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 benefit from positive relationships with staff, and feel confident in discussing and sharing their individual wishes, feelings and aspirations with staff members.  Staff understand the importance of promoting educational attendance. They work in partnership with schools and further education providers to support this. When young people have disengaged with their education, staff continue to promote and encourage attendance, resulting in some positive involvement for these young people.  Young people say that they have positive relationships with the staff and like living at the home.  Individual care plans support the placing authorities’ plans for each young person. They are reviewed and kept up to date to reflect any changes. Young people are included and able to contribute to their plans.  Staff provide a proactive response when young people are missing or absent from the home. They search for them and try to maintain contact to

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

establish their safety and well-being. Staff follow the agreed protocols and maintain detailed records of each incident. This helps them to review patterns and trends to enable additional support to be provided.  Healthcare plans detail individual health needs. All young people are registered with healthcare professionals, including doctors, dentists and opticians. When additional specialist healthcare is required, the staff request this through healthcare professionals.  The manager undertakes regular monitoring of the home, and this is further supported by independent monthly monitoring visits. This means that identified shortfalls are addressed.  Staff receive individual supervision and attend team meetings on a regular basis. This supports them to develop their skills and empowers them to fulfil their role in an effective and consistent manner.  When the home is not able to meet the changing needs of a young person,

p.3

The children’s home provision is good because:

the manager ensures that effective communication and planning with placing authorities provide a clear transition plan to a more appropriate placement.

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Information about this children’s home

This service is a privately run children’s home. It is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to seven children or young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Recent inspection history

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 11/01/2016 Full Outstanding 30/03/2015 Interim Improved effectiveness 27/11/2014 Full Good

p.4

Good

Young people receive individualised care and support to meet their identified needs. Placement plans reflect this and are reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that changing needs are identified and responded to. Young people are involved in their plans and have a good understanding of them. Prior to placement at the home, the manager undertakes impact assessments to identify whether the home is able to meet individual needs, as well as taking into consideration the needs of the other young people. However, when it is clear that the placement of a young person is not in their best interest, the manager and staff work proactively with other agencies to ensure that an appropriate placement is identified. This enables transitions to be planned to support positive outcomes.

p.5

Good

Young people have good relationships with the staff and say that they feel comfortable and safe living at the home. One young person said: ‘This home has been really good for me. I have had lots of placements around the country, but the staff here have stuck by me and helped me to get on. I feel good living here.’ Another young person said, ‘I have made some good friends and like living here.’

p.5

Good

Staff promote the educational outcomes for young people and have been successful in re-engaging young people with education. Until recently, all young people attended full-time education. However, the recent closure of a school has impacted on two of the young people, and they are experiencing difficulty with the sudden change of educational placement. Staff are working in partnership with the new school and an introductory part-time timetable has been introduced to enable the young people to build up their relationships at the school with a view to increasing to full attendance. This disruption to the young people’s education has had an impact on them and their behaviours. Staff are following agreed behaviour management strategies and these are beginning to have a positive impact for them. Two other young people are in full-time further education and the other young person is completing an apprenticeship. They have clear plans for their

p.5

Good

future careers. One young person said: ‘The course that I am doing is something that I really enjoy and I hope to move onto level 2 next year. It will help me to do the job that I want to do in the future.’ Placing social workers also comment positively on the encouragement and support regarding education. One said: ‘The young person has settled well, is making good progress and engaging in his apprenticeship well.’

p.5

Good

Young people are supported to lead healthy lifestyles. They are registered with community healthcare professionals, including doctors, dentists and opticians. When young people smoke, information and encouragement to reduce and stop are made available.

p.5

Good

Planning menus at the weekly young people’s meetings supports them to make healthy menu choices and contributes to an understanding of budgeting.

p.6

Good

Activities are encouraged and support young people to develop interests which they can continue with when they leave the home. Trips to local leisure centres and cinemas are arranged and discussed during the weekly young people’s meetings.

p.6

Good

The established staff team provides consistent levels of care and support. They receive regular supervision, support and encouragement from an experienced manager.

p.6

Good

Young people’s needs are considered prior to their admission. The manager and staff balance these with those of the other young people currently living at the home. Full information is requested from placing authorities to help to inform this decision-making process. Whenever possible, young people are encouraged to visit the home prior to moving in. If this is not possible, information about the home is provided to the placing social worker to make sure that the young person has some knowledge of the home. If the placement is an emergency placement, the manager requests information to be provided at the time of the placement planning meeting. This ensures that the staff have a good understanding of the needs of the young person, enabling them to develop individual plans, risk assessments and strategies to manage behaviours further. Young people are involved in their plans and supported to attend any meetings in relation to them.

