Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Torbay

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456910 1 SC456910 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 children’s home provides care for one child who may have social and emotional difficulties or learning disabilities. At the time of this inspection, one child was living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

There is a registered manager in post, but they were not present for this inspection.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC456910 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/07/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/09/2023 Full Outstanding 02/08/2022 Full Good 09/12/2021 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC456910 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child who lives at the home was present for this inspection and spoken to. They have recently got a new hamster, which they are proud of. The inspector spent time hearing from the child about what they have learned about the hamster and how to care for it. The child has named it and has a schedule about how to care for it. Staff support the child to take part in activities they enjoy, as well as spending time with those who are important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff love and care for the child in the home. They want the child to do well, and consistently support them to communicate their emotions and express themselves.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The relationships between the staff and the child are based on consistency and trust. Staff are curious about the child’s life outside of the home and work hard to understand the child’s needs to support them to make progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child continues to make progress in education. The staff know the child’s learning style and have advocated for the child to have a mixture of learning opportunities to help them achieve educationally. Staff have maintained positive links with the child’s school and, with the use of appropriate incentives, progress has been made and the child will be undertaking exams. The staff aspire for the child’s future and there is planning in place for further education.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Work on independence is underway in line with the child’s age and stage of development. The staff know the child well and recognise areas where the greatest support is needed for their future. External professionals have commented on how well the staff team knows the child and this enables progress in this area to be made.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has access to health services and specialist services as required. Staff have undertaken specialist training to meet specific health needs of the child. The child has access to routine health appointments. Medication storage is safe and in line with the child’s individual needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have supported the child to follow a good routine. The child is s part of meal planning and food shopping in the home. The staff are invested in the care of the child and have worked alongside them to promote a positive sleep routine.

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

Staff are keenly aware of the current and evolving risks for the child. There has been a strong response to safeguarding incidents and continued curiosity about the involvement of the child. Effective mapping of risks, alongside contextualisation of the community, has broadened staff’s knowledge and has acted as a disrupter to incidents. Having an Inspection report for children’s home: SC456910 4 increased understanding of the wider community in which the home is situated has increased the staff’s ability to reduce harm.

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

There are ongoing discussions with the child about various topics. This allows the child to know that the staff are thinking about them and care for them. The staff want to learn about the child’s life. The consistent approach to continue to discuss multiple topics with the child, has led the child to understand that staff value them and want them to be safe.

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

When the child goes missing from the home, there is a coordinated response. There is a plan in place that is followed to reduce the risk from lengthy and repeat episodes of the child going missing from care. The staff follow the plan in place, keeping in contact with the child and searching for them. They engage with external professionals to secure the child’s return home. Effective links with safeguarding agencies have been vital in reducing any harm. Incidents of going missing from care have reduced.

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

Staff have advocated for the child to take age-appropriate risks. This has included working with external professionals to ensure that the voice of the child was relayed during safety planning and their needs considered. This has seen a positive development and progress in relation to spending time in the community and having use of an internet-enabled mobile phone.

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

Work has been done to upskill staff in understanding the child’s internet and phone use. Staff work alongside the child to appropriately monitor and support their phone use. There are tools in place and a robust log is completed to enable a greater insight into any concerns. Staff have invested in this by undertaking additional training and enhancing their knowledge to try to reduce any harm from the content the child accesses online.

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

Restrictive practices are used in the home. There are records of the restrictions, which are reviewed by managers at regular intervals, and the restrictions are linked to the child’s safety plans. The child is aware of all the restrictions on front windows of the property and that door alarms are put on overnight. However, the initial use of them was not fully discussed with the child and the review of their use does not include the views of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The registered manager is not currently working in the home due to a period of extended sickness leave. Senior managers for the home have implemented plans to ensure the effective running of the home in the absence of the registered manager. The deputy manager has worked hard to ensure that plans, practice and care provided are consistent. Ofsted has been consistently notified of changes and regulatory advice is sought when needed. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456910 5 The home is staffed with a constant staff team that is working together to care consistently for the child. The deputy manager is committed to ensuring that the staff’s skills are nurtured and developed. The staff are proud of working at the home and are motivated to provide good care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers regularly review and monitor the care that is provided. They learn from practice and seek to improve the experiences of the child in their care. Plans are updated and new plans are developed in line with the child’s changing needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers celebrate the child and the progress they make. They are committed to having a positive impact on the child’s life.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Supervision is regular and effective. It focuses on the child’s needs and how staff are meeting them, staff development and is recorded effectively. Team meetings are held to develop staff practice and share knowledge. They include an overview of the child, and the staff are given space to explore the impact of the work on their own well-being. Clinical meetings and consultations complement the work the team is doing and ensure that staff have explored all ways they can try to care effectively for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers of the home recognise that the independent visitor reports are not effective at providing a robust overview of the child’s experiences of care and do not include the voice of the child or external feedback. The leaders and managers have escalated this directly to the provider and requested further escalation from senior management. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456910 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 children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who—

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Requirement Due date

develop positive relationships with them;

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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.

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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

ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how the child’s privacy will be respected and the circumstances when it may have to be limited;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to prepare for any review of the child’s relevant plans and to make the child’s views, wishes and feelings known for the purposes of that review. (Regulation (7)(1)(a)(b)(c) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(vi))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that the child’s views around restrictions on the physical setting of the home 8 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456910 7 and door alarms are gathered regularly as part of the home’s review process.

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that visits by an independent person are rigorous, impartial and include feedback from the child and their wider network. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 65, paragraph 15.5)

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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: SC456910 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: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

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Inspector

Hannah Spencer-Townesend, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456910 9 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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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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