Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children's home: 1280629 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home provides care for up to three children with social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home and were spoken to during the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in June 2023.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers outstanding

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 5 September 2023

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 1280629 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

05/09/2023 Full Good 13/03/2023 Full Good 14/12/2021 Full Good 16/12/2019 Full Good Inspection report for children's home: 1280629 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have built trusting relationships with staff. Staff have adapted their communication styles to accommodate children’s individual needs. Children have open discussions about their feelings. Staff act on children’s complaints, which helps children to feel valued.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All children attend education settings that are appropriate to their learning needs, and they have made considerable progress in their attendance. The manager advocates for children to receive specialist educational support when this is required. For example, she escalated concerns when online education provision did not meet a child’s needs. A home tutor was provided to better support the child’s learning. This has supported the child to fully engage in their education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have good routines which help to motivate them to attend school and to prepare them for independence. One child has experienced their first holiday abroad, which has created positive memories for them. Many activities are organised to boost children’s self-esteem and build their relationships with one another.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Supporting children with their independence is a priority, and they have all made considerable progress. Children have aspirations for the future and are achieving their goals. One child has a part-time job, which has positively influenced another child to do the same.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are healthy and supported to be more aware of their own health. Staff have supported a child to reduce their substance misuse. They educate children about how to stay safe and provide them with strategies to better manage difficult feelings. A social worker said staff do not shy away from tricky conversations with children, which promotes positive long-term learning for them.

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

Staff protect children from harm, which makes them feel safe. Risk management plans are detailed and updated regularly. Staff are knowledgeable about children’s individual plans and regularly update professionals. A teacher said staff are ‘very astute in terms of their safeguarding and keep us updated in all forms of communication’.

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

Children do not go missing from the home and there have been no incidents of physical restraint. Staff use therapeutic parenting to help to reduce children’s anxieties. This helps children to build positive relationships with staff. Staff give children daily praise, which strengthens relationships, and unacceptable behaviour is dealt with fairly. Inspection report for children's home: 1280629 4 The manager and staff take time to thoroughly explore internet safety with children, especially when this is identified as a high risk for a child. The content is adapted to children’s ages and learning needs.

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

Due to effective working relationships with other agencies, staff received training about illegal substances, which they found useful. Staff are more confident in having discussions with children about the impact of illegal substances.

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

Staff challenge discriminatory behaviours by children. For example, staff spoke to a child about sexual identity and how everyone needs to have respect for one another’s views on this subject.

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

The manager is persistent in challenging services when children need additional support. For example, a child needed immediate mental health support, but this was refused by health professionals because they did not think that the child met the threshold criteria for their service. The manager contacted various health professionals every day until the child received the right support.

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

Staff store knives in a locked cupboard. This is not necessary, as the manager confirmed knives do not pose a risk to children in the home. Locking items away prevents children from learning how to keep themselves safe and does not add to the homely feel of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

A fully staffed team has created stability for children. Staff complete a thorough induction programme to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge to care for the children and keep them safe. The manager encourages staff to progress through the organisation, which has resulted in staff feeling highly supported and motivated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager has created a culture in the home of achieving ambitious standards and aspirations for children. External professionals recognise the hard work of the manager and staff. A social worker said, ‘The standard of care is really high. I would want all my young people to live at this home.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager provides high-quality oversight of incidents and knows the children well. Effective oversight identified an issue when three members of staff did not follow the allegation process correctly. Staff were reminded in supervision of the allegation procedure and the seriousness of failing to report this incident.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

The manager understands the home’s strengths and areas for development, due to the length of time she has managed the home. Excellent auditing processes track children’s progress and staff celebrate children’s positive progress with them. The independent visitor regularly shares positive feedback regarding children’s progress and makes few recommendations. Inspection report for children's home: 1280629 5 The manager continually thinks of creative ways to implement effective ways of working to ensure that she can delegate her responsibilities effectively. By building a knowledgeable staff team, the manager has confidence in staff practice and decision- making. This has enabled the manager to implement ‘small touches’, which was invaluable to one social worker, who said that the manager contacted them before going on annual leave to let them know who was available to contact. The social worker had not experienced this level of communication before and felt reassured by this.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: outstanding

Inspection report for children's home: 1280629 6

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure the home complies with relevant health and safety legislation, however, in doing so, the home should seek as far as possible to maintain a domestic rather than institutional impression. The rationale for sharp knives being locked away should be reviewed when children are not at risk from these items. (‘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: 1280629 7

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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

Caoimhe Richards, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 1280629 8 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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