Children's home run by Cambian Childcare Limited in Hammersmith and Fulham

Good

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

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The children's home provision is good because:

 The home has had notable success with the majority of young people who have made great improvements in their education attendance and other areas of their lives. Others are more resistant to the work done by staff, who are nevertheless persistent in encouraging them to participate in constructive activities.  Young people have become safer as a result of the support and oversight provided by staff. There are fewer incidents when young people go missing or put themselves in risky situations.  Staff provide a daily routine that sets clear boundaries and expectations for young people. Within this structure, staff encourage young people to try new experiences and to take responsibility for themselves. This develops young people‟s confidence and self-esteem.  Relationships between young people and staff are excellent. These provide a framework of trust within which the work that staff do with young people

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The children's home provision is good because:

becomes more effective. The collaborative approach that staff have in working with young people‟s families also contributes to the home‟s success.  The manager was appointed relatively recently and is in the process of applying for registration. She leads the staff team very effectively, providing an environment that is nurturing and supportive and helps young people to make progress. Some shortfalls in practice have resulted in two statutory requirements and two recommendations being made. These do not have a significant impact on the welfare or safety of young people.

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered persons meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the „Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards‟. The registered persons must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

12. In order to meet the protection of children standard, with particular reference to managing the risks associated with access to social media and telephone communication, the registered person must ensure that staff:

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Requirement Due date

(2)(a)(i) 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. 24 June 2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children („a quality of care review‟) at least once every 6 months.

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Requirement Due date

After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review (“the quality of care review report”).

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is completed. The system must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff (Regulation 45(1),(3)(,4)(a) and (5)). 24 June 2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Staff should have an understanding of how schools function, including the processes for admission to schools, the role of designated teachers for children looked after and the role of the virtual school headteacher. If a child looked after from a different local authority area is placed in the home, the virtual school headteacher of that local authority remains responsible for promoting the child's educational achievement ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 27, paragraph 5.10).

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Recommendations

 Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them, in particular that management of risks in relation to use of mobile phones is regularly reviewed ('Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards', page 42, paragraph 9.5).

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Information about this children's home

The home accommodates up to three children with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. It is operated by a private company.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

29 March 2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

25 March 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

Staff use detailed plans to provide care that is tailored to each individual young person. They work with the young person in order to understand their needs and aspirations, and to incorporate their wishes into the programme of work. For example, young people who are not in full-time education are asked for their ideas about how they can fill their time constructively. Staff then design a weekly programme of activities that provide stimulating learning experiences. Relationships between young people and staff are strong. Young people form attachments to staff, which persist in some cases even after the young person has moved on. One young person said, „Staff are laid back. I like them and get on well with them.‟ These bonds help young people to develop emotional resilience and a better sense of self-worth. Because of the work of staff, most young people make significant progress in comparison to their starting points when they were admitted. Young people are in

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Good

good health, and develop the confidence to make their own appointments with health professionals such as general practitioners. One young person has just taken the first of several GCSEs, having dropped out of school prior to coming here. Another is working on a Prince‟s Trust scheme, their first ever work placement, and has outstanding attendance and punctuality. Some young people, however, struggle to engage in education or training. Staff work with placing social workers to address this but they do not provide sufficient challenge to other personnel in local authorities, such as virtual school headteachers. This means that the opportunity is lost to use the full range of available resources to help young people to access quality education. The level and quality of consultation by staff with young people is evident in daily interactions as well as formal group meetings. Staff value what young people have

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Good

to say and act on their wishes whenever possible. A young person said, „It‟s a lot better here than the place I was. Staff listen to you. You can negotiate with them. They don‟t just say “no” straightaway.‟ As a result, young people‟s self-esteem develops and they become more mature and responsible in exercising choice. Staff consult with young people about leisure activities and then provide whatever resources are necessary. They advocate on young people‟s behalf, to enable them to develop their interests. For example, one young person is on a court-ordered curfew, but staff have negotiated with the youth offending team to lift this, so that the young people can attend a residential team-building event. Staff work in a systematic way to promote young people‟s independence. Young people are expected to launder their own clothes and to keep their rooms tidy. Each young person has a weekly planner, which includes two days when they are

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Good

given money to buy food and to cook a meal with the support of staff. A young person said, „I go shopping, can choose what I want to buy, then make a meal, so am learning to cook for myself for first time. I‟ve just made chicken korma from scratch with all the spices, not out of a jar.‟ Transitions into and out of the home are managed effectively. During the inspection, one young person had to be moved on to another placement at short notice due to safeguarding issues. The manager and staff placed the welfare of the young person at the core of the whole process, which was managed sensitively and efficiently. Because of this, the potential of the situation to become a very distressing experience was averted. Staff enable young people to stay in touch with those who are important to them. They support and promote family contact even when a young person‟s home area is a considerable distance away. The quality of the work that staff do results in

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Good

young people improving their relationships with their parents. Not all young people are able to use a phone without asking staff because of safeguarding concerns. The reasons for this are not sufficiently well documented. Neither are there regular reviews of whether this restriction on contact remains appropriate.

