Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited

Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection 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 mental health difficulties and who may not be able to live in the community without continued support.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

At the time of this inspection, three children were living at the home.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

There is no registered manager. An interim manager is in post.

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

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

p.1

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.

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 28 October 2024

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

28/10/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 30/07/2024 Full Inadequate Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 3

p.2

improvement to be good

The inspector spoke with one child during the inspection. The staff have been able to build positive relationships with children, and this was observed during the inspection. Despite this, some children feel unhappy living at the home. One child said that they do not like being there. The staff are aware that the children are not happy at the home. Some of the staff team is also unhappy. The children’s views and feelings are not helped by elements of a negative staff culture that is affecting children’s experiences. To balance this an independent advocate is assigned to the home. They have built strong relationships with the children. This ensures that there is an extra support system in place to seek children’s views and feelings.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children have unhealthy sleep routines. Managers have given staff instructions on when to wake children and the expectations for school attendance. However, this guidance changed and as a result staff are confused about the expected routines. The records do not provide a detailed account of the action staff are taking to encourage children to go to school. A lack of routine has contributed to mixed educational attendance. Two children are due to sit their GCSEs this summer term. The children attend the on-site school. Managers accept that this school is not the right for some children and have made efforts to identify alternative schools. However, for one child, the move to a different school cannot be considered until their attendance at this school improves. This is limited by the lack of clarity on how to support children to attend.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff do not always respond to children appropriately. A child was unwell in their bedroom. The bedroom was not cleaned for over 48 hours. Staff removed a soiled pillow and asked the child to take the pillow to be washed themselves. This approach does not help children who are unwell feel cared for. During the inspection, managers acknowledged that this situation was not acceptable. This lack of care has been referred to safeguarding partners. In contrast, one child has complex health needs. Staff understand these well and manage the procedures required to help the child. To meet the child's health needs, the staff team received specialist training before the child moved in.

p.3

improvement to be good

A parent said that staff do not keep in touch with them enough and they are unclear about what the child does all day and whether they are at school. The staff are not actively sharing crucial information with a parent who has legal responsibility for their child.

p.3

improvement to be good

Staff are not clear how to provide meaningful key-work sessions that help children reflect and learn. Records of key-work sessions are mainly descriptive rather than discussions on meaningful topics. As a result, opportunities to talk meaningfully with children about important issues are being missed. Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 4 Staff encourage children to participate in activities that engage the wider community on the site, such as picnics and washing cars. This is important as the children do not have an outside social peer group. Staff help children to take part in activities that they enjoy. Children have been to a theme park and other local attractions. These experiences provide children with childhood memories. Staff have gathered photos and other memorabilia to compile into a book to provide children with memories of being at the home.

p.3

improvement to be good

Children enjoy keeping pets, including two cats and a tortoise. These animals are cherished by the children, instilling a sense of ownership and responsibility.

p.4

improvement to be good

Managers and leaders understand the importance of children taking age-appropriate risks. Children are supported to have opportunities to help them develop their independence. One child is currently at risk of exploitation and with staff support has increased free time. There are other occasions when indicators of risk including substance misuse and internet safety have not been challenged or followed up by staff. At times, the staff lack clear guidance and direction to help them keep children safer.

p.4

improvement to be good

The staff are not always confident in dealing with situations when they are challenged. This has led to some information about children’s associated risks not being shared appropriately. Following an incident with alcohol the staff asked an on-call manager for advice. This was not provided. The staff did not deal with the situation confidently or discuss this with the child.

p.4

improvement to be good

The staff refer potential safeguarding issues to a manager. However, records are unclear about whether staff understand how these safeguarding concerns are managed and investigated.

p.4

improvement to be good

Children have raised concerns about staff practice, and these have generally been addressed, however the children have not been provided with an update or a discussion. There are times when staff have not provided good role models and maintained appropriate boundaries. This does not help children to feel confident in managers or staff. Senior leaders take these incidents seriously and involve safeguarding partners. This ensures that there is a multi-agency response to keeping children safe.

p.4

improvement to be good

One child has unrestricted access to electronic smoking devices. Staff have said that they ‘have no idea’ when or how the child gets these. The child said that no one talks to them about having these, and that the staff use them too. There was an incident that involved the child having access to devices, and staff ensured that they spoke to the child. However, this ongoing work is intermittent. This is especially important because the child is at risk of exploitation, and access to these devices may indicate an increase in risk.

p.4

improvement to be good

Managers have created a programme of targeted exploitation work to carry out with a child. To ensure the efficacy of this, the lead professional from the child’s local authority Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 5 has been consulted, and the programme is being delivered by a psychiatrist. The child has asked for their key worker to be involved in this work, and steps are being taken to include them. This work helps professionals to better understand the child’s needs.

