Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Suffolk

Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2707907 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

p.1

Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is privately owned. It provides care for up to five children with ongoing mental health difficulties and who may not be able to live in the community without continued support. Five children were living at the home at the time of the inspection.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in January 2023, when the home opened.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is a separately registered school on site. The inspector only inspected the social care provision.

p.1

This monitoring visit

This visit was carried out to address specific concerns received by Ofsted in relation to the care received by a child. The purpose of the visit was to explore the action taken by the home following several safeguarding incidents.

p.1

This monitoring visit

All the children living in the home have complex needs. However, for one child, this complexity, arsing from trauma, has presented significant challenges for the staff and managers. Managers and staff understand the reasons for the associated behaviours. Staff are attuned to beginnings of a crisis episode. When they notice this happening, they first use relationship-based approaches to try to help the child. Due to the child’s level of trauma, behaviour can often escalate quickly. Staff are responsive and take action to prevent the child from causing further harm to themselves.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Staff are emotionally intelligent and thoughtfully articulate the child’s needs. They speak warmly of the child and are committed to helping them find better, healthier Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2707907 2 ways to cope with their feelings. However, the needs of the child are such that, despite appropriate safeguards being in place, it has not always been possible to prevent harm occurring.

p.1

This monitoring visit

Staff nurture the child and empower them to use their voice with external professionals, such as health partners. This helps the child to recognise that staff value their opinions and provides valuable messages to the child that they have autonomy over their own body.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Most incidents have taken place at night. To understand what happens, the manager moved their working hours to overnight. This provided her with insight, while also providing support to staff and improving their confidence to work with high-risk behaviours.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Night staff and day staff receive the same training and learning opportunities. This ensures that staff across the team are equipped to support children with mental health issues. Further support and advice are offered overnight from on-call managers who are experienced in working with children’s mental health.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Restraints take place often. When used, these are proportionate and neccesary to keep children safe. However, staff do not always record whether children are offered medical attention. This is particularly important where there are incidents involving extreme self-harm, such as headbanging. It is not clear if time has been spent with children and staff after incidents to understand what has happened. This means that important evaluative information is being missed.

p.2

This monitoring visit

One child’s risk assessment does not state what the expectations of staff are in respect of bathroom privacy. Staff do not have clear instructions to ensure that they understand when this level of restriction is in place and how to preserve the child’s dignity.

p.2

This monitoring visit

One child has poor sleep hygiene, which is linked to their trauma. Managers recognise that better sleep hygiene would be helpful for the child and provide a better structure. However, plans to address this are not sufficiently developed.

p.2

This monitoring visit

Requirements and recommendations made at the last inspection are outside of the scope of this visit. These will be reviewed at the next inspection. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2707907 3

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/05/2024 Full Good 27/06/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2707907 4

p.3

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 with the given timescales.

p.4

Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

p.4

Requirement Due date

a description of any injury to the child or any other person, and any medical treatment administered, as a result of the measure;

p.4

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”)—

p.4

Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure; and

p.4

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)(a)(viii)(b)(i)(c)) 27 February 2025

p.4

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.4

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)(b))

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that risk assessments include clear instructions on the expectations of bathroom privacy. 27 February 2025

p.4

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.4

Requirement Due date

the health and well-being needs of children are met; 27 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2707907 5 children receive advice, services and support in relation to their health and well-being; and

p.4

Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles.

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand and develop skills to promote the child’s well- being. (Regulation 10 (1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(iv))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that staff support children to have healthy sleep routines.

p.5

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—

p.5

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.5

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;

p.5

Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

p.5

Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received; and

p.5

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)(f)(g)(ii)(h))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that: there are records detailing actions taken by the manager following incidents or allegations; concerns about staff practice are fully explored; investigations into staff practice are carried out in a timely manner. 27 February 2025 Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2707907 6 This requirement was raised at the last inspection and will be reviewed at the next inspection

p.5

Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.6

Requirement Due date

take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives.

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

p.6

Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s views, wishes and feelings have been taken into account and give the child reasons for decisions in relation to the child. (Regulation 7 (1)(c) (2)(a)(iii))

p.6

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that children are given updates and feedback following their requests.

p.6

Requirement Due date

This requirement was raised at the last inspection and will be reviewed at the next inspection 27 February 2025

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the placing authority has given written consent at the time of placement for any monitoring or surveillance equipment to be used. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.16)  The registered person should ensure that there is a workforce plan that can fulfil the workforce-related requirement of Regulation 16, Schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20). (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)  The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs. This specifically relates to ensuring that staff attend training courses identified in assessments for new children moving to the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

p.6

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff are familiar with the home’s policies on record-keeping and understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information about individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2707907 7 will be helpful to the child. This specifically relates to ensuring that risk management plans are accurate and clearly explain current risks and strategies to manage these and that consequences issued to children are recorded in a non- punitive manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)

p.6

Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

p.7

Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2707907 8

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN6 1AG

p.8

Inspector

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home - monitoring visit: 2707907 9 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.

p.8

Inspector

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspector

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspector

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.9