Children's Home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Cornwall

Inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 1 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 children’s home provides care and support for up to two children with social and emotional difficulties and/or learning disabilities . It is part of a large national organisation. At the time of the inspection, two children were living in the home.

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Information about this children’s home

The home was registered with Ofsted on 31 March 2021.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager registered with Ofsted on 25 October 2022.

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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: 2617923 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/05/2024 Full Good 14/06/2023 Full Requires improvement to be good 27/07/2022 Full Requires improvement to be good 26/10/2021 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Two children have continued to live at the home since the last inspection.. Both children were seen and were spoken with. The children said that they like living in this home. They get on well with the staff and they really like their bedrooms. They feel able to talk to the staff about things that they are worried about. Children appeared happy and settled in the care of staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children make good progress. They are cared for by a stable team of staff who know them well. One child is moving on to another home in the organisation. There is a transition plan in place so that they can build relationships with the new staff while also feeling supported by the existing staff. Both children attend school regularly and have completed some of their exams. They receive support with their health needs and attend appointments when needed. Staff know the children well and really understand the best approaches for working with each child effectively.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children have access to a range of activities and are supported to develop their independence skills. They learn how to cook for themselves and to do their own washing. They are involved in meal planning and go shopping with staff. They are encouraged to learn valuable skills such as budgeting, using public transport and learning how to be safe in the community. One child has enjoyed a recent holiday with staff.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff communicate well with children and seek their views about things that are important to them. They respond to requests about things the children would like to do, or the places they would like to go. Staff are respectful of the children, and they talk to them openly about any worries for their safety. There is regular communication between the staff and people who are important to the children. Social workers receive regular feedback about children. When there are worries about children’s safety, these are reported in a timely way and staff advocate strongly for children.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Plans are being developed to support one child better; this includes input from a range of external agencies. Children have detailed and thorough care plans in place, but it is not always easy for new staff to see what is required to meet children’s needs. One child has received a high level of consequences in the past; this does not fit well with the ethos of the home. Leaders and managers are aware and are developing practice to move away from this.

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

There has been a high level of incidents of going missing from the home for one child. On some occasions, this child has used alcohol and/or substances when they are missing and there have been some concerns about criminal activity. When this happens, the manager and staff notify external agencies in a timely way. Staff follow the child Inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 4 and try to remain in contact with them. They do regular check-ins with them to ensure they are safe. They speak to people the child knows and visit locations where the child would usually spend time. Staff constantly try to maintain contact with the child. This high level of support reassures the child that the staff care about them and that they want to know they are safe.

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

Staff regularly talk to the children and have open conversations with them about any worries for their safety. This helps staff to build stronger relationships with children and gives the children opportunities to talk about their plans. This relationship building has given children space to be more open with staff about the things that they are planning to do. This helps staff to keep children safe because they have more awareness about the risks that children may be facing.

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

Door alarms and window restrictors are currently used in the home. This is in response to other children gaining entry to the home, alongside children going missing. This is done in agreement with children’s social workers and discussions with the children and is kept under review.

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

There have been several concerns raised about staff practice. When this happens, the manager is responsive and investigates what has happened. Advice has been sought from external agencies when this is needed. When the manager has observed any concerns about staff practice, she challenges them appropriately and has ensured that staff are responding appropriately when children go missing from the home.

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

Reflective discussions are completed with staff in response to incidents or concerns. Staff regularly discuss safeguarding with their managers in supervision and during team meetings. Staff have learned from events that have taken place, and this supports staff to improve their practice over time. Staff are provided with specific training around risks that children are experiencing. There is positive reflective practice and constant learning in place, which helps to achieve better outcomes for children.

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

One child spends time with friends in the local community. This has resulted in some occasions when the child has refused to come home. On some occasions, things have happened in the community that have presented a risk to the child’s safety. It is not clear from reading the child’s plans how long their free time should be for or how regularly staff need to check in with the child. This is being reviewed with the multi- agency group to develop a safe plan for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers are ambitious for children, the staff and the home. They understand the children’s needs and how to support them. They are working hard to build strong relationships with children, so that children can be more open with them. The manager has a caring approach towards the children and has aspirations for their futures. The manager understands that progress is different for each child, and she provides opportunities for each child to support them to make progress. Inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 5 The home has a core team of staff who are working consistently with the children. Staff have a good understanding of the children’s needs and how to care for them. Staff said that they enjoy working in this home. They have regular supervision and access to specific training that they need. Staff spoke positively about the support that they have received from their manager and consider that she is very approachable. They said that

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

if they have any worries, they know they can talk to the manager about them and that they will be responded to in a timely way.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have good oversight of the home. They understand what is working well and any areas that need further development. The manager is proactive about seeking support for the children, and she has advocated strongly for them during meetings that are held. When children have used public transport to go missing from the home, or there have been incidents involving shops, the manager has spoken directly to these services to help manage future risks for children. Professionals are positive about the care children receive. One professional said that staff know children well and always show compassion for their circumstances. Inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure care plans are updated so they are clear and succinct to ensure the information is easily understood by any new staff working in the home. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3)  The registered person should ensure any agreements around free time for one child are reviewed and agreed with the multi-agency group. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  The registered person should ensure safety plans are reviewed around one child’s risk of going missing. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.32)

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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: 2617923 7

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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

Sarah Sheffield, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2617923 8 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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