Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 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

The manager has submitted her application to register with Ofsted.

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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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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

Date of last inspection: 10 September 2024

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: inadequate

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

This children’s home was judged inadequate at the full inspection on 10 and 11 September 2024. Inspectors identified serious concerns about safeguarding practices in the home, ineffective leadership and management arrangements and poor education outcomes for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 2 Following the inspection, three compliance notices were issued under Section 22A of the Care Standards Act. Compliance notices were issued under regulation 12, the protection of children standard, regulation 13, the leadership and management standard, and regulation 8, the education standard.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on the 4 November 2024 which found that the provider had taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices. Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/09/2024 Full Inadequate 19/07/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 14/09/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 4

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improvement to be good

The child has remained living in the home since the last inspection. They have developed positive relationships with some of the staff team working in the home. However, changes to the staffing in the home means that the care for the child has not been con- sistent. As a result, progress for the child is limited in some areas.

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improvement to be good

Staff support the child to engage with health professionals and attend appointments. Staff recognise the child’s anxieties of engaging with routine health appointments. They implement strategies to help the child overcome these. However, the child’s records do not reflect the plans that are in place to support the child to overcome difficulties in their relationship with the inhouse psychologist. This means that there is a decline in the child’s engagement with the therapeutic interventions that are in place to support their emotional health needs.

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improvement to be good

The child’s engagement with the staff team has improved. Staff provide opportunities for the child to engage in activities. They understand the child’s barriers to engagement with activities out of the home in the presence of staff. Staff support the child to identify al- ternative options to promote their engagement. However, plans are not in place to pro- mote the child to have healthy sleep patterns and daily routines. This limits the child’s engagement with activities.

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improvement to be good

The child is making progress in their engagement with education. The manager has ad- vocated for the child to attend a formal educational provision in line with their wishes. The introduction of an alternative education mentor means that the child is now engag- ing with educational activities in and out of the home. A tutor visits the home to support the child’s education.

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improvement to be good

Staff respect the strong relationships the child has with their family members. They ad- vocate on the child’s behalf to increase their time with their family. As a result, the child is now able to spend more time with those who are important to them. However, staff do not recognise the emotional impact of the child’s relationships with their family and how this impacts on their behaviour. This means that the child is not supported to man- age their emotions effectively.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not understand all the child’s risks and vulnerabilities. Staff do not recognise the factors that impact on the child’s emotions. As a result, opportunities to support the child to manage their emotions have been missed. This has led to incidents of challenging be- haviour in the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 5 Staff take action to safeguard the child, and others, following incidents of challenging behaviour in the home and the community. Local Authority professionals speak positively about how incidents are managed by staff. However, the child’s records are not main- tained to reflect accurate details of the actions taken by staff to safeguard the child. Fur- thermore, risk assessments have not been updated to include all known risks and vulner- abilities. Records do not reflect the strategies that staff are implementing to manage the child’s risks.

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improvement to be good

The manager spends time with the child following incidents. This provides the child with opportunities to reflect on their behaviour and the impact this has on others. However, the staff team do not consistently engage the child in meaningful work in respect of all their identified risks and needs. As a result, progress is limited for the child to be able to manage their emotions more effectively.

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improvement to be good

Staff implement strategies to safeguard the child following incidents of self-harm. Exter- nal professionals are invited into the home to educate the child on fire safety following incidents of fire setting in the home. Staff engage the child in meaningful work regarding the risks of fire in the home. Additional fire drills take place to support the child to evac- uate the home safely in the event of a fire.

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improvement to be good

Strategies are not in place to promote positive behaviour in the home. Shortfalls in man- agerial oversight means that the manager does not identify when consequences given to the child are not effective.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not follow plans to ensure that the home environment is secure. As a result, the child has gone missing from the home during the night. Staff look for the child when they are missing from the home. They work with external professionals and family to lo- cate the child and return them home.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of the child being physically held are rare. When incidents do occur, interven- tions are used to ensure the safety of the child and others. However, reflective work is not undertaken with all staff involved following incidents. This means the manager is not able to identify any potential learning from incidents.

