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

Inspection report children's home: SC446325 1 SC446325 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 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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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

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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requires improvement to be good

Date of last inspection: 20 February 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Declined in effectiveness

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None. Inspection report children's home: SC446325 2

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Key findings from this inspection

This children’s home requires improvement to be good because

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Key findings from this inspection

 The behaviour management strategies used within the home are ineffective in managing and modifying young people’s violent, aggressive and criminal behaviours. Consequently, young people continue to display behaviours which compromises the safety and wellbeing of themselves and others.  Young people do not benefit from good education outcomes as they refuse to engage with the education provision that has been identified for them.  The manager does not ensure that young people’s case records are complete and up-to-date. As such, the staff are unclear about young people’s educational achievements, targets, and plans.  The manager and staff do not routinely follow young people’s missing-from-care risk management plans and protocols. This, and the failure to ensure that independent return home interviews, and multi-agency missing-from-home meetings are held within the prescribed timeframes compromises the welfare

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Key findings from this inspection

and safety of young people.  The quality of care that young people receive from the bank staff is questionable. This is because the provider does not ensure that these staff receive regular mandatory training, or hold the required child care qualification.  Records viewed demonstrate that young people’s behaviour escalates and significant occur when inexperienced staff have been left to lead shifts.  Although the manager has requested some meetings with placing authorities to discuss young people’s escalating behaviour. He has failed to pursue these requests for meetings and escalate the lack of response from some professionals to ensure meetings take place in a timely manner. Furthermore, the manager has failed to notify and request statutory meetings with independent reviewing officers when young people are no longer living in the home.  Although the manager shares adequate information regarding significant events

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Key findings from this inspection

with relevant safeguarding agencies, including Ofsted, these are not systematically shared with agencies at the point of identification and within the prescribed timeframes.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people are provided with a welcoming and homely environment.  Young people are supported to maintain their sense of identity and belonging as the staff support and assist them to keep in contact with those who are important to them.  New staff have shown extreme resilience and strength in managing young people’s increasing violent and aggressive outbursts aimed at both themselves and within the home. They and the core staff team remain dedicated and committed to their work. Inspection report children's home: SC446325 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

20/02/2017 Interim Declined in effectiveness 27/09/2016 Full Good 24/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 29/10/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC446325 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

13: The leadership and management standard (1) In order to meet the leadership and management standard the registered person must enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children's home that— (a) helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and (b) promotes their welfare. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— (c) ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child.

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regards to ensuring that all bank staff receive regular mandatory training and achieved the required child care qualification within the prescribed time frame. 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

14: The care planning standard (1) In order to meet the care planning standard the registered person must ensure that children receive well-planned care from the home. (2) In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that— (c) that each child's relevant plans are followed.

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regards to ensuring that all staff consistently implement young people's missing-from-care risk management plans and protocols. 30/06/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which includes the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child. (Regulation 36(1)(a))

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Requirement Due date

This is with particular regards to ensuring that a copy of any plan for the care of the child prepared by the child's placing authority, such as the child's personal education plan, is obtained and maintained by the registered person. 30/06/2017 Inspection report children's home: SC446325 5

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Recommendations

 Children should be in full-time education whilst they are of compulsory school age. The home must aim to support full time attendance at school unless the child's relevant plan indicates this is not in their best interests. ('Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.14)

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Recommendations

 Where children placed in a home are not participating in education the registered person and staff must work closely with the placing authority so that the child is supported and enabled to resume full-time education as soon as possible. The registered person must challenge placing local authorities when a suitable education provision is not made available to meet the child's educational needs. ('Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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Recommendations

 Any staff member who is in charge of leading a shift should have substantial relevant experience of working in a children’s home. ('Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 54, paragraph 10.21)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should have a system in place so that all serious events are notified, within 24 hours, to the appropriate people. The notification must include clear and specific details of the action taken by the home's staff in response to the event. ('Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 63, paragraph 14.13)

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Recommendations

 Significant changes to a looked-after child’s care, such as a change of placement, should only take place following a statutory review of their care plan chaired by their Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO). ('Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.10)

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Recommendations

 Where the registered person considers that a child is at serious risk of harm, due to their escalating violence and aggression or an increase in their risk-taking behaviours such as, being persistently missing from their placement, they must contact the local authority to request a review of the child’s care plan. Where a review does not take place, the Registered Person must escalate this concern under regulation 5 (engaging with the wider system to ensure children’s needs are met). ('Guide to the Children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 57, paragraph 11.12)

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Recommendations

 A missing-from-care return interview should be carried out within 72 hours of the child returning to their home or care setting. This should be an in-depth interview and is normally best carried out by an independent person (i.e., someone not involved in caring for the child) who is trained to carry out these interviews and is able to follow-up any actions that emerge. (‘Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care’, page 14, paragraph 32) Inspection report children's home: SC446325 6  If a child has run away two or more times, the manager should ensure that a discussion is held with the local authorities, to offer further support and guidance. Actions following earlier incidents should be reviewed and alternative strategies considered. (‘Statutory guidance on children who run away or go missing from home or care’, page 17, paragraph 46)

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improvement to be good

Young people have not made any progress since the interim inspection. Young people continue to display violent and aggressive behaviour and have continued to escalate their risk-taking behaviour. Despite the best efforts of the staff, young people continue to cause damage to the home, are violent and aggressive towards the staff, and engage in criminal activities. Young people continue to leave the home without authority, have gone missing from the home with increasing frequency and have recently refused to return home following a prolonged missing-from-care episode. These ongoing risk-taking behaviours compromise the safety and wellbeing of the young people, the staff, and impacts negatively on the experiences and progress that young people make.

