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

Requires improvement

The children's home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

 Monitoring systems continue to improve the care that children and young people receive. These systems are not yet good as they do not fully identify shortfalls that impact on children’s and young people’s experiences. The development plan identifies key areas of priority.  Placement plans, behaviour support plans and risk assessments do not provide staff with enough detail about the individual needs of children and young people. For some children and young people, these documents are not consistent with each other. Information does not provide clear guidance to staff about how to support and educate children and young people about their sexual health or body development.  Leaders and managers have not approached other relevant agencies outside of the school, when making decisions about restrictions in place that deprive young people over the age of 16 of their liberty.  Children’s access to their garden continues to be restricted in some of the

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The children's home provision requires improvement because:

houses. Not all the houses have a telephone that is accessible for children and young people to use if they wish to do so.  The safe recruitment of staff through an agency requires improvement. Leaders and managers do not robustly check that agency staff have all the required checks in place.  Children and young people do not have the opportunity to experience organised activities outside of the home. For example, there is no attendance at any clubs or exploration of how children and young people can access their hobbies and interests within the community.

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The children's home strengths

 Leaders and managers are making good progress to improve the quality of care and experiences for children and young people in the home. Changes made by leaders and managers to improve the quality of care are beginning to embed. Staff embrace these and recognise the positive impact that this has for children and young people. Staff say that ‘children and young people have become more independent’.  Staff communicate effectively with children and young people.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person(s) meets 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 person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

6: The quality and purpose of care standard In order to meet the quality and purpose of care standard the registered person must ensure that staff— (2)(b)(iv) provide personalised care that meets each child's needs, as recorded in the child's relevant plans, taking account of the child's background; (ix) make decisions about the day-to-day arrangements for each child, in accordance with the child's relevant plans, which give the child an appropriate degree of freedom and choice. In particular, that records such as placement plans, behaviour support plans and risk assessments clearly detail the needs of children and young people and how to meet them. 31 August

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Requirement Due date

9: The enjoyment and achievement standard In order to meet the enjoyment and achievement standard the registered person must ensure— (2)(b) that each child has access to a range of activities that enable the child to pursue the child's interests and hobbies. In particular, that children and young people are supported to build links with the local community and access clubs/activities of their choice outside of the home. 31 August

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Requirement Due date

10: The health and well-being standard In order to meet the health and well-being standard the registered person must ensure that staff help each child to— (2)(a)(ii) understand the child's health and well-being needs and the options that are available in relation to the child's health and well-being, in a way that is appropriate to the child's age and understanding. In particular, that placement plans or records provide clear information about how staff support children and young people 31 August about how their body develops and matters relating to sexual health.

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Requirement Due date

13: The leadership and management standard In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must ensure they inspire and lead a culture that— (2)(f) understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home; (h) use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. Paying particular attention to improving the monitoring systems in place to ensure that they consistently identify shortfalls and weaknesses. 31 August

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Requirement Due date

20: Restraint and deprivation of liberty Restraint in relation to a child is only permitted for the purpose of preventing— (a) injury to any person (including the child); (b) serious damage to the property of any person (including the child); or (c) a child who is accommodated in a secure children's home from absconding from the home. (2) Restraint in relation to a child must be necessary and proportionate. In particular, that the registered manager considers any restriction imposed as a restraint and that these restrictions are communicated explicitly to local authorities in relation to deprivation of liberty, including the use of locks on external doors preventing access to the outside area of the home. 31 August

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Requirement Due date

22: Contact and access to communications The registered person must ensure that children are provided at all reasonable times with access to the following facilities which they may use without reference to persons working in the home: a telephone on which to make and receive telephone calls in private. (Regulation 22 (3)(a)) 31 August 32. The registered person must recruit staff using recruitment procedures that are designed to ensure children's safety. The requirements are that full and satisfactory information is available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32 (3)(d)) 31 August

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Information about this children's home

This national, private organisation provides care and accommodation for up to 68 students with autistic spectrum disorder and learning difficulties. It operates as a residential special school, which also provides accommodation for a number of students requiring 52 weeks boarding and is therefore registered as a children’s home. Care is provided in 11 houses, nine houses are within the grounds of the school and two homes are situated in the local community.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

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Recent inspection history

03/12/2014 Interim Sustained effectiveness

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Recent inspection history

11/03/2014 Interim Satisfactory progress

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Requires improvement

The experiences of children and young people continue to improve. The service is not yet good as leaders and managers are still on the journey of making these improvements and changes. The home is moving in the right direction and the new ethos and quality assurance systems need time to embed. The quality of placement plans is in need of review. These records do not detail the individual needs of children and young people well enough. The information and language used in some placement plans leaves the reader confused about how to best care for children and young people. The sexual health needs of children and young people are not detailed consistently in health or placement plans. Leaders and managers have not yet established a good way to evidence the progress and achievements that children and young people make against their targets and goals. Staff say that children and young people make progress. They

