Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Somerset

Inspection report for children's home: 2643362 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is registered to care for one child with social and emotional difficulties. One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection and has done so since the last inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager was registered with Ofsted in January 2025.

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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: 11 September 2024

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children's home: 2643362 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

11/09/2024 Full Good 18/07/2023 Full Good 31/05/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/04/2022 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children's home: 2643362 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spent time with the child on their own, and they were keen to talk about how much they enjoy living at the home. They said the manager was ‘the best one they had ever had’ and talked about some of the activities they had been doing. The child explained that there had been some challenges recently, as one member of staff had moved to another home and different staff that they did not know had been in the home, which had been difficult for them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide care to the child which is focused on their individual needs. They understand the lived experiences of the child and take these into consideration when making decisions about their life. Staff regularly celebrate the achievements of the child and consider the progress they have made. Staff support the child to take part in multiple activities related to their hobbies and interests. The child says they are happy in the home and are supported to share their views.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work closely with external agencies, such as the child’s school, police and health services, to support the care provided to the child. The team is well linked in with local services. Staff know what is available to offer additional support and advocate on behalf of the child to access these services when appropriate.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is prioritised in the home, and the child has excellent attendance at their school. Staff have supported the child to apply for a college place and are helping them in relation to their anxieties around upcoming exams. Staff recognise that there are likely to be challenges for the child as they move to a college environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager has a good relationship with important members of the child’s family and staff support the child to spend time with them, despite this often involving travelling long distances.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff have begun to work with the child on developing their independence, although progress has not been linear. The manager recognises that this is ongoing work.

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

Staff understand the risks for the child and take effective action to disrupt any missing- from-home incidents. They follow appropriate protocols and processes. On one occasion, staff showed a lack of awareness of contextual safeguarding risks, relating to the child’s friendship group. Senior managers have undertaken a review of this incident, including reflective meetings with the staff involved.

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

Staff continue to work with the child to enhance their understanding around online safety, and to gain insight into their friendships, some of which are not always positive. Inspection report for children's home: 2643362 4 Staff have requested additional support in enhancing their knowledge of social media and managers are arranging this.

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

Staff maintain consistent boundaries with the child, and this has supported a decrease in incidents. Staff have supported the child to make progress in respect of their emotional well-being, which has resulted in a reduction in self-harm and missing-from-home episodes.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager understands the child, their previous lived experiences and their future goals and aspirations. The trusting relationship that the manager has fostered with the child has supported the overall progress the child has made. The manager recognises, however, that this has resulted in the child struggling and feeling unsettled when she is not working in the home, such as when she is on annual leave.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has good oversight of the care given to the child, and this is supported by robust oversight from senior leaders. There is a focus on upskilling and developing the small staff team. Training and development plans are focused on supporting the individual needs of the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager provides regular supervisions for staff, as well as being very available in the home, which supports staff’s feeling of being well supported. The staff team is established and settled.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager identifies and understands the home’s strengths and areas for development and acts when she identifies areas of concern. When responses from external agencies have not been good enough, the manager has made appropriate challenge.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers ensure that the child is involved in decisions made about their life. When decisions have had to be made that the child does not agree with and they have raised complaints, these have been dealt with seriously.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s focus on providing a loving, caring and settled environment for the child has been key to supporting their overall progress since living in the home. Inspection report for children's home: 2643362 5

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Recommendation

 The registered person should ensure that staff have their safeguarding knowledge regularly refreshed, including in relation to contextual safeguarding, and that staff always have safeguarding at the forefront of all decision-making, regardless of the circumstances. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.12)

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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: 2643362 6

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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

Helen Cushnie, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home: 2643362 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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