Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Rochdale

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 1 SC456419 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This is a private children’s home that is registered to care for one child with social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

One child has moved out of the home, and one child has moved into the home during this inspection period. At the time of the inspection, there was one child living in the home. The inspector was able to speak to both children about their experiences of living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager is suitably experienced and has been in post since April 2021.

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requires improvement to be good

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

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

16/04/2024 Full Good 15/06/2023 Full Good 08/03/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 23/11/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 3

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improvement to be good

The manager and staff are committed to supporting the child they care for and working through challenges with them. Persistence and consistency in the care staff provide have helped build positive relationships and a stable home for the child. The child is starting to trust in the adults supporting them and now sees this as their home. A professional said, ‘The manager and staff are committed to the child and have shown them they are in it for the long haul, which has helped them to now invest in the home.’ Children speak positively about their time and the support they receive while living in the home.

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improvement to be good

The manager promotes the child’s education. The child has not been in education for a long period of time. The manager has found a suitable provision on a part-time timetable to encourage reintegration into education. There are no structured plans in place for alternative learning in the home to ensure that the child is getting their entitlement of 25 hours of education a week. Structured plans would also support the structure of transitioning back into a formal education setting.

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improvement to be good

The child enjoys various activities with the staff team, such as go-karting and going to the cinema and for walks. The child also enjoys spending time with friends and going on bike rides. This enables the child to maintain friendships.

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improvement to be good

Children’s moves into and out of the home are positive. The manager carefully considers the needs of the child moving into the home, assessing their needs alongside the skills and experience of the staff.

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improvement to be good

When a child moved on from this home, they experienced a planned move to semi- independent living. The staff celebrated the child’s time in the home with a meal and thoughtful gifts.

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improvement to be good

Staff help children to develop independence skills, such as budgeting, cooking, travelling and doing household chores. This enables them to be confident in taking their next steps.

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improvement to be good

Staff create thoughtful memory boxes and photo books for children to be able to look back at their time in the home.

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improvement to be good

The child’s bedroom is well furnished and homely. The exterior of the home is looking tired, with repairs required to the fencing. The kitchen looks cluttered with storage of bulk-bought items on top of the kitchen cupboards, which is also a hazard. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 4

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improvement to be good

There has been a high number of missing-from-home episodes in the last inspection period. However, the manager has worked with professionals to ensure that strategies are in place to reduce the number of times this happens.

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improvement to be good

Staff know the child’s missing-from-home plan and follow it. Staff remain in contact with the child and encourage them to return home. Staff look in places that the child is known to go and check with family and friends. This lets the child know that staff care. Staff communicate well with safeguarding professionals, such as the police and missing coordinators, to ensure that the child is found quickly. On returning home, the child is welcomed back warmly, and staff ensure that they are safe and well. However, staff do not always collect the child when they are found, which can result in delays to the child returning home.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not always report safeguarding concerns promptly. When the manager has been made aware of this, appropriate action has been taken, and concerns in reporting safeguarding concerns have been addressed with the staff team.

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improvement to be good

The manager does not always have oversight of incidents that occur in the home. This does not ensure that staff are supported following challenging situations or that shortfalls in practice are addressed.

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improvement to be good

The child has access to specialist professional support, such as drug and alcohol workers, youth offending services and child criminal exploitation services. Staff encourage and facilitate children’s engagement with specialist professionals. This means that children have access to professionals who are most able to help them with their specific issues.

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improvement to be good

When restraints are used, they are in the form of protective guides. They are used to protect the child and others from harm and are carried out by trained staff. The child and staff are not always spoken to following incidents of physical restraint. This does not allow the child to express concerns or understand the purpose of the restraint used. This also prevents feedback to staff about how to manage or avoid such incidents.

