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:

 Young people feel safe and are kept safe. Young people confirm that they get the right help from the staff who know and care for them well. Young people recognise the support that staff provide to them and identify how this help has assisted them to address and manage their particular challenges well.  Detailed care plans, comprehensive risk assessments and the staff team’s sound understanding of each young person’s strengths, needs and vulnerabilities ensures that young people’s needs are consistently met.  Young people are supported sufficiently by staff to increase their life skills and knowledge. Young people gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment by achieving a variety of skills, which prepares them well for their move into adolescence and adulthood.  The manager and staff work collaboratively with young people, their families, healthcare professionals, social workers, education colleagues and

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The children's home provision is good because:

safeguarding agencies. Consequently, young people receive the care and support that they require at the point of identification and their welfare and safety is promoted.  The staff team shares the manager’s strong child-centred approach in their delivery of care for young people. Staff take their roles and responsibilities seriously in improving young people’s experiences and are committed to supporting young people to reach their full potential.  Three areas for improvement have been identified within this inspection. These relate to staff supervision, management oversight of the sanctions and consequences used, and ensuring that the home is safe and well maintained.

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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 ‘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

The registered manager must ensure that all staff, including bank staff, receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 31/10/2016

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Requirement Due date

The registered manager must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to the child in the home, a record is made which includes the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure. (Regulation 35 (3)(a)(vii)) 31/10/2016

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendation:  The registered person must ensure that the home provides a comfortable, homely and secure environment that is well maintained and decorated. This is in particular reference to ensuring that the identified work to repair the window restrictors is completed, and the requests made by young people to improve the quality and decor of the home are considered and acted upon in a timely manner. (‘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

This children’s home is owned by a large, national private provider. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for two children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. This home enlists the support of a clinical care team in its delivery of care to children and young people.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 24/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/10/2015 Full Good 26/02/2015 Interim Sustained effectiveness 20/11/2014 Full Good

p.5

Good

Young people make good progress relative to their starting points in most aspects of their social, emotional and educational development. Staff use incentives and positive rewards well to encourage and enable young people to achieve their individual targets and goals. This practice has been effective in assisting some young people to make positive choices in regards to their education, behaviour and keeping themselves safe. Most young people benefit from warm, positive and nurturing relationships with the staff. This is because staff spend time with young people so that they know their individual needs and circumstances well. Staff are acutely aware of young people’s past experiences. They support young people to identify with, and overcome, these challenges by supporting young people to develop resilience and self-awareness through the completion of meaningful planned sessions. Young people recognize

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Good

their behaviours which caused them and others distress and can identify the progress that they have made in this regard. One young person spoken with attributed his achievements, in part, to the care and support that they have received from the manager and staff team. The staff value education for young people. The staff promote and support young people well to attend and engage with their respective schools. Staff help young people to recognize and understand the importance of education and they work effectively with young people to enable them to reach their full potential while in school. Staff support young people with their travel arrangements into school and will stay with them if necessary to ensure that young people are emotionally and socially ready and able to learn within the school environment. This practice has been effective in supporting some young people to return back into the school

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Good

environment and achieve some GCSE examinations after prolonged periods away from school. Practical arrangements are in place to meet young people’s known and emerging physical health needs. Young people are registered with doctors, dentists and opticians and are supported and encouraged to attend their routine health appointments at the point of admission. Good links with professionals from specialist health services, such as the looked after children’s nurse and professionals linked to substance misuse teams, ensures that young people are provided with additional opportunities to engage with health services to support them with their individual and identified needs. While some young people have accessed and benefited well from these services, others have refused to engage with the support which is offered. Subsequently, some young people continue to compromise their health and well-being as they continue to engage in risk-taking

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Good

behaviours such as smoking cigarettes and cannabis. Good consultation undertaken by the staff team ensures that young people’s views are actively sought, listened to and acted upon in most areas of their daily lives. Young people are encouraged and supported to take control over certain features of their lives and are instrumental in developing their weekly menus and activities. When young people raise any areas of concern, the manager ensures that these concerns are fully investigated and addressed promptly to ensure that a suitable outcome is reached. Furthermore, young people are activity involved in providing feedback on staff’s performance and ideas on what developments can be made within their home to ensure that ongoing improvements can be achieved. However, one young person’s request to improve the decor and the fabric of their home has not been acted upon. Staff support young people to establish and maintain positive relationships with

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Good

their family and friends which promotes young people’s sense of belonging and identity. Staff ensure that young people are supported to maintain close links and remain in contact with those who are important to them. Young people are encouraged to maintain positive friendship groups within the local community, and friends and family members are encouraged and welcomed into the home. Young people are offered a range of interesting and age-appropriate experiences, which the staff work hard to capture through photographs and memorabilia. Young people talk enthusiastically about their trips to Blackpool, theme parks and local trips out to the cinema, some of which have not been experienced before. These activities support young people to develop positive relationships with each other, their local community and expand upon their previous experiences. This, in turn, enables and enhances young people’s positive childhood experiences.

