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:

 Staff provide consistency of care for young people. Young people are very positive about the home. They feel settled and feel able to talk to staff.  Young people have been in placement for varying amounts of time. Access to education is mixed. However, the home can demonstrate that once young people are settled in their respective placements that they begin to have good attendance.  Staff maintain close links with families and involve them, when appropriate, in the overall planning of the young people’s care.  Good risk assessments and management plans have helped to reduce the risk of harm to young people. Young people’s challenging behaviour, including having knives, assaulting staff and other people, has been eradicated.  Young people say that there is no bullying and that the home is a safe place in which to live. They say that they can talk to staff about any worries or concerns. They speak positively about their experience of living in this home

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The children's home provision is good because:

and the support they get from the staff.  Leaders and managers have reviewed the development plan for the home, to ensure that all previous shortfalls are effectively addressed and that the quality of care provided continually develops and improves.  Staff say that they receive regular support and training and, as a result this, has improved morale. This is because they feel involved in the positive changes and that they are well supported in their role.

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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

7. The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard In order to meet the children’s views, wishes and feelings standard, the registered person must ensure that:- (2)(b)(iii) each child is given appropriate advocacy support; (c) keep the children’s guide under review and seek children’s comments before revising the document; (d) how they may access that support or those services and any entitlement they may have to independent advocacy provision. ). 31 August

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that children are provided at all reasonable times with access to a telephone on which to make telephone calls in private, which they may use without reference to persons working in the home (Regulation 22 (3) (a)) 31 August

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:

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Recommendations

 Ensure that dining chairs are replaced and that the torn sofa in the lounge is replaced (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 15, paragraph 3.9).

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Information about this children's home

The home is one of a number of homes provided by a private provider in collaboration with a local authority. The home provides care and accommodation for up to six young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

8 March 2016 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

12 February 2015 Interim Improved effectiveness

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Good

The young people’s progress, experience and outcomes have improved since the last inspection. This is supported by a more stable and experienced staff team, which provides consistency of care for them, to help them to settle, feel safe and develop. One young person said, ‘I’m settled here now. It’s the best place to live in. There are people here you can talk to.’ The quality of relationships with staff is good. Staff speak sensitively about young people and respond positively to them in a constructive and professional manner. Overall, the environment has improved in consultation with the young people, specifically the redecoration of rooms and they have chosen the art work display on the walls. However, a new sofa has been on request for several months but has not arrived. This does not make the lounge look homely. Young people benefit from access to fun days out, including going to an adventure park and outward bound activities. They said that they really enjoyed their time

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Good

out. There are also photographs in the home that offer a positive reminder of those days out together. Young people are of an age when they like to spend time with their friends during their free time. In the home, young people have access to gym equipment and they enjoy listening to music, cooking and baking. Young people have been in placement for varying periods. Their access to education is mixed. However, the home can demonstrate that once young people are settled in education they begin to have good attendance. There is a variety of options available to them, which include individual flexible timetables and support, access to full-time mainstream education and vocational qualifications. The home has good links with education providers to advocate on young people’s behalf. As a result, some young people have improved their chances of gaining places at college or employment opportunities. This has encouraged them to have a good

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Good

work ethic and to have ambitions for their futures. Some young people are preparing to move into adulthood. They take part in a structured independent living plan. This helps them to become confident that they have the skills to care and budget for their needs. Young people are able to maintain important relationships in a safe and supportive way. Staff have built close links with families and involve them, when appropriate, in the overall planning of the young people’s care. Detailed contact plans ensure that contact only takes place with those with whom it has been agreed, and this is reviewed on a regular basis. Judgement grade

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Good

Young people’s safety and well-being are important to staff. They are trained in child protection. They take swift action should they have a concern about a young person’s safety or well-being, including any issues concerning child sexual exploitation, going missing from care or use of cannabis. Good risk management plans have helped staff to reduce the risk of harm. For example, the home works closely with the local police and Protects team to ensure regular close partnership working to manage such risks. This ensures that young people become increasingly safe. Young people’s safety has significantly improved since the last inspection. They are no longer involved in dangerous behaviour, such as possessing knives and assaulting staff and other young people. The registered manager and staff have worked hard with the young people to create a more open environment. They have implemented strategies to stop these behaviours, which have worked very well. For

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Good

example, young people are rewarded for their positive efforts and receive negative consequences for poor behaviour. Positive rewards have included beauty treatments for the young women, at their request, and additional clothing money for the young men. Young people say that there is no bullying and that the home is a safe place in which to live. They say that they can talk to staff about any worries or concerns. However, there have been problems with the telephone network, in that the dedicated young people’s telephone is not working. This means that young people’s access to people independent of the home, such as advocates, can be compromised if they do not have telephone credit.

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Good

The home is led by an experienced registered manager. She holds the level 4 qualification in management and social care and has started the level 5 diploma in leadership and management for residential childcare to further her professional development. She has been registered manager since February 2016 has worked in this home since May 2015. Prior to that, she was the registered manager of other children’s homes. Leaders and managers have effectively addressed weaknesses to continually to develop and improve the quality of care young people receive. As a result young people are increasingly safer and the standard of their care is significantly better. Previous issues related to the safety and care of young people have been addressed. The home’s improvement plan sets out actions that will ensure that young people are effectively supported to improve, through good care planning, risk management planning and effective partnership working.

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Good

Staff say that they receive regular support and training, which has improved morale. This is because they feel involved in the positive changes in the home. Recent training has given them a better understanding of past emotionally traumatic events and experiences of young people and how these can have an impact on their forming positive attachments in the future. Monitoring of the home by an independent person and the manager is robust. Reports are evaluative and clearly identify any shortfalls and the action taken to address these. The registered manager says that these reports are helpful in ensuring the continuous improvement of the home. For example additional staff training, improving the frequency of supervisions and ensuring staff are complying with the company’s procedures. The home has a contract with a local authority to provide care and accommodation for one young person in an emergency. The details of this arrangement is now

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Good

included in the statement of purpose. The decision–making process is clearer and is followed to carefully consider if the home is able to meet a young person’s assessed needs. Impact assessments are now carried out to ensure that there is minimal disruption to the other young people in placement, particularly when a young person may need to be admitted in an emergency. The children’s guide is good, overall, but lacks information about independent advocacy for young people.

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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

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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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