation to the ways in which the needs of children are best met; and

p.7

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)(a)(b)(c)(f)(g)(i)(h))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that: the registered person leads by example and creates a positive culture in the home; monitoring systems are effective in monitoring children’s progress and experiences, with staff who are appropriately trained.

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

p.7

Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development;

p.7

Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(a)(b)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to ensuring that staff have regular supervision, an annual appraisal and a clear professional development plan. 6 September 2024

p.7

Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

p.7

Requirement Due date

include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

are kept up to date; and 6 September 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 8 are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c))

p.7

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to the registered person ensuring that children’s records are up to date, reports are thorough, signed and dated, and that staff take accountability for their work.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

p.8

Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

p.8

Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1) (3)(a)(b)) 9 August 2024

p.8

Requirement Due date

The care planning standard is that children—

p.8

Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home;

p.8

Requirement Due date

manage and review the placement of each child in the home;

p.8

Requirement Due date

that staff help each child to access and contribute to the records kept by the registered person in relation to the child. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(ii)(f))

p.8

Requirement Due date

This specifically relates to all children having a completed in- house care plan and that they are consulted about their care planning and goal setting. 6 September 2024

p.8

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the design of the home should provide staff that sleep in the home overnight with appropriate accommodation and facilities to do so. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.26) Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 9

p.8

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: SC454647 10

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

p.10

Children’s home details

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

p.10

Inspector

Stacie Sharpe, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 11 and inspects to 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.

p.10

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted Inspection report for children’s home: SC454647 12

p.11