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Good

Transition arrangements for young people joining and leaving the home are sufficient. The manager gives suitable consideration to young people’s needs and vulnerabilities and identifies how these may impact and affect other young people living in the home before they join. When young people are ready to move on, the manager and staff work effectively with young people, their carers and their placing authorities so that this is completed smoothly and efficiently for all involved. Young people are increasing in confidence and developing some useful independent living skills, which will equip them well in their preparation and transition into adulthood. Staff support young people to increase their skills in managing their finances, cleaning and preparing foods. Furthermore, staff teach, support and enable young people to travel on public transport independently and safely. Consequently, young people gain skills, confidence and a sense of

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Good

achievement by accomplishing a number of new skills, which will enable them to manage adulthood successfully. Judgement grade

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Good

Young people report that they are safe and are kept safe by the actions of the staff team. Staff promote young people’s safety because they have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. All staff have completed safeguarding training and they receive regular refresher training as and when this is required. Staff spoken with during the inspection clearly understand the home’s whistleblowing policy and speak confidently about this. As such, staff have a good level of awareness and understanding of the procedures that they must follow when disclosures are made or any safeguarding concerns are identified and they respond to these appropriately and promptly. Young people spoken with during the inspection were clear about the rules and the expectations placed upon them. They confirmed that they felt that the sanctions and consequences that are in place for non-compliance with these expectations

p.8

Good

were fair. Sanctions are used sparingly and are appropriate to support young people in modifying their behaviour which is deemed to be unacceptable or unsafe. While young people are offered the opportunity to discuss and consider their behaviours so that they can identify alternative strategies for the future, the manager does not systematically review and evaluate the sanctions used within the required timeframe. Therefore, the manager cannot be assured that the use of such sanctions are fair, appropriate and effective in order to inform future care planning. Staff provide a high level of care and supervision to young people. The staff are committed and have a good understanding of each young person’s specific needs, behaviours and mannerisms as their risks and vulnerabilities are continuously assessed and fully recorded in their risk management plans. Information within these plans is routinely shared during daily handovers and team meetings. This

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Good

ensures that the staff team is fully equipped and supported to promote young people’s needs safely. When young people go missing from the home, staff respond sufficiently. Staff are familiar with young people’s risk management plans and protocols that are in place and implement these routinely. When young people go missing from home, staff make suitable attempts to contact and locate them while ensuring that parents, police and the social workers are kept informed of these incidents. Staff complete searches of young people’s bedrooms when this is required to promote the safety of young people, staff and others. Wherever possible, young people are encouraged to be present. If they are unable to be present, young people are informed of the search of their room on their return to the home during an individual planned placement session. Any items which are recovered are recorded and disposed of appropriately. The manager ensures that young people’s

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Good

risk management plans are reviewed and updated in accordance with this information and requests the necessary meetings with the placing authorities when risks for young people and the staff increase. Staff support young people well to gain a wider recognition of individual differences. Staff challenge young people appropriately and thoughtfully when young people engage in discriminatory behaviour. Staff carry out individual one-to- one sessions with young people and educate them on the impact and consequences of their behaviours on others. This approach gives young people the opportunity and time to consider their actions appropriately so that they can in turn consider and embrace difference better and treat others with dignity and respect. Vigorous recruitment and vetting measures are in place, and visitors to the home are consistently checked and suitably supervised. This, alongside a range of appropriate health and safety checks, such as regular fire drills and periodic

p.8

Good

assessments of the gas, electrical and fire safety appliances assists in promoting the safety and well-being of the young people and the staff. While the manager has made sufficient attempts to identify and request areas for improvement which are deemed to be unsatisfactory and unsafe, the provider has failed to ensure that the broken and inefficient window restrictors are repaired.

p.9

Good

The manager has been registered with Ofsted to manage this home since May 2012. He is suitably qualified and experienced. The manager is supported in his day-to-day management responsibilities by his knowledgeable and proficient deputy manager, who assists him with completing the management tasks of this and two other homes. The manager ensures that he and his staff team consistently deliver the aims and objectives set out in the home’s statement of purpose as he and his team are committed and dedicated to improving the life chances and experiences for all young people. The manager has a good understanding of what young people need, the progress that they make and what is required to progress young people further as he monitors and evaluates this frequently. This, and the manager’s commitment to fostering and maintaining effective working relationships with other agencies, ensures that young people’s continued achievements are consistently sustained

p.9

Good

and improved upon. The manager has nurtured some positive working relationships with his partner agencies and these agencies speak positively about the home and the staff. One professional said, ‘The home is very good. The staff are quick to notify me when any young people are placed. The staff share information regarding the young people and let me know when any relevant meetings are.’ They went on to add, ‘If there are any concerns regarding any of the young people they contact me so I can support them with this.’ They finished by saying, ‘The home is a nice place and young people appear comfortable around the staff.’ The manager has a sound understanding of the home’s strengths and where there is still capacity to improve. The areas for development are identified within the home’s recently reviewed and updated annual development plan, which is monitored and reviewed within the home’s internal monitoring systems. External

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Good

monthly monitoring, which includes scrutiny from the independent visitor, offers additional rigour and challenge to the manager to ensure that the home continues to improve. Three members of the long-standing staff team have left since the last inspection and a number of regular bank staff have been used to support the three remaining core members of staff while staff recruitment is ongoing. The permanent members of staff are competent, experienced and suitably qualified to provide good, consistent care to young people. The manager ensures that systems are in place to appropriately support the new members of staff, such as providing suitable training opportunities and regular support from competent staff. While there are expectations and systems in place to ensure that all the staff team members receive annual appraisals and are supervised regularly, one of the core members of staff and a number of the bank staff have not been supervised in line with the

p.10

Good

home’s identified expectations. The two good practice recommendations raised at the last inspection have been suitably addressed. Consent has been obtained from the parent of one young person to enable the young person to smoke an electronic cigarette in their attempt to stop smoking cigarettes. Furthermore, young people’s records are now kept up to date and include a copy of their plans. For example, young people’s personal education plans are signed, dated and kept current. In addition, the manager is proactive in contacting the placing local authority to request that any outstanding statutory documents and records are provided to the home and he chases up these requests appropriately.

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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

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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