Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Norfolk

Inspection report for children’s home: SC459168 1 SC459168 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 privately owned. It provides care for up to four children who experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, four children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager left the home in June 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 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: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC459168 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2024 Full Good 07/06/2022 Full Good 20/04/2021 Full Good 16/09/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good Inspection report for children’s home: SC459168 3

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improvement to be good

Two children contributed to this inspection. Two other children preferred not to share their views with the inspector.

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improvement to be good

Children experience stability in their living arrangements. Since the last inspection, one child has moved into the home and one child has moved on.

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improvement to be good

Although children are making some progress, there are concerns about staff practice, which has meant that children have not received appropriate help and protection. Poor individual staff practices have undermined children’s overall experiences.

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improvement to be good

One child was supported by staff to move into the home during a period of crisis. Due to exceptional circumstances, the child was unable to visit the home before moving in. The manager ensured that they had obtained sufficient information about the child to allow them to prepare for the child’s arrival. Staff undertook additional training. This ensured that, despite the difficult circumstances, the child was welcomed into a home by staff who could meet their needs.

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improvement to be good

Children said that they have good relationships with staff. They feel that the staff and the manager care about them. One child said that the manager has successfully advocated for them to share their views in important meetings.

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improvement to be good

All children are in education and are on track to achieve qualifications and their individual educational targets. One child, who experienced a gap in education, is now enrolled at a local high school. This child is excited to start school and has placed a photo of themselves in their school uniform on the wall in the lounge. The manager has tenaciously advocated for another child to receive education that meets their needs. While this child’s educational attendance is still sporadic, they are making progress from their starting point.

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improvement to be good

Children take part in a wide range of activities. One child attends a local football club, another enjoys off-road motorcycle racing. One child has been supported to learn how to roller skate.

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improvement to be good

Children attend sleepovers at their friends’ houses. They are supported by staff to maintain friendships and regularly have friends visit the home.

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improvement to be good

Children are not yet receiving good help and protection. Inspection report for children’s home: SC459168 4 Staff have not always followed children’s relevant plans or court-ordered restrictions. On one occasion, staff did not supervise a child in accordance with a deprivation of liberty order. This child was able to leave the home unnoticed by staff for two hours. This shortfall led to the child being missing from the home for a period of six days and being returned to the home by the police.

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improvement to be good

On another occasion, staff did not follow a child’s risk assessment in relation to their unsupervised time in the community. Staff purchased train tickets for this child to go to an area that was not permitted in the child’s plans. This child was placed at risk and then went missing from the home.

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improvement to be good

There have been times when children have been held by staff to keep them safe. Many of these interventions have been necessary, proportonate and effective to prevent significant harm. However, on one occasion, a child was held by a member of staff who did not have up-to-date restraint training. This staff member used restraint techniques that are outside the scope of approved holds. The manager appropriately intervened and stopped the hold. Despite this, the staff member’s actions increased the risk of harm to the child during this time.

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improvement to be good

Staff have not always followed the home’s safeguarding policy. On one occasion, a child made an allegation against a member of staff during an incident of restraint. This was observed by two other members of staff who did not report this without delay. The manager only became aware of this concern when they reviewed the record of restraint two days later. The manager then took prompt action to safeguard the child. However, staff’s delay in reporting this concern meant that necessary protective measures were not in place for the child when they should have been.

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improvement to be good

Children’s achievements are celebrated. They receive regular praise for positive behaviour, and children’s rewards and incentives are personalised. Consequences are rarely used. When they are, they are proportionate, effective and reparative in nature. One child spoke to the inspector about how staff help them to ‘repair the harm’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has not had a registered manager since June 2024. A new manager has been appointed and is in the process of registering with Ofsted. The manager is highly committed and experienced. They are ambitious for children to receive good-quality care and achieve positive outcomes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a very high level of understanding of the children’s needs, their plans and the progress that they have made.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager supports children to take part in their statutory meetings. She is an excellent ambassador for children to understand their entitlements and to express their views. Inspection report for children’s home: SC459168 5 The manager uses good monitoring and review processes to improve the quality of care offered to children. The manager’s reviews of incidents are detailed and analytical. They demonstrate professional curiosity when this is needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There have been significant shortfalls in relation to the help and protection that children receive. The manager has identified all these shortfalls. They have taken immediate and appropriate action in relation to safeguarding concerns. The manager has made swift referrals to the relevant authorities when there have been concerns in relation to staff practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that individual staff are spoken to promptly in relation to concerns about their practice. The manager identifies areas of learning and actions to prevent reoccurrence. These learning areas are shared with the wider team through immediate notices and discussions in team meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular and effective supervision sessions Supervision is used to embed and evaluate the effectiveness of the home’s therapeutic model.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend regular team meetings. Team meetings are used to improve professional practice and provide clear guidance to staff in relation to children’s care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is spacious and generally well decorated and appointed. The children benefit from personalised bedrooms that are decorated in line with their preferences. However, some damage to an external shed has not been repaired to a good standard. Scheduled work to address this damage has been delayed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC459168 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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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)(v)(vi)(vii)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers must ensure that: staff follow children’s relevant plans and court orders; any allegations about staff are reported without delay in accordance with the home’s safeguarding policy; all staff involved in the use of restraint with children have appropriate, up-to-date training. 4 March 2025

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Requirement Due date

Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. (Regulation 20 (2))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, managers must ensure that techniques used for restraint that may interfere with breathing are not permissible in any circumstances. 28 January 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC459168 7

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that repairs to the home are timely and completed to a safe standard. (‘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: SC459168 8

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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

Andrea Bounden, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC459168 9 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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