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

Inspection report children’s home: 1159258 1 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is registered to provide care and accommodation for up to three children who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties. The home is privately owned and is part of a large national organisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Date of last inspection: 21 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Improved effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: 1159258 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are making good progress across all aspects of their development.  Young people are making and sustaining strong relationships with a committed staff team.  Staff ensure that young people are able to have a voice and influence their day-to-day care experiences.  There is a clear emphasis on supporting young people to achieve in education.  Healthcare is excellent, and young people are supported to maintain good physical health.  Young people are becoming increasingly safe, and they do not go missing from this home.  Staff are well managed and supported to provide a good standard of care for young people.  Leaders are highly proactive in securing the support of other agencies and enhancing outcomes for young people.  Placing authorities and parents are happy with the care provided to children at this home. The children’s home’s areas for development

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Key findings from this inspection

 The manager should ensure that all serious events are notified to Ofsted.  Young people would benefit from learning about internet and social media safety.  Some risk assessments could be enhanced to ensure that staff always have a detailed plan to follow and the most relevant information is included to ensure the safety of young people.  Some handwritten records are difficult to read, and therefore lack clarity. Inspection report children’s home: 1159258 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

21/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 26/04/2016 Full Requires improvement Inspection report children’s home: 1159258 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to 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 person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if- (a) a child is involved or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation. (b) an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious; (c) there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there; (d) a child protection enquiry involving a child - (i) is instigated; or (ii) concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or (e) there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40(4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(e)) 30/06/2017

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Recommendations

 Children should have access to a computer and the internet to support their education and learning, unless there are specific safeguarding reasons why this would be inappropriate. In such cases, the home should consider whether and how it can support the child to access a computer and the internet safely. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 29, paragraph 5.19)  Staff should continually and actively assess the risks to each child and the arrangements in place to protect them. Where there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and their placing authority, must include details of the steps the home will take to manage any assessed risks on a day to day basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 42, paragraph 9.5)  Staff should be familiar with the home’s policies on record keeping and

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Recommendations

understand the importance of careful, objective and clear recording. Staff should record information on individual children in a non-stigmatising way that distinguishes between fact, opinion and third-party information. Information about the child must always be recorded in a way that will be helpful to the child. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.4) Inspection report children’s home: 1159258 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One young person has recently left the home. This was a planned and positive transition into a semi-independent living arrangement. Staff have remained in contact with the young person and continue to provide appropriate emotional support, which demonstrates the positive and valuable relationships made at the home. Another young person has moved into the home and has settled very well. He was able to visit beforehand and make decisions about the decor of his room. The manager facilitated a holiday for young people and staff to help to build good bonds from the outset, which has contributed to creating a welcoming and warm atmosphere in the home. Young people report that they are happy and enjoy the company of staff. One young person said ‘this home is outstanding’. Another young person said: ‘It’s good here, the staff take us places.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

All young people access full-time education. One young person has increased attendance from 41% to 100%, which is excellent progress. On the occasions when young people do not want to attend, leaders and staff work exceptionally hard to ensure that they remain committed to their education, using appropriate reward systems and sanctions where necessary. Staff are strong advocates for young people in securing additional support in educational settings. Young people have aspirations for their future, and these are nurtured and encouraged strongly by the staff. For instance, one young person is pursuing an apprenticeship in construction, and staff have recently assisted him to prepare for an interview. Another young person is interested in modelling and hairdressing, and staff are communicating with educational professionals to ensure that opportunities are provided to enable him to achieve his goals.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Healthcare plans are comprehensive, and staff ensure that young people are able to access therapeutic support for their emotional health needs. Some young people have opted not to take the medication prescribed to them. This has been managed sensitively, and staff have worked collaboratively with placing authorities and healthcare professionals to establish the impact on the young person’s health and balance this with their right to make choices. Where it was deemed detrimental to one young person, they have used the strength of their good relationships with him to encourage him to reintroduce this medication. Another young person has been supported with appropriate advice to stop taking medication that, to date, has had a positive impact on his emotional well-being. This will be monitored carefully and reintroduced if necessary. A healthy and well-balanced menu is on offer, and all young people have an active lifestyle which includes the supervised use of gym

