Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in North Yorkshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 1235818 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home is owned and managed by a private provider. It provides care for up to four children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

An acting manager is managing the home. The acting manager has applied to register with Ofsted.

p.1

Information about this children’s home

One child was living in the home at the time of the inspection. The inspector spoke to the child.

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

p.1

good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

p.1

good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

p.1

good

Date of last inspection: 3 September 2024

p.1

good

Overall judgement at last inspection: requires improvement to be good

p.1

good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1235818 2

p.1

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

03/09/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 06/02/2024 Full Good 07/03/2023 Full Good 01/02/2022 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1235818 3

p.2

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children receive a warm welcome when they come to live in the home. When children move on, staff promote positive endings and help them to build their life story. This helps children to reflect on their positive experiences of living in the home.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff help children to develop self-care skills. Children who are preparing to move on to independence receive support to develop practical skills. However, one child has no independence plan to guide and track the progress they make. Without a plan, staff may miss the skills and support the child needs to move on positively.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff encourage children to enjoy time with their friends and family. Staff supported family time for a child who moved on at short notice. This helped the child, parents and the adults from the child’s new home to get to know each other and minimise the risks of any disruption to family time.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children learn and make good progress, taking account of their starting points. One child has successfully completed an apprenticeship and has been able to secure a job. When another child was not in school, staff maintained effective liaison with the school headteacher, and together they implemented a robust plan to help the child to learn. The headteacher speaks highly of the changes that staff made to help secure positive outcomes for the children.

p.3

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Leaders and managers work effectively with other agencies and professionals. They consider the responses of other agencies working with the children and escalate concerns when responses are insufficient. This ensures that children receive the support they are entitled to in accordance with the child’s relevant plans.

p.3

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

Children can identify a trusted adult they can talk to about any concerns. Children say that adults listen to them and respond appropriately. Children say that they have good relationships with staff, which make them feel safe. One child continues to contact staff to talk about their feelings, even after moving on. Another child said they will miss staff when they move on to live independently.

p.3

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

Staff work proactively to reduce the risk of harm to children, including the risk of exploitation. The manager keeps risk assessments under review and changes them accordingly for any increase or reduction in risk. However, one child’s individual risk assessment did not match the local authority risk assessment in relation to exploitation. This did not have an impact on the child’s safety or well-being. Inspection report for children’s home: 1235818 4 Staff help children to understand when there is a need for room searches. Staff record the reasons for the search and their efforts to seek the child’s consent. Children understand that staff will remove any items found that create risks, and they will inform other agencies such as the police and social care of any safeguarding concerns, so each agency can contribute to keeping children safe. There is strong management oversight of decisions to carry out searches and any outcomes as a result.

p.3

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

There is a significant reduction in physical holds and guides for one child. Staff develop good relationships with children and use skills and strategies to de-escalate big emotions. As a result, damage to property and risky behaviour toward staff have been reduced.

p.4

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

Leaders and managers recruit safely to the home. Staff are suitably vetted, and where necessary, risk assessments are used to ensure that all information about an individual is known and carefully considered before being employed at the home.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The acting manager has built effective working relationships with parents and professionals. The manager monitors the progress that children make and can demonstrate the positive impact that living at the home has on each child’s well-being and safety.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager uses learning from practice and feedback from children and the independent visitor to improve the quality of care children experience. The team’s strengths and areas for improvement are clearly recorded in the development plan for the home, demonstrating how progress is being achieved.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff feel well supported by the manager and, when requested, have reasonable adjustments agreed to help them in their roles. Staff reflected on the morale of the team, which has increased significantly due to the support they receive. Staff identify the lessons learned since the last inspection and their renewed focus on providing consistency and stability to the children.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff benefit from the support of the therapeutic practitioner and clinical team to provide good insight into the children’s behaviour and emotional well-being. The clinical team is an integral part of the support for staff. It chairs the children’s in-house monthly progress review meetings. However, staff miss out on opportunities to record in meeting minutes the strategies and contributions of the clinical team, which may limit the sharing of this information.

p.4

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The culture of the home is characterised by high expectations and aspirations for all children. The manager has updated the decor of the home to help it feel warm and relaxed. Staff have clear responsibilities and a sense of shared ownership to maintain the home. However, some areas of the home are not tidy or in keeping with the rest of the environment. Inspection report for children’s home: 1235818 5

p.4

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.5

Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who—

p.5

Requirement Due date

understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children.

p.5

Requirement Due date

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

p.5

Requirement Due date

help each child to develop resilience and skills that prepare the child to return home, to live in a new placement or to live independently as an adult. (Regulation 6 (1)(a) (2)(vi))

p.5

Requirement Due date

In particular, the manager must ensure that children have plans to help each child to gain practical and emotional skills to live independently. 30 June 2025

p.5

Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff keep clear records of the guidance and strategies provided by the clinical team members, who are an integral part of the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 62, paragraph 14.5)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s individual risk assessments reflect the accurate assessment when risks reduce or increase, in line with the local authority’s assessment of risk. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards, page 43, paragraph 9.12)  The registered person should ensure that the children’s home is a nurturing and supportive environment that meets the needs of their children. In particular, ensure that maintenance of the garden and patio areas and any minor repairs in the home are completed in a timely way. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including

p.5

Recommendations

the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: 1235818 6

p.5

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: 1235818 7

p.6

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

p.7

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 5th Floor, Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1AG

p.7

Inspector

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1235818 8 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.7

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.8

Inspector

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

p.8

Inspector

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

p.8