Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Halton

Inspection report for children’s home: SC456964 1 SC456964 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

The home is owned by a private company. It is registered to provide care for two children who may experience social or emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted in September 2024.

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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: SC456964 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 22/02/2024 Full Good 06/12/2022 Full Good 08/03/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: SC456964 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

During the inspection, one child spoke to the inspectors.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Since the last inspection, no children have moved in or out of the home. The staff team has become more stable and this is benefiting the children, who are both making some progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children’s health needs are supported by staff. When children are ill or when accidents happen, staff respond appropriately and seek medical advice. One child is reluctant to engage with medical appointments, despite having a serious long-term health condition. Staff have been persistent in educating the child to help them understand the importance of looking after their own health. This has resulted in the child engaging in a recent GP appointment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is valued and promoted in the home. When children are excluded from school or are reluctant to engage with education, the manager works with other professionals to find a positive solution. One child is not currently accessing any formal education; however, staff provide a range of creative opportunities for learning in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Family time is supported and encouraged. Staff and the manager have formed good relationships with some family members and attempt to work alongside them to promote positive outcomes for children. One child has recently had a birthday party in the home, with a bouncy castle, which their parent, brother and sister were able to attend. This allows children to maintain familial bonds and spend time with their family in a more natural environment.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are able to express their feelings and wishes in a variety of ways. Children have trusted adults in the home whom they can speak to and know how to make a complaint.

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

Children are kept safe by staff, who understand their needs and vulnerabilities. There are comprehensive and personalised plans in place that support staff to manage and de-escalate situations. Staff help children to understand their feelings and emotions, and this has resulted in a reduction in unwanted behaviours in the home. A social worker said, ‘[Name of child] has made excellent progress. They are a very complex young person but the staff team have a very good understanding of their needs and they have worked hard to get to know them.’

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

Staff and the manager show a good understanding of the underlying reasons for children’s behaviours. Therapeutic, caring methods are used by staff. They use a variety of ways to bolster children’s self-esteem, such as a book where staff write messages to Inspection report for children’s home: SC456964 4 children praising their achievements and positive attributes. Negative consequences are rarely used. However, when they have been implemented, consequences have not been fully evaluated by the manager for effectiveness.

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

There have been some episodes of unauthorised absences and children going missing from the home. When this happened, staff followed protocols. They completed welfare checks and kept in touch with children. Staff ensured that children were collected when they were ready to return home.

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

There have been several incidences of substance misuse. When staff suspected substance misuse, they looked in children’s rooms and removed any harmful items. They sought immediate medical advice for children and referrals were made to specialist services. Staff speak to children about the dangers of using substances and have used additional resources to provide education on the risks.

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

There have been several new members of staff recruited. Safer recruitment protocols have been followed in an attempt to ensure that only suitable individuals work with the children. Staff have received training in safeguarding matters. They know how to escalate safeguarding concerns, including to external agencies.

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

The home is a safe environment for children. It is maintained to a good standard and repairs are carried out in a timely manner. However, the medication cabinet in the staff office is not always locked, and this could mean that medication is able to be accessed by children.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team is led by an experienced and child-centred manager. She has high expectations of staff and has prioritised stabilising the staff team. The manager is supported by a committed deputy manager and an experienced responsible individual.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they feel well supported by the manager and receive regular, good-quality supervision sessions. The manager challenges staff practice when necessary to ensure good-quality care for children. However, while yearly appraisals for staff have been provided they have not contained any feedback from children or other professionals. This is a missed opportunity to improve staff performance.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

There is a range of training available to staff, and the manager ensures that staff have the skills to meet the children’s needs. Team meetings are held regularly and are used as a forum for discussion and to embed learning. Some staff are experienced and qualified in childcare. New members of staff complete an induction and probation period before being enrolled to complete a recognised childcare qualification.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is a strong advocate for children. She has formed positive working relationships with other professionals. The manager shares information in a timely manner and accesses wider support for children when necessary. However, the local Inspection report for children’s home: SC456964 5 authority care plan has not been received for one child, and the manager has not challenged or escalated this sufficiently. Inspection report for children’s home: SC456964 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 care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

receive effectively planned care in or through the children’s home; and

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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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

that each child’s relevant plans are followed. (Regulation 14 (1)(a)(b) (2)(c))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person must ensure that they receive the most recent care plan for the child from the local authority. 4 July 2025

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that medication is stored safely. Medication cabinets should be kept locked in accordance with the procedures in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards,’ page 35, paragraph 7.15)  The registered person should ensure that all negative consequences are reviewed and evaluated to ensure they are fair and effective. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36)  The registered person should ensure that yearly staff appraisals take into account, where reasonable and practical, the views of other professionals who have worked with the staff member over the year and children in the home’s care. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.5) Inspection report for children’s home: SC456964 7

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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: SC456964 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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Inspectors

Eve Ostridge, Social Care Inspector Danielle Allen, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC456964 9 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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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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