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:

 Each child receives the individualised help and support that they need to help them to progress in their own way.  Children in education receive practical and emotional support to ensure that they attend and make progress.  Children previously assessed to be at risk because of their actions make behavioural change.  The home is outward facing and relationships with other agencies are excellent.  The frequency of going missing has reduced to no incidents.  Incidents within the home have reduced to few.  Physical intervention is rare.  The registered manager is the driving force behind the home’s success.  The shortfalls identified from this inspection relate to taking a consistent approach to the interim arrangements when a child is not in formal education, ensuring that all staff follow the provider’s policy for room searches, the use of mobile phones and supervision during probation.

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further, the service should take account of the following recommendations:  Ensure that where children placed in a home are not participating in formal education that in the interim a consistent approach is used to ensure that each child is supported to sustain or regain their confidence in education and be engaged in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 Ensure that every member of staff follows the provider's policy where it has been assessed that there are reasonable grounds to carry out an immediate search of a child's bedroom. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 16, paragraph 3.20)

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Recommendations

 Ensure consistent implementation of the provider’s supervision policy. This is with specific reference to consistently achieving the aspiration of providing all staff on probation with fortnightly supervision. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.2)

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Recommendations

 Ensure the supervision of staff practice ensures that individual adults in the home are engaged in the safeguarding culture of the home. This is with specific reference to use of personal mobile phones. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.20)

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Information about this children's home

This home is one of a group of homes run by a large independent provider. It offers care for up to three children assessed to have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 29/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/10/2015 Full Good 25/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 20/01/2015 Full Good

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Good

Since the last inspection, three children have received support to move on to different settings. One parent’s positive feedback to the team included, ‘Thank you. You have all helped us through an incredibly difficult time in our lives.’

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Good

There are currently three new children living in the home.

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Good

Each child experiences tailored care and support. Bespoke plans identify the placement aims and detail the approach for staff to use. This ensures that each child receives opportunities to reach their potential. Plans emphasise the roles of other agencies, in seeking to achieve strong and positive outcomes across a range of areas such as education, family contact, health and behaviour management. One placing social worker said, ‘Although the placement has been for a short time, the progress has been significant.’

p.6

Good

Children’s attitude to education varies and this means that their experience of education differs. For example, one child attends college. He receives practical help to get there, alongside emotional support to ensure that he can meet the demands of the course. Staff meet with his college tutors to make sure that the home is doing all that it can to help him to achieve. For another child, whose first language is not English, the registered manager has ensured that any key paperwork is translated. Additionally, the provider has arranged a personal tutor for him. This helps this child to make sense of his environment, reduces his isolation and as a result, his willingness to engage and interact with others has improved significantly. However, a child from a different local authority has been out of education for some months. The registered manager works vigorously and faultlessly with the placing authority and virtual school to find solutions to this. However, in the

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Good

interim, the approach used to ensure that this child is supported to continue with learning in the home lacks direction and consistency. This shortfall does not help to build children’s capacity to learn, while they are missing crucial time in formal education.

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Good

Children are encouraged to remain in contact with their families. Staff go above and beyond to ensure that this happens. For example, one of the children had a sibling come to the home for a sleepover. This approach helps children to see the home as their home, helping children to maintain lifetime relationships.

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Good

All children are registered with a range of health services. Those who show reluctance or are initially unwilling to engage, for example, with GP or dental appointments, are coaxed and encouraged by the staff to attend. Slowly and surely, the children come around and the result is that they do receive the help that they need. Where the registered manager or team leaders perceive that children may benefit from the help and guidance from other community-based services, such as nursing or counselling, they are quick to act to ensure that the children receive the help that they need. This holistic approach to children’s care helps to ensure that all aspects of an individual’s needs are met by the right services.

p.6

Good

Staff take children on holiday and encourage them to be active. For example, one child took part in a charity run, raising money for a local service. The staff continually seek the children’s views on the running of the home. Staff regularly ask for children’s opinions and encourage them not to wait to have their say about where improvements could be made. A new pool table for the games room is an example of the children being listened to.

