Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in St Helens

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 1 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 is part of a large national provider of children’s homes. It provides care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There was one child living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

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inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress.

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inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

23/08/2023 Full Good 08/06/2022 Full Good 28/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness 08/12/2021 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

There are serious shortfalls in care planning, management oversight of the home and poor safeguarding practices. Consequently, the child’s experiences and progress are poor, and their safety is compromised.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Since the last inspection, one child has moved out. Staff who are familiar to the child ensured that the child’s time living at the home ended positively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child currently living at the home has lived there for a short period of time. Care planning is poor. The child’s move into the home was not well planned. Leaders and managers did not consider all relevant risk factors before the child moved into the home. This was in relation to potential risks in the community, for example the proximity of a train station. Professionals also identified this as a serious concern before the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

During the inspection, the inspectors spoke to the child. He said, ‘Staff don’t care about me; I didn’t even get a birthday cake.’ This does not give the child a sense of belonging or show that staff care about him.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child does not attend education. There are no plans in place to support the child’s educational outcomes. This means the child is not being helped to improve his learning and enhance his life opportunities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child is engaging with the organisation’s mentor and is currently receiving weekly support from an in-house psychologist. A professional said, ‘[Name of child] is engaging well.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Leaders, managers and staff do not consistently manage behaviour effectively. On occasions, they ignore the child’s inappropriate behaviours and language. This does not demonstrate that staff have the necessary experience and skills to care for the child and manage incidents when he is in crisis, and it does not enable the child to develop socially aware behaviour.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child’s plans do not contain all relevant information. Therefore, staff do not have all the necessary information to safely care for the child and support them to make progress.

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

Not all staff understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding. Two staff have recently allowed the child to engage in substance misuse and risk-taking behaviours. This is a significant concern and is now being investigated by the organisation. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 4 The child’s risk management plans do not include relevant and up-to-date information. Leaders and managers do not update plans with significant information to support staff’s safeguarding practices.

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

Leaders and managers do not provide staff with clear strategies to follow to reduce the risk of harm to the child. As a result, a child was able to leave the home overnight on more than one occasion without the knowledge of staff. When the child returned home, leaders, managers and staff did not speak to the child about the incident or provide the child with an opportunity to speak to somebody independent. This is a missed opportunity to understand any potential triggers, to reduce the risk of this happening again.

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

Leaders, managers and staff do not support the child in line with their court-directed order. This impacts on the child’s overall well-being and safety.

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

Recording in the home is poor. Records of incidents are unclear and do not provide an accurate account of incidents that have occurred. For example, leaders and managers could not find records regarding incidents when the child had been missing from home.

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

Staff do not demonstrate professional curiosity when the child is out in the community. Staff do not take sufficient action to understand who they are in contact with or recognise the risks that the child may face. This is poor safeguarding practice and does not demonstrate safe care.

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

Staff search the child’s bedroom to ensure that the environment is safe. Staff remove items from the child’s bedroom. However, records do not include the rationale for the measure used or a record of any items removed. Furthermore, the manager has not reviewed or evaluated the effectiveness or appropriateness of the actions taken.

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

Despite the safeguarding concerns, recruitment procedures and practices are safe. New staff are checked and vetted before starting to work at the home. These checks ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with children in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There have been several managers in post and no registered manager since February 2024. This instability has had a detrimental impact on the overall leadership and management of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Some staff describe poor management arrangements and a lack of management presence. As a result, this has caused inconsistencies and unsafe practices. Recently, a new manager has been appointed. She also manages another home within the organisation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not ensure that the quality of care provided to children is reviewed and evaluated sufficiently. The oversight, review and evaluation of incidents Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 5 are poor. There is no reflection or robust evaluation of safeguarding incidents to improve the practices of staff and children’s safety. The new manager has recognised this and has started to implement changes. However, these are not embedded in practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Staff do not receive regular supervision. Team meetings do not take place. This does not provide staff with opportunities to reflect on their practice and identify their developmental needs. The new manager has started to take some action to address these shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not ensure that staff have the necessary skills to support the child’s needs. For example, not all staff have had training in asthma awareness and substance misuse, despite these being known risks for the child. As a result, the manager and staff do not always have the knowledge and skills to reduce the risk of harm to the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Managers do not ensure that there are suitable levels of staffing in the home. It is unclear if sufficient staff have been on shift to care for children. This is not safe practice as there is no clear record of who is working with the child at any given time.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Two of the requirements from the previous inspection have not been met and have been restated. This does not demonstrate that leaders and managers take sufficient action to make continuous improvements to the quality of care they provide for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 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

*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

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(b)) 10 November

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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

promotes their welfare. 10 November Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff work as a team where appropriate;

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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

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

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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;

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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)(b)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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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; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

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Requirement Due date

that arrangements are in place to— 16 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 8 ensure the effective induction of each child into the home;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

plan for, and help, each child to prepare to leave the home or to move into adult care in a way that is consistent with arrangements agreed with the child’s placing authority;

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that the child’s placing authority is contacted, and a review of that child’s relevant plans is requested, if—

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Requirement Due date

the child requests a review of the child’s relevant plans; and

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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)(b) (2)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(c)(e)(iii)(f))

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Requirement Due date

the privacy of children is appropriately protected;

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Requirement Due date

children can access all appropriate areas of the children’s home’s premises; and

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Requirement Due date

any limitation placed on a child’s privacy or access to any area of the home’s premises—

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Requirement Due date

is intended to safeguard each child accommodated in the home;

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Requirement Due date

is kept under review and, if necessary, revised; and

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Requirement Due date

allows children as much freedom as is possible when balanced against the need to protect them and keep them safe. (Regulation 21 (a)(b)(c)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that the locks are removed from all external doors. 16 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

undertake appropriate continuing professional development; 16 December Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 9 receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)(b)(c)) 16 December

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Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home.

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Requirement Due date

maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the records are kept up to date; and

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Requirement Due date

retain the records for at least 15 years from the date of the last entry. (Regulation 37 (1) (2)(a)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that the roster contains the full names of staff working in the home and when staff have worked this is clearly displayed on the roster.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 16 December

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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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 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 10 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: 2624711 11

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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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Inspectors

Judith Birchall, Social Care Inspector Sally Croft, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 12 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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