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

Inspection report for children’s home: SC457435 1 SC457435 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

The home is owned and managed by a private provider. The home provides care for two children who may have social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

An interim manager is managing the home. They have applied to register with Ofsted.

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Information about this children’s home

There is one child currently living in the home at the time of the inspection.

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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 requires improvement to be 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: SC457435 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/08/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 16/05/2023 Full Good 17/08/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 29/03/2022 Interim Sustained effectiveness Inspection report for children’s home: SC457435 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The inspector spoke to the child during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager ensures that there is a well-considered review of the child’s needs before they move into the home. Staff prepare for the child and warmly welcome them to the home when they move in. Staff read care plans and risk assessments to help them to understand the child’s needs. This helped the child to settle well because staff know how to meet the child’s needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the child to attend health appointments. They understand the importance of taking prescribed medication and the positive effect this has on the child. They speak to the child sensitively to help them to understand the importance of taking medication regularly. This helps the child to develop good self-care skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Education is a priority for staff. They have worked well with the lead professional to secure education for the child. When the child is waiting to start formal education, staff ensure that the child participates in positive activities in the community. Staff promote the child’s independence in the home, and they encourage the child to learn to cook and develop self-care skills.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff understand that family and friend time is important to the child. Family members speak highly of the help and support the child received from staff. They say staff have supported the child to make good progress in the short time that the child has lived in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work with professionals to support the provision of specialist assessments. However, the manager has not escalated the need for staff to have full information in relation to one important assessment of the child’s needs effectively. This does not help staff to adequately meet the child’s additional needs.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The child has a safe space and a bedroom that they have personalised to their own taste. The manager ensures that staff understand the need to keep the home clean, homely and comfortable for the child. However, staff do not keep the home clean throughout, with some areas in need of attention.

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

The child is happy, settled and feels safe. Staff have developed strong and positive relationships with the child, which helps the child’s confidence. The child is now independently choosing to spend time outdoors with staff, which is a remarkable step considering their starting point. Staff listen to the child and enable them to share their views freely. These relationships help to create a safe environment for the child. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457435 4 Staff use a reward system, including praise and encouragement. This promotes positive behaviour. Consequences are reparational, appropriate and help the child to learn from negative behaviour, such as finding better ways to cope with emotions and avoiding damaging property. Additionally, staff proactively use de-escalation techniques. This greatly reduces the need for them to hold or guide the child for their safety.

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

Staff respond proactively when the child is missing from home. There is a clear plan of urgent action in place to protect the child and reduce the risk of harm. Staff understand the child well, and staff’s knowledge of friendship networks means that staff and the police can find the child quickly and return them home safely.

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

When the time the child spends with friends creates risks, staff share concerns with lead professionals and implement safeguarding strategies. However, the arrangements for the child’s time with friends lack clarity. The manager has not ensured that a risk and safety plan is in place for staff to understand how to supervise and make the time with friends safer.

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

Weaknesses in management oversight mean that risk assessments are not up to date to reflect the reduction in risks for the child. Additionally, the manager has not provided the resources required for identified risks, such as a punch bag to help the child to manage emotions or strategies for monitoring kitchen knives. This is unhelpful to staff and to the child when they read their records.

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

Staff understand the importance of talking to the child about their care and safety. Key-work discussions happen all the time, and staff maintain timely records. Staff write the child’s records in a language that is caring and kind. This improvement in case records shows that the child is being cared for by a sympathetic and caring staff team.

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

The child understands the need for a search of their bedroom to ensure safety. However, the manager did not provide oversight of one incident effectively. When one member of staff removed a risky item from the child’s room, they missed a valuable opportunity to enable the child to talk about their feelings and thoughts of self-injury. The lack of curiosity by staff limits the child’s opportunity to reflect and manage their emotions safely.

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

The child knows how to make a complaint. Leaders and managers share investigations into allegations with the appropriate agencies. However, the manager has not provided the child with a proportionate outcome to an incident they reported. This creates a potential barrier for the child to talk about their worries.

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good

The manager’s role in the home has not been consistently visible to enable them to deliver their management responsibility. The responsible individual and the manager Inspection report for children’s home: SC457435 5 have listened to feedback, and they have provided reassurances of the improvements they will make.

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good

The manager has not yet embedded some key relationships with family members who are important in the child’s life. The child benefits from a stable and consistent staff group. The manager oversees the welfare of the child in the home; however, they have not yet fully established a relationship with the child.

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good

Team meetings happen every month, and staff have good attendance at their meetings. Staff contribute positive ideas for the home and for the child. The child’s progress, feedback and care plan are a focus of meetings. Staff speak positively about the support they receive from leaders and managers. Staff say they are happy to work in the home.

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good

Training and development are a priority to ensure that the child can receive a high quality of care from skilled staff. All staff are working through their probationary periods and towards diploma qualifications.

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good

Supervisions take place monthly. They are reflective and focus on the progress the child makes. Staff well-being is a priority of supervision, and staff speak highly of the reasonable adjustments made for them when this is required. Inspection report for children’s home: SC457435 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

manage relationships between children to prevent them from harming each other;

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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. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(iv)(v))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure that risk management plans are regularly updated when there is a reduction in risks.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that children’s time spent with friends is thoroughly assessed and staff understand risk assessments and any safety plans, to help them to keep the child safe. 30 September

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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

promotes their welfare. 30 September Inspection report for children’s home: SC457435 7 In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) 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

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;

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Requirement Due date

demonstrate that practice in the home is informed and improved by taking into account and acting on—

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Requirement Due date

feedback on the experiences of children, including complaints received;

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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)(f)(g)(h)(ii))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the registered person should ensure robust management oversight of incidents and children’s care records.

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Requirement Due date

In addition, the registered person should ensure that escalations to relevant agencies for the provision of the child’s plans, and any specialist assessments, are made in a timely manner to enable staff to meet the needs of the child effectively.

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Requirement Due date

Most importantly, the registered person should provide visible leadership of the home.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that they build a positive relationship with each child and communication with family members, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 38, paragraph 8.6)  The registered person should ensure that the home is maintained to a good standard and is a homely, domestic environment. In particular, they should ensure that there is a clear plan in place to monitor the completion of any repairs, redecorations and maintenance of the garden. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9) Inspection report for children’s home: SC457435 8  The registered person should ensure that children are listened to and enabled to report allegations. In particular, the registered person should ensure that children receive outcomes of complaints or allegations, proportionally, in accordance with

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Recommendations

their age and understanding. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 44, paragraph 9.17)

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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: SC457435 9

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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

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: SC457435 10 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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