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Good

The support and individual attention that staff provide to young people keeps them safe. Key workers spend time with young people in one-to-one sessions, talking about potential threats to safety and how to avoid them. A social worker said, „At first, the young person was very unsettled but they have done fantastically well. Their behaviour has improved so much. It is a very nurturing environment. Staff do lots of one-to-one work with the young person. They really benefit from that.‟ As a result of this input, all young people confirm that they feel safe inside and outside the home. The previously high number of occasions when young people went missing has reduced. Some young people, for whom such behaviour was significant prior to them being admitted, have had virtually no incidents. Sexual exploitation has been an historical issue for some young people. The expertise of staff in being alert to the signs of this and in knowing how to respond to concerns gives assurance that

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Good

there is no current threat to any young people. Risk assessments set out the range of potential sources of harm and ways in which they are managed, and, in the main, they are effective. In one case, there is insufficient clarity about how the staff ensure that the young person remains safe online and when using their mobile phone. Staff ensure that boundaries, and expectations of behaviour, are clear to all. This provides a structure for young people through which they know that all staff will apply the rules consistently, fairly and reasonably. One young person said, „You know what the rules are and yes, they are fair.‟ As a result, and coupled with the quality of relationships, the home is generally an orderly and happy place. Young people show consideration for each other and for the staff. Staff encourage young people to behave appropriately and to follow their plans, through the use of incentives and frequent praise. Sanctions are used sparingly, and since the last

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Good

inspection, there has been only one use of physical restraint. The great majority of young people avoid risky behaviour such as misusing drugs and alcohol. Some were prolific offenders before being admitted but are now offence-free. One young person said, „I have moved on loads since I came here. I have stopped offending, which is great.‟ Other professionals confirm the quality of the staff‟s work with other agencies. One said, „The staff support the young person really well. They keep them safe, attend all strategy and planning meetings, work closely with police when they have gone missing, and keep in very close touch with me to update me with any issues.‟

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Good

The manager has extensive leadership experience and has applied for registration. She is about to enrol on training to acquire the necessary qualification within the required timescale. She is an extremely effective manager who commands respect from the staff team and ensures that they share her total commitment to the welfare of young people. One member of staff said, „She is the heartbeat of the home.‟ All staff have a detailed awareness of the progress that young people are making and where additional work may be necessary. Daily accounts are collated into monthly reports of progress for each young person. These are shared with young people, social workers and parents. External monitoring takes place through monthly visits by an independent person. In their reports, they express a clear opinion as to how effectively the home is keeping young people safe and promoting their welfare. The manager‟s own regular monitoring reports are

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Good

detailed, but they do not always record and evaluate feedback from stakeholders such as social workers. This means that any observations that they may have about the quality of the service cannot be known. In addition, the reports are not always submitted to Ofsted within the prescribed timescale. This reduces the effectiveness of the regulator‟s oversight. Staff are unanimous in confirming the quality of the support that they receive from the manager and their colleagues. Formal supervision takes place regularly. Staff are encouraged to reflect on their practice and to think about different ways of problem solving, for example, about how to help a young person to overcome a particular area of difficulty. Staff have access to a range of training, both online and face-to-face, keeping their skills and knowledge refreshed. The expertise of staff and the consistency of practice across the whole team are key factors in the

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Good

progress made by young people and the quality of their experiences. Staff work in collaboration with other professionals and with parents. One parent said, „This placement is so different to the last one. It is caring, organised and calm, and this lowers my child‟s anxieties, which has had had a massive impact on their behaviour. Staff are articulate and emotionally intelligent. The home is just brilliant.‟

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What the inspection judgements mean

The experiences and progress of children and young people are at the centre of the inspection. Inspectors will use their professional judgement to determine the weight and significance of their findings in this respect. The judgements included in the report are made against „Inspection of children's homes: framework for inspection‟.

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What the inspection judgements mean

An outstanding children's home provides highly effective services that contribute to significantly improved outcomes for children and young people who need help and protection and care. Their progress exceeds expectations and is sustained over time. A good children's home provides effective services that help, protect and care for children and young people and have their welfare safeguarded and promoted. In a children's home that requires improvement , there are no widespread or serious failures that create or leave children being harmed or at risk of harm. The welfare of children looked after is safeguarded and promoted. Minimum requirements are in place. However, the children's home is not yet delivering good protection, help and care for children and young people. A children's home that is inadequate is providing services where there are widespread or serious failures that create or leave children and young people being

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What the inspection judgements mean

harmed or at risk of harm, or result in children looked after not having their welfare safeguarded and promoted.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people living in the children's home. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference that adults make to the lives of children and young people. They read case files, watched how professional staff work with children, young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care given to children and young people. Wherever possible, they talked to children, young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children's home knows about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the Children's

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Information about this inspection

Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the „Guide to the children's homes regulations including the quality standards‟. the guidance raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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, workbased learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It inspects services for looked after children and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, 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,

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Information about this inspection

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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