Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Essex

Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 1 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 home is privately owned and provides care for up to four children who may have had traumatic experiences that have left them vulnerable. There were four children living at the home at the time of this inspection.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in 2023.

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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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/08/2024 Full Good 06/02/2024 Full Good 15/11/2022 Full Good 10/05/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

This inspection was brought forward to address concerns received by Ofsted through notifications. At the time of this inspection, there were four children living at the home. All the children spoke with the inspector.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are positive about staff and the home. Observations of interactions between children and staff demonstrate warmth, laughter and mutual respect. Trusting relationships help children to make progress from their starting points.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff advocate strongly for children’s education. All children are in education and are making progress with their learning. Staff work with education professionals to create achievable plans for children. This has helped to support children with their engagement in learning. Education professionals are positive about the support children receive with their education. One headteacher said, ‘[The child’s] education is developing well, and this is helped by the increased consistency in their home and school life.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children take part in a range of enjoyable experiences. These include brownies, cubs, swimming, football camps and creative writing competitions. Staff capture children’s enjoyment in photo books. These provide children with positive memories.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to develop their independence skills appropriate to their age. Children are supported to help with chores, tend the vegetable patch and prepare meals. One child has worked towards walking independently to school. These responsibilities help children to prepare for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children maintain relationships with people who are important to them. The staff support children to regularly spend time with family members. One family member said, ‘I feel at ease, nothing is too much for the staff, we are included in everything and supported. [Name of child] feels safe and finally has the stability and consistency they need.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home and garden are spacious. Children’s bedrooms are nicely decorated and reflect their unique personalities. Photos of the children and staff are displayed throughout the home. However, some of the communal areas need updating due to wear and tear. This detracts from the otherwise homely environment.

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

Staff respond to children’s complex needs effectively. When children have struggled with their emotional well-being, staff take effective action to keep them safe. The staff encourage children to have reflective conversations and to develop healthier coping skills. Managers work in collaboration with multi-agency partners such as therapists. Children are supported to attend therapy sessions. These approaches support children to access the support they require. Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 4 At times, staff use physical intervention to keep children and themselves safe. Staff are trained in the use of physical intervention and use this as a last resort. After physical interventions, staff check on children’s emotional well-being and offer medical attention. Children are supported to talk about what happened. Each incident is reviewed by managers. This helps staff to reflect and learn, which helps to inform the children’s

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

Staff provide in-depth key-worker sessions with children. Additionally, children benefit from regular visits from the police community support officer, who gives educational talks. These approaches support children to develop their understanding of safety and social behaviours.

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

Children have personalised risk assessments and behaviour support plans. These are regularly reviewed by staff and are easy to follow. Behavioural incidents are well managed by staff. However, staff use institutional words in records following incidents. Staff do not always consider how this language contributes to children’s life stories. The written accounts do not accurately reflect the warmth of staff relationships with children.

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

Staff use consequences to support children with behaviour management. The monitoring of consequences is not effective. Records do not always include the effectiveness of the measure or the children’s views. This does not ensure proportionality or consistency for each child.

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

Children understand how to raise concerns. When children have raised concerns, managers have responded effectively. Appropriate referrals have been made to the local authority designated officer. Prompt investigations take place and protective measures are implemented. However, on three occasions, staff have not followed the whistle- blowing procedure. This resulted in delayed sharing of safeguarding information. When this was identified, effective action was taken. Delays in sharing safeguarding concerns leave the potential for children to be at risk.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is experienced and qualified for the role. She is dedicated to providing a nurturing environment for children and creating opportunities to support children’s ambitions. The manager is supported by an experienced responsible individual and assistant regional manager who share her vision.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

External professionals are pleased with the overall progress of children. They provide positive feedback about the manager and staff. One professional said, ‘[The child] has built very good relationships with the staff and manager. The team is very nurturing and communication from them is excellent.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak highly of leaders and managers, saying they are approachable and supportive. Staff speak equally positively about colleagues. Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 5 The manager has effective oversight of most records. When there are identified weaknesses in staff practice, the manager addresses these. This has helped staff to reflect on their practice and make necessary improvements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have effective systems in place to ensure that new staff are suitable. Staff receive a detailed induction and ongoing training to develop their knowledge and practice. Staff have had specific training on therapeutic parenting and are regularly supported by the company’s clinical lead. This has provided learning opportunities for staff to develop their practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular supervision sessions when they can reflect on challenges and successes. Team meetings are held regularly and are used as a forum for practice discussions and workshops.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff are either qualified for their role or are working towards the relevant qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff actively promote equality and diversity. Children enjoy positive experiences with staff, who encourage them to embrace their individuality and respect differences in others.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has met two requirements from the last inspection and two have been restated. Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 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 protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, review staff’s knowledge and training to ensure that staff act in accordance with the home’s safeguarding and whistle-blowing procedures.

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Requirement Due date

This requirement has been restated. 4 July 2025

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of any measure of control, they, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so ("the authorised person")—

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Requirement Due date

has spoken to the user about the measure;

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and 4 July 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 7 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)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that information about the child is always recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4)  The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of children. In particular, ensure that the home is maintained and decorated to a reasonable standard. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)

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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: 1258092 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

Syvanna Matthew, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1258092 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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