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

Inspection report for children’s home: 1159272 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited Full inspection

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

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

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Information about this children’s home

At the time of the inspection, one child was living at the home.

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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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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outstanding

How well children and young people are helped and protected outstanding

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outstanding

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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outstanding

The children’s home provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good. The actions of the children’s home contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people who need help, protection and care.

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outstanding

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

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outstanding

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report for children’s home: 1159272 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

13/08/2024 Full Good 06/05/2021 Full Inadequate 29/05/2019 Full Good 05/06/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children’s home: 1159272 3

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The inspector spoke to the child during the inspection.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

There is significant evidence of change and improvement in the child’s life because of the care they receive at this home. The progress the child has made is exceptional, considering their starting point. Staff’s trusting relationships with the child have significantly contributed to this progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child’s social and emotional needs are met to a high standard. As a result of the excellent care, attention and nurture staff offer, the child is developing skills to be able to access the community independently. This is remarkable progress for the child, who previously had court-imposed restrictions on their freedom and required a higher level of staff support. The child now feels trusted to return home on time and is thriving with this responsibility.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The child is happy and enjoys living at the home. The child feels safe and listened to by the highly nurturing staff, who act on their wishes, ensuring that everyone involved in their life understands their views. Staff are warm and caring in their approach and sensitively talk to the child about changes in their life. The quality of the care has enabled the child to calmly manage these changes and maintain their positive outlook on life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

The manager’s and staff’s sustained efforts to meet the child’s physical and emotional health needs have empowered the child to participate in the management of their care, including taking medication regularly, changing their diet, and reaping the benefits of regular exercise. A health professional said, ‘Staff have a strong clinical awareness, creating a psychologically safe environment for the child. They balance emotional openness with trauma-informed care.’ As a result, the child has a place of safety where they can seek comfort and reassurance about their health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are persistent in finding ways to help the child learn. They work tenaciously in partnership with education professionals. Collectively, they have positively influenced the child’s life, making a remarkable difference to their self-perception and attitude to learning. A bespoke learning programme approved by the headteacher combines academic learning with the development of essential life skills, which has boosted the child’s self-esteem. For a child who has been without education for sustained periods, this is excellent progress. The headteacher said, ‘I am not one to shout from the rooftops, but what they have done for [name of child] is nothing short of remarkable.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff are committed to ensuring that the child experiences high-quality personalised care. They go above and beyond to promote family relationships. The child has bespoke family time arrangements in the home with their siblings, which have helped to enrich Inspection report for children’s home: 1159272 4 these relationships and promote the child’s sense of belonging and connection to those most important to them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: outstanding

Staff provide an emotionally warm environment that allows the child to feel safe to explore and express difficult emotions. Staff consistently create opportunities for the child to talk about their feelings. This includes unplanned car journeys, where staff happily participate with the child singing and ‘rapping’ about their lived experiences. This is extremely effective in helping the child to regulate their emotions in a safe way and improve their emotional well-being.

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

The child has a strong sense of safety and well-being. Staff know the child exceptionally well. They are attuned to the child’s specific needs and risks. Staff use an empathetic approach regardless of any unwanted behaviour, which helps reduce the child’s overwhelming emotions and damage to property. This has resulted in a significant reduction of safeguarding incidents in the home. Furthermore, the child can reflect on their actions, and they try to make amends restoratively without any need for a consequence.

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

Staff are highly skilled in de-escalation techniques, and the use of physical intervention is rare. Room searches are not necessary because staff have developed transparent communication with the child, who feels safe talking about anything, including their unwanted behaviour. The manager has driven forward restorative practice, which has further strengthened relationships between the child and the staff.

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

Missing-from-home incidents are managed effectively. Staff work collaboratively with the social worker and local agencies to reduce the risks when the child is missing. The manager takes time to speak to the child alone when any incidents occur. Management oversight of incidents is robust and meticulous.

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

The manager promotes a strong safeguarding culture, and staff are fully aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. Consistent boundaries are set for the child’s safety and welfare. Additional training from health professionals and local services has broadened opportunities for staff development so their practice remains consistently responsive to the child’s needs.

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

The child benefits from a stable care team. Staff are recruited safely; right-to-work checks are carried out, and all references are verified. Leaders and managers provide a thorough response to complaints or allegations. The child and staff involved receive support during any investigations. When investigations conclude, the child receives appropriate feedback.

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

Risk assessments are generally well written and implemented, except for those in relation to family time, which lack direction for staff to understand what the risks are and how to respond. Inspection report for children’s home: 1159272 5

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An interim manager is managing the home. The manager is aspirational for the child to experience the best possible care. She has high expectations of staff and leads them effectively to meet the expected standards. The manager expresses a strong vision for a stable staff team. This has helped the child make positive progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has effective monitoring systems to support their oversight. The manager values the independent visitor's contributions and uses them effectively to review the quality of the care staff provide. The manager identifies strengths and areas for improvement and has a development plan focused on continually improving practice.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff receive regular practice-related supervision. Staff say they are well supported by the manager, who provides additional guidance and support to equip them with the necessary skills to support the needs of the child. Staff are focused on creating positive memories for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff attend team meetings that focus on the child’s needs, views and progress. The manager has introduced workshops during these meetings to support learning. In addition to the comprehensive training, staff benefit from the services of the clinical support team, which is a pivotal part of the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff work proactively and positively with other agencies and professionals. They have built effective working relationships with parents. Staff’s work with others provides consistency and stability for the child.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers generally ensure that the home is well maintained and feels and looks like a family home. However, this is inconsistent. Minor repairs and maintenance issues in the home and garden are not addressed in a timely manner, which detracts from the otherwise welcoming environment. Inspection report for children’s home: 1159272 6

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that the home is a nurturing and homely environment that meets children’s needs. In particular, the registered person should ensure that all areas of the home are kept clean and tidy, including the garden, and ensure that any necessary repairs in the home are addressed in a timely manner. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9)  The registered person should ensure that staff continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. In particular, the registered person should ensure that risk assessments provide details of the steps staff should take to manage any risks in relation to family time. (‘Guide to the Children’s Homes Regulations, including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)

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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: 1159272 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

Tenji Wesa, Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children’s home: 1159272 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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