p.4

improvement to be good

Staff use consequences effectively to encourage children to make better choices in the future. These consequences are appropriately evaluated by managers.

p.5

improvement to be good

Missing-from-home episodes and physical interventions are rare. When these incidents happen, managers ensure that staff have effective debriefs and provide appropriate analysis. These consider what could be done to mitigate the occurrence of future incidents happening.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The previous manager left earlier this year. An interim manager was in post for less than a month and have since moved to manage another home on the same site. The deputy manager is currently acting as manager. The inspection took place during the deputy manager’s first two days in this role.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The number of changes in management and inconsistent staff rotas have contributed to staff feeling unhappy. These have influenced their views on the home and management, which affects their ability to provide positive care. It is difficult to understand whether children’s views are their own or the result of poor boundaries from staff.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There are staff who lack experience in residential childcare. Therefore, they are unsure about how to provide effective safeguards or maintain appropriate boundaries. Some staff members have acted unprofessionally. Information has been shared with children that is unhelpful to them. Overall staff morale and confidence are not good.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

There is a lack of trauma-informed practice. The home is not operating in line with the statement of purpose. Some of the staff feel undervalued and unsupported. There is a plan in place to analyse and improve these systems through work with a therapeutic practitioner and psychologist.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home is part of a large site comprising three other homes. When staff are recruited, they work across all three homes. There have been occasions when staff are redeployed to other homes at short notice. This causes instability for staff. The staff have not been able to consistently spend time with children and build relationships. One child said that they were unable to go shopping due to staff having to work at a different home.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The staff do not fully understand children’s neurodiversity. Staff have requested training that is specific to these children. Clinicians explained that this training need is known, although nothing is planned. This means that staff have not received the necessary training to help them understand the children. Therefore, staff are unable to fully offer the service described in the statement of purpose. This may be misleading for commissioners. Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 6 Records such as key-work sessions do not evidence enough understanding of the therapeutic model used. This was confirmed by a clinician. The manager’s evaluations fail to identify this issue. There are no opportunities for staff to reflect on how they can improve their practice in this area.

p.5

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Supervision sessions and team meetings take place regularly. These forums set guidance and expectations for staff to follow. Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 7

p.6

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.

p.7

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.7

Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

p.7

Requirement Due date

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

p.7

Requirement Due date

lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes, set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child;

p.7

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.7

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)(a)(c)(e)(f)(h))

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that a trauma-informed culture is created and maintained, as detailed in the statement of purpose;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure consistency of staff and staff deployment is supportive and minimises staff anxiety; 10 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 8 ensure that staff use the therapeutic model and that managers identify shortfalls and support staff to improve their practice;

p.7

Requirement Due date

ensure that all staff receive trauma-informed and specific neurodiversity training;

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that managers who provide on-call cover are knowledgeable and supportive of staff who seek help with incidents;

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff respond with kindness and basic care when children are unwell.

p.8

Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. (2)

p.8

Requirement Due date

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

p.8

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;

p.8

Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm;

p.8

Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

p.8

Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

p.8

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)(iii)(v)(vi)(b))

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that risk assessments include information relating to child sexual exploitation to encourage staff to use professional curiosity;

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff explore children vaping, how they get hold of vapes and how this may be linked to exploitation; 10 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 9 ensure that staff know which information is important and needs to be shared to mitigate against safeguarding risks;

p.8

Requirement Due date

ensure that there is a shared safeguarding culture that staff contribute to;

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the skills, experience and confidence to respond to emerging safeguarding issues.

p.9

Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.9

Requirement Due date

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

p.9

Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans;

p.9

Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

p.9

Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally;

p.9

Requirement Due date

help each child to attend education or training in accordance with the expectations in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iii)(v)(x))

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff clearly understand the plans to encourage children’s school attendance and that detailed records demonstrate how staff are fulfilling the plans using the therapeutic model of care;

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that incentives to attend school that are related to children being able to spend time in the community are linked appropriately. 10 May 2025

p.9

Requirement Due date

The health and well-being standard is that—

p.9

Requirement Due date

children are helped to lead healthy lifestyles. (Regulation 10 (1)(c)) 10 May 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 10 This requirement is restated.

p.9

Requirement Due date

ensure that children have clear sleep routines and that staff are aware of and understand the plans;

p.10

Requirement Due date

ensure that detailed records demonstrate how staff are putting the plans into practice using the prescribed model of care.

p.10

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: 2770974 11

p.10

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

p.11

Children’s home details

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

p.11

Inspector

Hannah Phillips, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2770974 12 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.11

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.12

Inspector

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

p.12

Inspector

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

p.12