Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Stockport

Inspection report for children’s home: SC359818 1 SC359818

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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

This home is part of a large organisation. It provides care for up to four children. The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2022.

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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 good

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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: 27 February 2024

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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: SC359818 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/02/2024 Full Good 14/03/2023 Full Good 26/05/2021 Full Good 21/02/2020 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC359818 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of the inspection, three children were living in the home. One of the children has been living in the home for over three years, and another has been living there for nearly two years. Both of these children are very settled and expressed that they want to remain in the home until they are 18. Since the last inspection, two children have moved out of the home and two children have moved in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children who moved out of the home both moved out sooner than anticipated. However, these moves were managed well by the home, and both of these children were living some distance from their families, which affected their ability to settle. Staff worked hard to mitigate this by supporting them in spending time with their family and friends.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home environment has been improved since the last inspection. There has been an ongoing programme of maintenance work to ensure that the home is well presented. Children have personalised bedrooms that they take great pride in.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children understand the importance of education. When children are unable to attend school, staff ensure they take part in home learning and educational activities. Staff work well with children’s schools to understand children’s learning needs and to ensure consistent support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are positive about the care they receive and can identify trusted staff that they can talk to. Staff provide good child-centred care to help children feel secure and safe. They talk with affection and pride about children’s achievements, talents and progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children enjoy a range of hobbies and interests, and staff ensure they have a variety of positive experiences. For example, one child enjoyed a holiday to Spain, and during the most recent school holiday the children enjoyed a trip to a popular theme park.

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

Children feel safe and are safe. Individualised plans and risk assessments outline measures to support staff to manage identified risks. Staff follow the strategies outlined in these plans, which remain under review and are updated to reflect change.

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

There have been some incidents where children have been missing from home. Staff are proactive in searching for children and gathering information about their location. Their missing-from-care protocols are followed. On one occasion, staff members stayed overnight in the area where the child was located to ensure that the child was safe and well, as they were refusing to return to the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC359818 4 On occasion, physical intervention is used as a last resort to keep children safe. The provider has moved to using an electronic form to record these incidents. However, this form is not being fully completed, and on one occasion, a debrief with a child was not recorded. This means it is unclear whether staff have always supported children to be able to provide their views about incidents of physical intervention.

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

When children make allegations of harm against staff, managers inform social workers and the local authority designated officer. They seek advice and follow due process. This helps to ensure that concerns are appropriately explored and that children are kept safe. However, managers do not always notify Ofsted of allegations. This does not enable the regulator to have effective oversight of what is happening in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has high aspirations for children and staff. Staff say that he is supportive and approachable. Staff are supported to develop their practice through training, supervision and clinical consultation. This supports staff with their work in caring for children and helps them to reflect on practice and implement new strategies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Monitoring and reviewing systems are in place which enable the manager to have oversight of the home and the progress of children. The manager has worked hard since the last inspection to improve this. The systems now in place identified a shortfall in practice, which was then rectified at the time. Monthly audits are also completed by the responsible individual who has robust oversight of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong connections with partner agencies. Professionals are positive about the communication with the team and about the care provided for children. Effective multi-agency working means that everyone is working together to support the best possible outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff strive to build positive relationships with children’s families and other significant people to help children build and maintain their social networks outside of the home. Inspection report for children’s home: SC359818 5

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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

within 5 days of the use of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are spoken to after any incident of restraint and that this is recorded on the relevant form used by the provider. 20 December

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there. (Regulation 40 (4)(c)) 20 December

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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: SC359818 6

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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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Inspectors

Kate Savage, Social Care Inspector Rebecca Rutter, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC359818 7 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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