Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457183 1 SC457183 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

A private company owns this home. It is registered to provide care for one child who has behavioural or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in March 2024.

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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: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 4 May 2021, a full inspection was carried out at the home, where serious and widespread shortfalls were found in relation to safeguarding practice. The home was judged inadequate. Four compliance notices were issued, under section 22A of the Care Standards Act 2000. These related to regulation 12 (the protection of children standard), regulation 13 (the leadership and management standard), regulation 14 (the care planning standard) and regulation 40 (notification of a serious event). Inspection report for children’s home: SC457183 2 On 26 May 2021, a monitoring visit was carried out at the home due to an escalation in regulation 40 notifications. Serious and widespread shortfalls were identified in relation to safeguarding practice and the previous leadership and management of the home.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

Due to the serious and widespread shortfalls, an emergency suspension notice was issued on 26 May 2021. The provider took the decision to close the home, and a three- month condition was imposed, requiring the provider to inform Ofsted three months before it intended to admit a child to the home.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

On 14 March 2024, a monitoring visit was carried out when it was deemed that sufficient action had been taken by the provider for the three-month condition to be lifted. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457183 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

04/05/2021 Full Inadequate 04/12/2019 Full Good 04/07/2018 Full Good 17/01/2018 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC457183 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

This home remained closed between May 2021 and March 2024. One child has moved in since the home reopened. Staff have supported the child to make progress. However, staff do not have the necessary documents to make it clear who has delegated authority to make decisions for the child, and what the local authority objectives are for the staff to help the child achieve. The manager has escalated this with the placing authority but has not submitted a formal complaint in a timely manner. The team have not had the information required to assess the child’s risks sufficiently or make plans to help the child work towards the future.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The child was spoken to at the inspection. The inspector observed warm relationships between the child and staff. Prior to the child moving into the home, the registered manager put plans in place for the child to meet the staff and visit the home before they moved in. The child was helped to personalise their bedroom when moving into the home. This helped the child to settle in the home. However, the child does not currently have access to one of the bathrooms in the home and the manager has not reviewed this limitation on a regular basis. In addition, the garden area is not currently a space that is suitable for the child to spend time in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

The child is supported to engage in education via the organisation’s education provision. This includes activity-based learning, for example educational trips to museums and visits to the park, swimming, and ice skating. The child has learned to swim since moving into the home. The child has started to complete some work to improve their reading and writing skills. However, the child does not attend formal education and has not done so since moving in. Information in the child’s personal education plan has not been updated and multi-agency decisions about the child’s education plan have not been recorded clearly. This is impacting on the child’s overall progress as their educational needs are not being fully met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Staff support the child to attend any necessary health appointments. This has helped the child’s overall health and well-being. However, information recorded in the child’s annual health assessment and agreed actions going forward are not on file. This means that staff cannot make plans to complete the actions recommended by the nurse.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: requires

Managers and staff use restorative practice. Managers and staff ensure that they manage the child’s needs sensitively. This is effective because incidents when the child is in crisis are reducing. Managers and staff work hard to understand the child’s past trauma and adapt their caring practices to support the child.

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

improvement to be good. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457183 5 The registered manager follows safer recruitment procedures and staff are suitably vetted. This helps to ensure that only suitable adults are employed to work with the child. However, two staff have left the home since it was reopened, after the manager had raised practice issues.

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

The child is cared for by a stable and consistent staff team. Staff spend time with the child and work hard to understand the child’s vulnerabilities. The manager and staff team are committed to providing the child with a safe environment.

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

Staff understand safeguarding processes to keep the child safe. If an incident occurs, staff know how to manage this. As a result, staff respond quickly to any safeguarding concerns.

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

Risk assessments are detailed and include strategies for staff to follow in practice to reduce the risk of harm to the child. The number of incidents has reduced as the child has settled in.

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

Behaviour management plans are relevant to the child’s needs and behaviours. Staff recording is child centred and in line with the child’s needs These plans include the child’s views about how they want staff to care for them. This helps the child feel listened to. Plans also include specific behaviour management strategies to support staff in practice. Records demonstrate that staff use these strategies when caring for the child.

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

When the child is in crisis, staff use techniques that are effective. There have been incidents of physical restraint. However, records demonstrate that these are appropriate and used to keep the child and staff safe. There has been a reduction in incidents of physical restraint. This demonstrates that the manager and staff are beginning to understand the child’s needs and how to manage them effectively.

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

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

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

The manager recently registered with Ofsted. The registered manager is child focused and committed to providing the child with safe and nurturing care. However, the staff team is relatively inexperienced and none of the team other than the manager are qualified; all staff are currently in probation.

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

The manager and staff consult relevant mental health services to work towards the staff meeting the child’s mental health needs. However, not all staff are trained in the therapeutic approach outlined in the home’s statement of purpose. The manager does ensure that the staff who require this training work alongside those in the team that have had the training. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457183 6 The registered manager has made improvements to the overall management of the home. However, the home only reopened a few months ago. The manager is working to build on the skills and experience in the team. She is continuing to make improvements to the overall monitoring and review systems in the home.

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

The manager takes action to address practice issues with staff individually and as a team. This helps the manager make improvements to staff’s caring and safeguarding practices.

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

Staff benefit from regular supervision and team meetings. Additional training is provided to staff from external professionals to improve the quality of care they provide to children.

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

Leaders and managers use external monitoring systems effectively. The manager completes actions to work at improving the quality-of-care staff provide for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457183 7

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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 education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

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Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

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Requirement Due date

raise any need for further assessment or specialist provision in relation to a child with the child’s education or training provider and the child’s placing authority; (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(vi)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered provider must ensure that the child is receiving education in line with relevant plans and escalate concerns effectively when formal provision is not in place. 16 December 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 16 December2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC457183 8 promotes their welfare.

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

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the registered person must ensure that staff have had relevant training in line with the home’s statement of purpose to support the child in their day-to-day care.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that any staff member in a supervisory role such as ‘shift leader’ should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children’s home and have successfully completed their induction for the home in which they are employed.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

that each child’s relevant plans are followed;

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Requirement Due date

that, subject to regulation 22 (contact and access to communications), contact between each child and the child’s parents, relatives, and friends, is promoted in accordance with the child’s relevant plans;

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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

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) (2)(c)(d)(e)(f))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that placing authority plans are received and staff support the child to achieve the objectives and outcomes identified. 16 December 2024 Inspection report for children’s home: SC457183 9

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that children are able to access all shared areas of their home unless there are specific reasons why this would not meet a child’s needs. Limits on privacy and access may only be put in place to safeguard each child in the home (regulation 21(c)(i)). Any decisions to limit a child’s access to any area of the home, and any modifications to the environment of the home, must only be made where this is intended to safeguard the child’s welfare. All decisions should be informed by a rigorous assessment of that individual child’s needs, be properly recorded, and be kept under regular review. (‘Guide to the Children’s Home Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 15, paragraph 3.10)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is homely. In particular, the child has access to the garden area, and they can use this space in line with their

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Recommendations

interests. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the 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: SC457183 10

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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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Inspector

Nicola Rutherford, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457183 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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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: SC457183 12

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