Children's Home run by Cannon Children Services Ltd in North Northamptonshire

Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 1 Registered provider: Cannon Children Services 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 by a private provider. It provides care for up to two children who may experience social and emotional difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

The registered manager’s post has been vacant since July 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

Date of last inspection: 10 December 2024

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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: 2691235 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

10/12/2024 Full Requires improvement to be good 11/10/2023 Full Good 19/07/2023 Full Inadequate 01/02/2023 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

At the time of this inspection, two children are living at the home. They benefit from living in a comfortable home environment. Children contribute to decorating their bedrooms according to their interests. Staff have captured positive memories for the children through photos and memory books. This promotes children’s identity and a sense of belonging.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff provide children with predictable routines and boundaries, which enable them to feel safe. Staff understand the children’s individual needs and experiences. This supports children to receive attuned care. Staff connect with children by talking about their personal interests. This enables children to develop trusting and meaningful relationships with staff. For one child, this approach and patience has had a positive impact. They now speak and connect with not just the manager but the wider staff team. One child has made considerable progress in education. From a period of exclusion, they are now completing online tuition working towards GCSE examinations. Staff have supported the child to revise for their exams, acknowledging this crucial time in education. Another child is not in mainstream education. The manager advocated for additional support. She has submitted an education, health and care plan application.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Recognising the child’s interest in gaming, the manager arranged a mentoring session with a professional gamer. This creative and tailored intervention has positively impacted the child, resulting in their ambition to apply for college.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children are offered varied opportunities to develop their social skills and relationships. While the children prefer to be at home rather than doing activities in the community, staff have shown persistence in continued efforts to promote social engagement, particularly as children approach independence. Children now participate in community walks, outings for drinks and meals with staff, and one child has joined a local gym with staff support. This helps to build children’s confidence and a sense of belonging within the local community. Children make good progress towards independence. Staff provide consistent encouragement and guidance to children, which has contributed to growing confidence levels. Children are involved in weekly food shopping and meal planning. Children learn practical life skills, such cooking, laundry and completing household chores. This enables children to learn how be responsible and helps them prepare for adulthood. Children’s

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

positive choices and contributions are recognised through praise and financial incentives. One child was able to use their savings to purchase some new headphones.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support children to maintain family connections by arranging and planning family visits. Family members are welcome visitors to the home, promoting quality interactions and strengthening bonds centred around the child. Staff have supported one child with their cultural and religious needs. Staff have ensured that their dietary needs are considered and researched traditional recipes. For recent Eid celebrations, the home was Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 4 decorated and staff prepared food. The child has shared their appreciation for the effort that staff made on this occasion. Children have opportunities to express their wishes and feelings through platforms such as children’s meetings and discussions with staff. One child now has an independent advocate to support them. Children’s complaints are taken seriously and handled in line with established procedures. Children are kept informed throughout the process and

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

provided with clear outcomes and offers of support.

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

Staff have completed safeguarding training, ensuring that they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to keep children safe. Staff have also received child- specific training in mental health, child criminal exploitation, behaviour that challenges and missing incidents.

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

Risk assessments and behaviour support plans clearly outline children’s known risks, with clear strategies in place to mitigate them. Risk and behaviour plans are regularly reviewed and adapted to reflect children’s evolving needs.

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

There has been a decrease in risk for one child. Risks such as child criminal exploitation, missing events and unsafe community relationships have significantly reduced for a child previously subject to a deprivation of liberty order. Previous restrictions on the use of electronics and free time in the community are no longer in place. Staff continue to demonstrate vigilance and curiosity, ensuring that children’s safety remains a priority. The risks are continually reviewed, with appropriate monitoring agreements in place. This allows the child to grow independence while staying safe in a less-restrictive manner.

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

Staff and children are supported to understand contextual safeguarding risks. Managers know the local area well and have engaged with partner agencies in the local community. This additional safeguarding strategy helps to identify any vulnerabilities, risks and necessary safety measures.

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

There have been two safeguarding incidents involving individual children. Incident reports are comprehensive and demonstrate good managerial oversight. Staff support children to understand the value of positive behaviours, empathy, taking responsibility and making healthy choices. Key-work sessions provide an opportunity for children to reflect on and express their views, while staff are supported through debrief and reflective team discussions. Children benefit from a consistent, nurturing approach to behaviour management. Positive behaviour is regularly acknowledged through praise and recognition. This motivates and encourages children to do well. When there are behaviours that challenge, staff actively use de-escalation strategies with clear expectations communicated to the children. Sanctions and consequences have management oversight and are appropriate and proportionate. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has applied to register with Ofsted. The manager demonstrates commitment to her professional development. There is a good relationship between the responsible individual (RI) and the manager. The manager feels supported by the RI, who also encourages service development and provides appropriate guidance when needed.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is passionate about making a difference to the lives of children. A settled period has enabled the manager to focus on the children’s individual needs. Children have planned moves into and from the home. Decisions are considered holistically, ensuring compatibility and support for children as these significant events happen.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager spends quality time with the children and knows them well. The manager provides consistent oversight of care practices. Staff are encouraged and supported to reflect on their impact, with a focus on maintaining a stable, motivated workforce.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager promotes a positive team culture and fosters a shared commitment to children’s progress and well-being. A team around the child approach is evident, ensuring comprehensive support for children’s needs. This insight ensures that risks and challenges are addressed proactively. Staff advocate for children’s education, receiving positive feedback from professionals.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff speak positively about the support they receive from managers. Staff feel valued at work. Staff receive regular, effective supervision support from the manager. Discussions cover personal welfare, child-specific updates and an opportunity to reflect on successes and areas for improvement. Annual appraisals ensure that staff can develop professionally and any learning needs are identified and supported in a timely manner.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff training is prioritised, with a collective approach to skill development. While most staff have completed necessary training, a training tracker is in place to ensure timely updates and completion of required training. The staff team is committed to ongoing learning, with attendance at specialised courses enhancing their ability to support children effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has established strong relationships with stakeholders, including education providers and social care professionals. Feedback highlights effective communication and recognises the progress made by the children. However, there has been no response to the annual survey facilitated by the regulator. Managers have not supported this system, which is a missed opportunity to seek the views of others and improve care for children. Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person must ensure that they actively seek independent scrutiny of the home and make best use of information from independent and internal monitoring (including under regulations 44 and 45) to ensure continuous improvement. This also includes ensuring that the point-in-time surveys are distributed to all relevant people, so they have the opportunity to provide feedback. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 55, paragraph 10.24)

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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: 2691235 7

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cannon Children Services Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 2 Calais Hill, Tyler Hill, Canterbury CT2 9LT

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Inspector

Tazim Akhtar, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 2691235 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.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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