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improvement to be good

Staff are not consistent in teaching children about risks to themselves. Staff avoid discussing sensitive topics, which has resulted in missed opportunities for a child to learn how to keep themselves safe in relationships.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not record consequences, and there is limited management oversight of these. This does not allow the manager to assess if the measures in place are restorative and effective in helping the child recognise the impact of their behaviour on themselves and others. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 5 Managers notify the regulator when there is a serious incident. However, sometimes notification is delayed. This prevents the regulator from having prompt oversight.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The manager provides a consistent and stable presence in the home. She is motivated and is committed to improving outcomes for children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Staff have not completed training specific to the individual needs of the child, such as managing substance misuse and missing-from-home episodes. This does not ensure that staff have the necessary training to understand and meet the child’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Staff have not received relevant training or development in the home’s identified model of care. This does not ensure that staff have the necessary skills to provide the emotional and therapeutic support outlined in the statement of purpose.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Staff do not always receive regular supervision. This does not provide them the consistency to receive support and guidance on the care they provide.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Annual appraisals are not taking place. This does not provide leaders and managers the opportunity to understand the team’s strengths and areas of development or plan for career progression.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

Team meetings take place monthly and are well attended. Team meetings are used to discuss current issues for the child, reflect on practice and devise support strategies. During challenging times, meetings are held more frequently. This enables the team to adapt strategies as circumstances change and provide an additional level of support for each other.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

The manager and staff have built positive relationships with the professionals involved in the care of the child. Professionals report that the manager and staff are communicative and keep them updated in all aspects of the child’s care. Professionals say that the manager and staff have shown the child they ‘won’t give up and are here for the long haul’. This has helped the child to engage in this placement. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 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 leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

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

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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;

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Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff are trained to deliver the model of care set out in the home’s statement of purpose and have specific training to manage the risks to children. 16 June 2025

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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 requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand how to keep safe;

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Requirement Due date

have the skills to identify and act upon signs that a child is at risk of harm; 16 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 7 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

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

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(ii)(iii)(v)(vi)(vii)(d))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that staff are familiar with safeguarding reporting procedures and report safeguarding concerns promptly. Managers and staff must ensure that discussions are taking place with children about identified risks. Leaders and manager must ensure that staff know their responsibilities in being available to collect children when they are located following missing-from-home episodes. The manager must ensure the maintenance of fencing on the property and adequate storage for bulk-bought items to reduce hazard.

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Requirement Due date

within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline, or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes—

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Requirement Due date

details of the child’s behaviour leading to the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the date, time, and location of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

a description of the measure and its duration;

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Requirement Due date

details of any methods used or steps taken to avoid the need to use the measure;

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Requirement Due date

the name of the person who used the measure (“the user”), and of any other person present when the measure was used; 16 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 8 the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

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Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, 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; and

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Requirement Due date

has signed the record to confirm it is accurate;

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Requirement Due date

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)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, the manager and staff must ensure that consequences are recorded and monitored. Leaders and managers must ensure that staff and children are spoken to following physical restraints and that all incidents have management oversight.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees—

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Requirement Due date

receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience; and

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Requirement Due date

have their performance and fitness to perform their roles appraised at least once every year. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure staff are receiving regular supervision and annual appraisals. 16 June 2025

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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. (Regulation 7 (1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure they are providing guidance to those who struggle to develop positive relationships with children. 16 June 2025 Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 9 The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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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

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

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Requirement Due date

support each child’s learning and development, including helping the child to develop independent study skills and, where appropriate, helping the child to complete independent study;

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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;

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Requirement Due date

help each child to understand the importance and value of education, learning, training and employment;

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Requirement Due date

promote opportunities for each child to learn informally. (Regulation 8 (1) (2)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(vi)(v))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, leaders and managers must ensure that there are structured plans in place to support and enhance children’s learning when formal education falls short of the required 25 hours. 16 June 2025

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Recommendation

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The system should cover the action that should be followed if the event arises at the weekend or on a public holiday. Notification must include details of the action taken by the home’s staff in response to the event. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13) Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 10

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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: SC456419 11

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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

Renée Sims, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456419 12 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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