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

facilities at the home. This is a fantastic resource and contributes to young people maintaining good physical health.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff go to great lengths to try to engage young people in structured and positive activities in the community. Often, young people opt for free time in the community Inspection report children’s home: 1159258 6 within their friendship groups. This is largely positive and provides them with a sense of belonging. Staff help young people to nurture and sustain good relationships with peers. This helps to build confidence and self-esteem. Staff play football and pool with young people, and this has strengthened the bonds between them.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people are supported to increase their skills for independence. They have made good progress in learning to undertake basic household tasks, travel independently and cook nutritious meals. Financial incentives are provided with a view to assisting them to learn about budgeting. Young people take part in regular house meetings, giving them a say in day-to-day care arrangements. Staff regularly remind young people of their right to complain and access formal advocacy support.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Contact is promoted and facilitated in line with plans. One young person has recently cooked a meal for his family while they visited the home. He was rewarded for good progress in education and behaviour with the funding for him to take them on a day trip. This has been a huge boost to his self-esteem and has helped him to maintain good relationships with people who are important to him. One parent said that the staff at the home are ‘always welcoming, and phone to keep me up to date, no matter what the time is or what is going on’.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Young people at the home say that they feel safe. Parents and placing authorities agree that safety is a high priority at the home. Since the last inspection, there have been no instances of young people being missing from the home. One young person has a history of self-injurious behaviour, and this has also stopped. This is excellent progress. There have been incidents of aggression and damage to property which have been well managed. Staff have only involved the police as a last resort after restorative methods of sanction have been exhausted. All incidents are recorded and debriefed effectively. Young people are helped to reflect on their behaviour through qualitative key-work sessions and a consistent approach to sanctions and rewards that are implemented efficiently by staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Risk assessments are comprehensive, and there are effective behaviour management and preventative strategies for staff to follow to reduce the likelihood of incidents. On occasions, the steps outlined for staff to take on a day-to-day basis in response to challenging or heightened behaviour contain some dated information. This has the potential to cause confusion. This has not yet impacted negatively on the safeguarding arrangements for young people. A recommendation is made to update the current plans.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

There has been one instance of challenging behaviour in which a staff member physically intervened in order to ensure the safety of the young person and the staffing team. When the incident was debriefed, the manager identified that approved techniques were not used on this occasion, and this matter was notified to the placing authority and designated officer. The matter was internally investigated and swiftly resolved. The young person’s views were sought and appropriate support Inspection report children’s home: 1159258 7 provided to all concerned. Training is being suitably refreshed, and the young person and staff member have been fully reconciled and enjoy a good relationship. This demonstrates that the service is highly transparent, adopts a proactive evaluation of incidents, and has the ability to reflect on and enhance practice accordingly.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

All young people at the home have access to the internet and other technologies. It is recommended that young people are provided with information on e-safety. Health and safety and fire prevention arrangements are robust. Staff are well trained on the procedures to follow in the event of a concern about a young person. There have been occasions when incidents have occurred of sufficient severity to notify Ofsted. This has not routinely taken place, and a requirement is made to address this matter.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager of the home is suitably experienced, having worked in a supervisory capacity caring for children within the organisation for seven years. She is working towards an appropriate level five qualification and has made an application for registration with Ofsted. During the first six months in post at this home, she has made a considerable positive impact on the morale of the staff team and in ensuring that the young people make good progress across all aspects of their development. Staff receive regular supervision and participate in team meetings. One team member described that the team is much more ‘together’ and communication is good. Another stated that the home is ‘well managed’ and the manager is ‘proactive and positive’.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is supported by team leaders who are experienced and well respected by the young people and other members of the team. All of the staff are either qualified or enrolled and progressing on suitable diploma programmes to enhance their knowledge of providing a good standard of care for young people. Staff benefit from a comprehensive training programme that is tailored to meet the needs of the young people at the home. The manager is developing the staff team by assigning lead roles to assist her in the day-to-day running of the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Record-keeping practices are generally very good, although some records are handwritten and difficult to read. A recommendation is made to address this. There is good evidence of regular scrutiny and review of records. The manager is evaluative and provides clear direction to staff to ensure that practice in the home is continually improving. Care planning is highly effective, and leaders work exceptionally well in partnership with other agencies to ensure that young people benefit from the wide range of support on offer. This includes sourcing training and information for staff and young people from the police and voluntary agencies. One social worker commented: ‘they were able to interact with professionals and willing to take ideas on board. I was impressed by their responsiveness and openness.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager has a good insight into the service’s strengths and developmental areas, and has fully met the requirements and recommendation made at the last inspection. The service is meeting the aims and objectives as detailed within the statement of purpose. Inspection report children’s home: 1159258 8

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the difference made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and 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.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1159258 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cambian, Waterfront, Hammersmith Embankment, Chancellors Road, London W6 9RU

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Inspector(s)

Nicola Thomas, social care regulatory inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1159258 10 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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Inspector(s)

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