Children's Home run by Area Camden Limited in Cambridgeshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 1 Registered provider: Area Camden 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 privately owned. It is registered to provide care for up to four children with emotional and social difficulties. There were two children living at the home at the time of the inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted in September 2024, with the manager registering at the same time.

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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: not previously inspected

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 2

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children like living at this home. A homely environment has been created. Children have excellent relationships with staff. Staff greatly enjoy caring for the children and children can see and appreciate this. Children say that they get the support they need and have fun. One child said, ‘It’s really good here actually. I get along with all the staff and the other child. We always have fun together.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s care plans are detailed and clearly written. The plans are made with the child and are written from the child’s point of view. They cover all areas of the child’s life. These help the staff to know the individual care and help that each child requires.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education and learning are central to children’s care. The manager and staff work closely with schools and local authorities. This has helped children to make very good progress with their education since being at the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are supported to remain healthy. This includes checks with doctors, dentists and opticians. Staff encourage children to have healthy diets. They take part in activities that involve exercise, including horse riding and park walks. If medication is required, it is stored safely and administered and recorded appropriately.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have constructive one-to-one time with the children. They address topics that are important to each child and are well recorded. Additional ‘Very Important Persons’ meetings are held each week. This gives further opportunities to gain the wishes and feelings of the children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are helped to learn independent living skills. This includes shopping, meal preparation and cooking. A new programme has been created by managers in the company. A comprehensive workbook supports children with ‘My Journey to Independence’.

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

Children’s behaviour management plans are clear and detailed. They are specific to each child and reviewed regularly. They identify any risks to the child and triggers for risky behaviours. They include the response required from staff to minimise risks. There is also good additional assessment of any risks in the locality of the home.

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

Allegations against staff are taken seriously by the manager. Appropriate action is taken. This includes thorough investigation and working alongside safeguarding professionals. The manager also reviews all the children’s meetings. She responds to any negative comments as if they were a complaint. This ensures that children feel listened to. Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 3 Staff help children well with any additional concerns. This includes good responses to rare instances of substance misuse. Also, appropriate support is provided to children who may harm themselves. Reports are well written and include manager comments and actions. This helps staff to learn the best way to help a child in these circumstances.

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

Children’s incidents of unwanted behaviour are responded to and recorded well. Staff work closely with children afterwards. Staff are trained to de-escalate incidents. One child said, ‘Staff always speak to me in a calm tone, even if I do something bad. I’ve never been shouted at. They are able to keep calm in a situation.’

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

Children are provided additional support when required. This includes access to an independent advocate. Also, children’s mental health professionals are requested when required.

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

The manager uses safe recruitment procedures for all staff joining the home. This includes an additional safety check if the start of employment has been delayed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager knows the children extremely well and speaks of them very positively. She is ambitious for each child. Social workers speak highly of the home and manager. One social worker said, ‘Communication is excellent. I always get reports about incidents, but also positive things.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Admissions to the home are planned well by the manager. They include visits to the child and the child visiting the home. A detailed pre-assessment checklist has been devised. This followed reflection and learning regarding details not provided in a referral. This increases the likelihood that all information regarding the child is shared with the manager.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supporting this new team to learn and develop together. She knows the strengths of the team. She has also identified areas to develop further. This includes fully embedding trauma-informed practice. Regular team meetings include further learning on this approach. They also include learning from incidents and discussions regarding policies.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that staff receive a thorough induction programme. This includes comprehensive training. A booklet has been devised to record staff learning and understanding. This is reviewed by the manager to confirm that staff are getting the support they need.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced responsible individual works closely with the manager. She visits the home often and provides regular supervision. The manager feels very well supported by the responsible individual and other senior managers. Additional support includes a monthly managers’ meeting. Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 4 The manager has very good oversight of all aspects of the home. This includes the use of a range of quality assurance processes. Audits are completed daily, weekly and monthly. Manager comments are added to all incident reports and other documents. The manager spends a lot of time talking to the children and observing staff practice. She states that ‘your eyes and ears see far more than your keyboard’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

No requirements or recommendations were raised at this inspection. Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 5

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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: 2798426 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Area Camden Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Polaris, Malvern View, Hanbury Road, Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B60 4AD

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Inspector

Shaun Caplis, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2798426 7 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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