p.6

Good

Some young people have a history of being missing from the home. Staff have a good understanding of the procedures to follow and strategies to implement to minimise the risks. Overall, there has been a decrease in incidents for most young people. However, a recent increase for some young people has been responded to in accordance with agreed plans. Strategy meetings have been held to review the risks and develop additional strategies to support the young people. This is having an impact, and the number of missing incidents is beginning to decrease again. When there are additional safeguarding concerns, the manager and staff are proactive in addressing them and work in partnership with other agencies tasked with safeguarding young people. The manager attends quarterly meetings with the police, the local authority designated officer (LADO) and other home managers in the area to review potential areas of concerns and discuss best practice. The LADO

p.6

Good

confirms that the home follows agreed protocols. A recent series of allegations made by a former resident have been fully explored and responded to. The LADO commented: ‘The manager and staff were open, honest and transparent to enable the investigation to be completed and address the concerns raised. The home continues to safeguard young people.’

p.6

Good

When young people return to the home, they are offered an independent visitor to speak with regarding any concerns or reasons for going missing. Some young people decline this. However, their individual social workers are kept informed and also visit them. One young person spoken with said: ‘I lose track of time when I am out with my friends. It is nothing that the home does, I just want to stay out with friends.’ Staff undertake regular, individual key-worker sessions, and discuss these incidents and the possible strategies that the young people can take to remain safe.

p.7

Good

Behaviour management strategies are individualised and based on treating people with dignity and respect. De-escalation techniques are used to support individuals and minimise the risk of physical intervention. Staff receive regular training on managing behaviour and use staff meetings to reflect on their practice. Negative behaviours are discussed with young people, and agreements are reached regarding the consequences and the opportunity to record their views.

p.7

Good

Young people are aware of how to raise a concern or complaint. This information is provided both in the children’s guide and by staff at the young people’s meetings. Their views are taken seriously and responses are recorded clearly. Independent advocates are also available to support young people to voice their concerns.

p.7

Good

Recruitment and selection is robust. There is a consistent staff team providing care and support. This minimises the need for use of agency staff. To support this, if it is required, the home will use staff who work for the organisation on a flexible basis. These staff are also subject to recruitment and selection processes. The manager ensures that all information regarding staff is maintained and accessible for inspection.

p.7

Good

Regular maintenance and repairs ensure that the home provides a safe environment for all living there. Young people are encouraged to personalise their own bedroom space. A recent audit of furniture has been undertaken by a senior manager and the structural repairs to the roof completed. Further refurbishment is planned as part of the ongoing maintenance programme.

p.7

Good

Health and safety checks are completed, and all young people are aware of the procedure to follow in the event of a fire. This means that the health and safety of young people are promoted effectively. Judgement grade

p.7

Good

The registered manager has been in post since April 2009. He is supported in his role by a deputy manager. Both have the necessary skills and experience to fulfil their role. The vast majority of the staff have worked at the home for a number of years. This provides continuity of care and support to the young people. The manager, along with staff, has high aspirations for the young people and advocates for them. They all challenge placing authorities if information or plans are not provided or there is a delay in agreeing educational placements. This does not impact on their commitment to working in partnership with all agencies to secure the best possible outcomes for young people.

p.8

Good

Monitoring of progress and outcomes enables the manager to address any shortfalls. He provides good oversight of individual plans and, when they require updating, ensures that the key workers responsible for this are tasked with this. Comments from placing social workers reflect the positive approach to multi- agency working. One social worker said: ‘The manager and staff have provided consistently positive and supportive measures to enable (name) to progress. He has had his challenges during his time at the home, but staff have continued to provide the encouragement that he needs. This is reflected in the progress that he has made.’

p.8

Good

Staff say that they feel supported well by the manager and receive regular supervision. This enables them to reflect on their practice, and to continue to develop their knowledge and skills. It has been identified that the home has faced some challenging behaviours in recent months, yet the consistent implementation of plans has enabled staff to manage these well. The recent closure of a school impacted on two young people. Staff have been consistent in their encouragement and support to minimise this impact and to support their integration at the new school. The manager has encouraged the joint working between the home and the school.

p.8

Good

The manager has raised placement concerns appropriately with placing authority social workers and supported young people when they move onto alternative placements. He is aware of the importance of promoting continuity for young people, but acknowledges when a placement is no longer effective in meeting complex needs. When placements have ended, either on a planned or unplanned basis, he has provided an overview of the placement and reflected on the practice at the home to analyse the practice and support provided. This demonstrates an ongoing commitment to improving the service to continue to meet complex and challenging behaviours. He acts on recommendations and requirements made to make sure that identified shortfalls are addressed. During the inspection, a placement plan had been identified as requiring an additional update, and this was being actioned prior to and during the inspection.

p.8

Good

Staff training and development are maintained and updated as required. Additionally, team meetings are used to discuss relevant changes and updates to practice. This helps the staff to understand current practice and reflect on the implementation in relation to the home.

p.9

Good

Significant events are notified to the relevant people in a timely manner, and responses to these are clearly recorded.

p.9

Good

Children’s records are maintained securely and reflect their individual history and progress. They are encouraged to view and contribute to their records to help them to have a full understanding of their care, support, progress and future plans.

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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’. 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

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What the inspection judgements mean

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 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 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 0300 123 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, work- based 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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