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Requires improvement

particularly link some of this to the removal of locks that provide freer access in homes to kitchen and toileting facilities. A parent said that ‘my child makes small progress in their own way that is meaningful to them’. The removal of internal locks significantly improves the experiences that children and young people have in their home. Staff no longer need to carry keys as a necessity when providing care. This change in culture is an ongoing piece of work. Some other restrictions remain such as window restrictors, some gardens are inaccessible to young people due to a keypad and some homes do not have a telephone available for children and young people to use without asking. Children and young people do not get the opportunity to explore how their interests and hobbies within the wider community. Clubs that may enhance children’s and young people’s experiences and increase the opportunity to build

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Requires improvement

relationships away from the home are not accessed. However, the staff do organise activities in homes and use the resources on-site such as the swimming pool and gym equipment. Activities out of the home tend to be trips out to local attractions and shops. Children and young people have good relationships with the staff caring for them. Inspectors saw warmth and genuine care towards children and young people. Staff spoken with and observed have a sound value base, which leaders and managers have worked at developing through training and support. The level of methods used to communicate with children and young people is exceptional. Staff are consistent in their use of picture exchange systems and schedules with children and young people. Staff work with children and young people to develop their communication and learn new strategies and symbols that help them to communicate their views, wishes and feelings.

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Requires improvement

The environments are becoming more homely and welcoming. Children and young people personalise their bedrooms to their taste. Staff are actively making decisions about soft furnishings and purchasing items that identify the space as a home.

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Requires improvement

Monitoring of behaviour management records by leaders and managers continues to require improvement. Staff do not record the use of restrictive equipment that some children and young people access as a behaviour management strategy. Leaders and managers have not considered with local authorities whether they need court of protection and or deprivation of liberty orders for young people whose liberty is restricted. On some occasions, staff move children and young people during a physical intervention to a different part of the home or garden. At times this has included walking up or down stairs. Leaders and managers have not identified this as a concern as part of the monitoring process. Children and young people rarely go missing from the home but when they do staff follow the protocol well. When children and young people return home there is no evidence that staff check their welfare or explore their feelings and views. The

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Requires improvement

registered manager does not hold external agencies to account in relation to their responsibilities for missing children and young people. Children and young people have individual risk assessments and behaviour support plans, the quality of these vary. Some records fail to provide staff with strategies on how to support children and young people. Risk assessment and behaviour support plans are not always consistent with the placement plan. Gaps in the safer recruitment checks completed for staff recruited through an agency may put children and young people at risk. Leaders and managers do not verify that all the required checks are in place. It is not evident that agency workers have the required ‘right to work’ checks or that the agency has obtained disclosure and barring checks (or the equivalent) for staff that have previously worked overseas. Despite some of the above shortfalls, the monitoring of incidents and physical

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Requires improvement

interventions by leaders and managers is improving significantly. A core senior leadership team critiques reports daily, including the management of the incident and the restraint. Staff embrace the feedback that they receive from this process and learn from it. Physical interventions have decreased and the severity of physical interventions is minimising. Staff understand how to safeguard children and young people. Staff follow the safeguarding policy effectively. Leaders and managers have installed a robust system to manage safeguarding concerns. The registered manager coordinates the appropriate response to any safeguarding concern, which safeguards children and young people and alerts the necessary professionals including the local area designated officer.

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Requires improvement

The manager was registered with Ofsted in February 2016. She had previously worked at the home for a number of years. The registered manager is working towards the necessary Qualifications and Credit Framework level 5 and has the appropriate level of experience to carry out this role. The registered manager receives support from the headteacher as well as a mentor within the company. The registered manager is making significant improvement and development in her role. Leaders and managers continue to make progress to improve the quality of care. Monitoring systems are becoming more effective. However, they are not yet embedded or identifying all weaknesses in the care provided. The registered manager identifies that she needs to strengthen her team of managers who can improve the critical oversight of care and records such as placement plans. The home’s development plan identifies areas of development that will have a

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Requires improvement

direct impact on children and young people. The registered manager is yet to establish good working relationships and confidence so that she can challenge other services when they do not provide an effective service to children and young people. Supervision of all staff, including agency staff, is becoming more regular and leaders and managers have an effective system to monitor this. The registered manager identifies the quality of supervision as an improvement area to move forward with over the next few months. Staff have their performance appraised annually, which includes a personal development plan. Staff receive training in mandatory areas such as safeguarding, behaviour management and medication. The workforce development plan identifies how leaders and managers have developed the training package to include value-based induction and training for staff. This is having a positive impact on the care that

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Requires improvement

they provide to children and young people. There are some gaps in specialist training that staff may benefit from that is specific to the needs of some children and young people to meet their complex needs. Leaders and managers have implemented a new rota system to provide better consistency to children and young people. As a result, this has minimised the number of staff vacancies that they are managing. This rota change has increased staffing levels and is beginning to increase the opportunities for children and young people to have better quality time with their key staff.

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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 looked after children 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 that 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 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 who 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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