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improvement to be good

Recruitment processes for new staff to the home are not thorough. Action is not taken to ensure concerns raised within references for new staff are fully explored.

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

The manager is now overseeing the home on a full-time basis. As a result, she has a better understanding of the care being provided to the child. However, the recording of the managers oversight and evaluation of care is not always reflected within the child’s records.

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

The manager spends time with the child and knows them well. This has helped the child to develop a positive relationship with her. However, information has not been shared Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 6 with the team to develop their understanding of the child’s triggers. As a result, gaps re- main in the staff’s knowledge of the child’s vulnerabilities.

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

The manager identifies shortfalls in staff practice following incidents. She addresses these as a team and on an individual basis. She recognises the development needs of the staff team and the home. However, these are not reflected within the home’s devel- opment plans.

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

The child has not been supported by a consistent or stable staff team. The recruitment of new staff means that leaders and managers are working to ensure that a consistent team is in place to support the child. Shortfalls in staffing have been covered by con- sistent members of staff from other homes in the organisation who know the child and are familiar with the home. This has helped the child to develop positive relationships with individual staff members.

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

Staff benefit from regular supervision. They speak positively of the support provided by the manager. Team meetings now take place on a fortnightly basis. Staff say this has improved the communication between the staff and that they are now more consistent in their approach to the child. Staff undertake training on topics relevant for the child’s individual needs. However, systems are not embedded into practice for the manager to address repeated shortfalls in staff practice. Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 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, 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

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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically ensure that children’s records are maintained and updated to include all known risks and vulnerabilities for the child; that staff understand and follow plans that are in place to safeguard the child and that recruitment processes for new staff in the home are safe. 29 January 2025

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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 promotes their welfare. 29 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 8 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;

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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.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(e)(f)(h))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that there is oversight of all care being provided in the home, that action is taken to address gaps in staff knowledge and understanding and that plans are in place to address areas of required development for the home.

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Requirement Due date

The positive relationships standard is that children are helped to develop, and to benefit from, relationships based on— mutual respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

an understanding about acceptable behaviour; and positive responses to other children and adults.

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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

meet each child’s behavioural and emotional needs, as set out in the child’s relevant plans;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop socially aware behaviour;

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Requirement Due date

encourage each child to take responsibility for the child’s behaviour, in accordance with the child’s age and understanding; 29 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 9 help each child to develop and practise skills to resolve conflicts positively and without harm to anyone;

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Requirement Due date

communicate to each child expectations about the child’s behaviour and ensure that the child understands those expectations in accordance with the child’s age and understanding;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand, in a way that is appropriate according to the child’s age and understanding, personal, sexual and social relationships, and how those relationships can be supportive or harmful;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to develop the understanding and skills to recognise or withdraw from a damaging, exploitative or harmful relationship;

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Requirement Due date

strive to gain each child’s respect and trust;

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Requirement Due date

understand how children’s previous experiences and present emotions can be communicated through behaviour and have the competence and skills to interpret these and develop positive relationships with children;

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Requirement Due date

de-escalate confrontations with or between children, or potentially violent behaviour by children;

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Requirement Due date

that each child is encouraged to build and maintain positive relationships with others.

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Requirement Due date

(Regulation 11(1)(a)(b)(c)(2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(viii)(ix)(xi)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that leaders and managers ensure that the child is supported to develop positive relationships with the staff team, develop positive daily routines and that direct work with children is undertaken that is meaningful and professionally curious.

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate. 29 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 10 (Regulation 35 (3)(b)(i)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, that debriefs are undertaken with all staff that are involved in incidents in which the child has been physically held.

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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.

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Requirement Due date

Specifically ensure that children’s records and reviewed and maintained to include all actions taken to safeguard the child and include accurate information. 29 January 2025

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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: 2662847 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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Inspector

Claire Hobbs, social care inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2662847 12 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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