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Good

Children’s bedrooms are personalised. The staff are good at helping children to be more aware of issues happening in the wider world and display information in the home about different topics such as remembrance day or Diwali. This helps to develop the children’s awareness and acceptance of other cultures.

p.7

Good

Consultation and feedback records from the children and placing local authorities evidence that children feel safe and well looked after. One child said, ‘Of course I feel safe here.’

p.7

Good

In recent months, incidents in the home have reduced significantly to a few. Where there are any issues or disagreements between children, the staff are quick to intervene to de-escalate. Staff rarely use physical intervention and in recent months there has been no occasion requiring this approach. Nonetheless, staff have had appropriate training and say that they feel equipped to intervene to safeguard children should this be necessary. This helps children to feel safe.

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Good

Staff actively encourage the children to behave well. Records show that the staff and children discuss the impact of bullying behaviours at regular intervals, to ensure that the children appreciate that such behaviours will not be tolerated. The result is no records of bullying behaviours since the last inspection.

p.7

Good

The staff remain calm in the face of verbal adversity and use individualised incentive and reward charts, helping children to see the benefits of their efforts. The result is that the children feel proud of their progress and achievements. The staff do use sanctions and those sampled are linked to the original misdemeanour. This is because the registered manager is keen to ensure that staff use a restorative approach to behaviour management, to help the children make connections between their behaviour and the impact of it. However, records evidence that much more often the staff spontaneously praise the children. This demonstrates that the adults recognise good behavioural choices. This combined approach ensures that the children feel valued and that a culture of respect prevails.

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Good

Incidents of going missing are low and in recent months these have also reduced to zero. For some of the children currently placed, this represents a significant achievement from their starting points and demonstrates the difference that the home is making. One placing social worker said, ‘Before coming here our child was going missing and putting herself at significant risk. This has stopped.’

p.8

Good

Children previously known to misuse drugs or alcohol reduce this activity. Where staff have reason to be concerned that there may be a re-emergence of signs, they swiftly seek advice from other agencies, to ensure all is being done to reduce risk. Room searches are uncommon. However, during this inspection, one member of staff said that he had undertaken a room search. While this action may have been necessary, on this occasion, the provider’s policy had not been correctly implemented. This represents a shortfall in quality standards with minimal impact because the registered manager and staff spoke clearly about the policy.

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Outstanding

Leading the home for approximately two years, the registered manager is the driving force behind improvement and development. Inclined towards leaving no stone unturned, she is comprehensive in her pursuit to achieve the best for the children living in the home. She has nurtured and developed excellent relationships with partner agencies and as a result, has their respect. One agency said, ‘I would recommend this home without a doubt. The registered manager is excellent.’

p.8

Outstanding

The one recommendation from the last inspection is met. Advocates are now more routinely sought for children.

p.8

Outstanding

There have been some changes in the staff team which has minimal impact on the children because the staff changes have coincided with the children leaving. All of the staff who should, hold the required level 3 qualification. The registered manager ensures that as staff are nearing the completion of their probation period they are enrolled to begin the level 3 qualification. The staffing ratios tend to reflect one-to-one care, which means that new staff coming in are afforded time and space to become familiar with the needs of the children in their care. This helps to build meaningful relationships. All staff receive regular supervision. Staff represented in this inspection described the registered manager as someone to learn from. However, some new staff do not consistently receive fortnightly supervision from the team leaders. This falls short of the provider’s supervision policy. While this has no immediate impact for

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Outstanding

any of the children, this could contribute to new staff making mistakes which could be avoided. For example, during this inspection, the inspector saw that one new member of staff had given permission for one child to use the internet on her personal phone. The impact was minimal on this occasion and the issue was addressed immediately. Furthermore, records show that the registered manager takes any such breaches very seriously. Nonetheless, this is a further shortfall because the home is caring for some children whose access to the internet is restricted at all times.

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Outstanding

When the registered manager identifies shortfalls in practice, she will seek additional training, for example, in areas such as exploitation or radicalisation. While waiting for training dates she uses team meetings to upskill the workforce, for example, by using information from research and regulation. This approach helps to develop workers’ knowledge.

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Outstanding

The managers and leaders deal with concerns about staff practice thoroughly. When required, referrals are made appropriately to the designated officers and the placing local authority which means that safeguarding practices are robust.

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Outstanding

New arrangements for external monitoring help the registered manager to identify where further improvements are required. The home’s development plan is clear in relation to achieving outstanding aspirations for the children.

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Outstanding

Since the last inspection, there have been no complaints. This is because the registered manager is proactive and seeks to address any issues or expressions of dissatisfaction immediately. On the other hand, there have been a number of compliments. One agency wrote, ‘They always work incredibly hard to keep their children appropriately safeguarded.’

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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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