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

Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited 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.

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Information about this children’s home

It is registered to provide care for one child who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

There were no children living in the home at the time of this 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

Date of last inspection: 24 September 2024

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inadequate

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 24 and 25 September 2024. Inspectors identified serious concerns about safeguarding practices in the home, and ineffective leadership and management arrangements. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 2 Following that inspection, two compliance notices were issued under Section 22A of the Care Standards Act. Compliance notices were issued under Regulation 12, the protection of children standard, and Regulation 13, the leadership and management standard.

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Enforcement action since last inspection:

A monitoring visit took place on the 14 November 2024. Inspectors identified further shortfalls in safeguarding practices and the leadership and management of the home. Therefore, the provider had not taken sufficient action to meet these notices. Further notices were issued under Regulation 12 and Regulation 13. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

24/09/2024 Full Inadequate 23/08/2023 Full Good 08/06/2022 Full Good 28/03/2022 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Outcomes for the child since the monitoring visit have been poor.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The decision for the child to move on from the home at a time when they were missing from home led to the child experiencing a traumatic ending to their time living there. Staff did not inform the child that they were unable to return to the home. Requests from the child to be collected while they were missing were not acted on. Managers instructed staff to cease all welfare calls. As a result, the child had nowhere to go and remained at significant risk in the community with no professional oversight of their safety or welfare.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Changes to the staffing in the home meant that the child was not cared for by a consistent or stable staff team on a regular basis. As a result, the child did not develop strong or trusting relationships with those responsible for caring for them. Shortfalls in staffing were covered by staff members working in other homes across the organisation. Staff working in the home did not know the child or understand their complex needs and vulnerabilities.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Staff provided opportunities for the child to enjoy activities outside of the home. However, staff did not use strategies to promote positive behaviour in the home. Staff took the child out to enjoy activities in the community following serious incidents of challenging behaviour in the home. This meant that the child was not provided with consistent boundaries in respect of their behaviour. This led to further incidents of challenging behaviour in the community, placing the child, staff and others at risk of harm.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

The child moved on from the home with unmet physical health needs. The abrupt ending to the child’s time in the home means that arrangements could not be made to ensure that action is taken for the child to receive medication for a sexual health concern.

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

Staff lacked the skills and knowledge to manage the child’s risks and behaviours. As a result, the risks for the child increased. The child was then moved on from the home.

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

Staff did not follow the child’s plans to manage incidents of challenging behaviour. Techniques to de-escalate situations were not used due to staff being fearful of the child. This led to staff allowing the child to gain access to the staff office and the home’s safe to retrieve items. Staff did not understand the risks for the child and others when they were taken out on activities following serious incidents. Furthermore, they did not have the skills to manage the child’s behaviour when out in the community. As a result, the child stole the home’s bank card from staff and was able to use this to purchase energy drinks and electronic cigarettes. The child then went missing from the home. Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 5 Staff did not take action to safeguard the child following incidents of drug use in the home. Checks of the home or the child’s bedroom were not undertaken in line with

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

plans. As a result, the child was able to use and continued to use substances in the home. Staff did not engage the child in meaningful work to manage or reduce the risks of drug misuse.

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

Staff are not professionally curious. Staff lacked knowledge and understanding of the child’s relationships with other children from homes in the organisation. As a result, the child was able to communicate with and spend time with other children without the knowledge of staff. This led to safeguarding concerns for another child following a breakdown in the relationship. Staff have not learned from previous incidents of children being in the home without their knowledge. Action was not taken to ensure the safety of the child or others when they heard the child attempting to open the back doors to the home during the night.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Management arrangements continue to be poor and ineffective. The two managers overseeing the home were both absent from work at the time of the inspection. The recording of management oversight has increased since the last inspection. However, the quality of this evaluation is poor. Shortfalls in staff practice have not consistently been identified, and the evaluation of some incidents is inaccurate. Furthermore, action is not taken to address shortfalls in practice with staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Training opportunities for the team have been provided since the last inspection. However, not all staff have undertaken the training that was needed to meet the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Team meetings take place. These provide opportunities to reflect on staff’s experiences of working in the home. However, reflective discussions of the child’s time in the home lack focus on the child, the challenges staff faced in caring for the child and the shortfalls in staff practice. As a result, staff do not learn from incidents or identified shortfalls.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

The quality of staff supervision is poor. Supervision records do not demonstrate that managers have spoken to staff about the child. Discussions have not been held in respect of the care that they provide to them. This means that managers do not help staff to understand their roles and responsibilities in safeguarding children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Leaders and managers do not demonstrate that they understand the impact of the shortfalls in the quality of care on the child’s safety and overall experiences. The provider has not taken sufficient action to meet the compliance notices that were issued at the previous visit. The requirements from the previous visit are restated.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Following the outcome of the inspection, the provider made the decision to cancel the home’s registration. 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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 9 February 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 9 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 7 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

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

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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 9 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 8 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

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)(f)(e))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 9 February 2025

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if— 9 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 9 a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(d)(i)(ii)(e))

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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))

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Requirement Due date

This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated. 9 February 2025

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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 full names of staff working in the home and where staff have worked this is clearly displayed on the roster. 9 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 10 This requirement was made at the last inspection and is restated.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1.

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Requirement Due date

keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and

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Requirement Due date

notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16 (1)(3)(a)(b)) 9 February 2025

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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 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

Claire Hobbs, Social Care Inspector Hayley Smith, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2624711 12 regulates 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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