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improvement to be good

Relationships between the young people and some of the staff have broken down as young people spend more time away from the home. The limited amount of time that young people spend within the home prevents staff from developing any meaningful relationships with them. This prevents the staff from supporting young people in achieving their targets and goals. As young people are not in the home, the staff cannot ensure that young people enjoy healthy sleep patterns, healthy and nutritional diets and leisure routines, or engage with their education plans and professional appointments. Consequently, young people’s progress in all aspects of their lives has been minimal.

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improvement to be good

Staff have tried to re-engage young people by offering them the opportunity to take part in positive activities when young people are in the home. Young people are supported by staff to explore their individual interest and hobbies such as playing pool, football or playing on their game consoles together. Despite this, young people have been reluctant to engage in these activities with staff, and when in the home together they have continued to display violent and aggressive behaviour towards the staff and home.

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improvement to be good

The transition processes for young people joining and leaving the home are adequate. Young people who were receiving a service from this home at the last inspection are now no longer in the home. One young person’s placement ended following a significant incident within the home. Another young person has refused to return back to the home following two lengthy periods of missing-from-care. Although the manager and staff continue to support this young person and the placing authority in identifying a suitable placement and care plan. The manager did not escalate his request for care planning meetings to take place to consider the escalating risks and concerns about either of the Inspection report children's home: SC446325 7 young people’s placements, nor has the manager requested a statutory review with one young person’s independent reviewing officer following a change to their placement.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s educational attainment and progress are poor as young people do not attend their education provision. Staff are unclear about young people’s present educational needs, levels and targets. This is because young people’s case records do not contain copies of their recent personal education plans. Although staff do encourage young people to attend their educational placements, young people do not attend. One young person has not attended their school since the interim inspection and another young person’s attendance has been extremely poor. Although the manager and staff acknowledge the challenges they face in supporting young people in education, the manager has failed to escalate these concerns with his education colleagues. As such, young people’s education needs are not being met as alternative options to enable young people’s ongoing learning and development have not been identified.

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improvement to be good

Consequently, young people’s future employment opportunities are compromised as they do not gain the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need in adulthood.

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improvement to be good

Young people’s physical and emotional health is hindered as they continue to engage in harmful behaviours. Young people spend increasing longer periods away from the home, therefore the staff cannot support, or be assured that, young people are maintaining good health routines or accessing appropriate health services. When young people are within the home they are reluctant to consider the effects of their ongoing cannabis use on their wellbeing, and refuse to engage with any external services or staff support that is offered.

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improvement to be good

Staff make suitable attempts to support young people to maintain their sense of identity and belonging. Staff help young people to visit their family and friends. Although some young people maintain strong family relationships and have re-established contact with other family friends. One young person has tested their family’s commitment with their ongoing and escalating behaviour. Consequently, this relationship and these contact arrangements have broken down.

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improvement to be good

Young people are supported to develop their self-care and life skills in line with their age and abilities. Young people are encouraged to take part with household chores and staff encourage young people to keep their rooms tidy by using financial incentives.

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improvement to be good

Staff try hard to provide young people with a welcoming and homely environment. The manager ensures that any damage and repairs are addressed in good time. Home improvements have taken place within the home to encourage and support young people to want to remain and take pride in their home.

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improvement to be good

Staff are aware of the need to keep young people safe and know and understand the plans and protocols that they need to implement should any concerns arise as they receive adequate safeguarding training. Inspection report children's home: SC446325 8 The manager and staff make attempts to support young people who exhibit a high level of risk-taking behaviours. Staff understand the risks and plans that are in place to support young people with addressing their risk-taking behaviours, such as going missing-from-home, engaging in cannabis use and being involved in violent and aggressive behaviours. However, these plans are ineffectively at promoting any positive change for young people.

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improvement to be good

Incidents of young people going missing-from-care have increased since the interim inspection. Staff verbalised how they support and manage these incidents. However, the written reports viewed during the inspection highlight that staff do not follow these fully. For example, the risk management plans identify that the staff must undertake local searches when young people are reported missing-from-home. Furthermore, these records demonstrate that the manager does not ensure that independent return home interviews are conducted with young people, or that missing-from-home strategy meetings are held within the prescribed timeframes.

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improvement to be good

Behaviour management strategies are ineffective at supporting young people to improve their entrenched, complex and challenging behaviours. A large proportion of the professionals spoken with during the inspection raised their concerns about how young people are supported to change and modify their destructive and criminal behaviours. Professionals commented that the incentivised systems are ineffective. They went on to add that although they understood the managements rationale for not wanting to criminalise young people unnecessarily, the reluctance to involve police in any significant incidents, ‘had given out the wrong message to young people’. All the professionals spoken with during the inspection validated that young people’s behaviour continued to escalate as a result of the poor behaviour management strategies.

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improvement to be good

The physical safety of young people and staff within the home is maintained. The manager and staff complete a range of health and safety checks and audits. He also ensures that regular and periodic inspections of gas, electrical, and fire detection equipment is carried out as required.

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improvement to be good

The safety and wellbeing of young people is further enhanced within the home as only those adults who are deemed safe and suitable work with young people. This is because the provider ensures that safer recruitment practice is followed and staff are supported and monitored carefully.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The experienced and suitably qualified manager has been registered to manage this home since May 2012. The manager is supported by a deputy manager and two team leaders in the delivery of care. The registered manager shares his time between this and two other children’s homes that he is responsible for.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The home has experienced a number of staff changes since the last full inspection and a number of new staff have joined the team. To manage the shortfalls in staffing Inspection report children's home: SC446325 9 arrangements the manager has on occasion used his new and inexperienced staff to lead shifts with newer members of staff, staff from his other homes, or bank staff. The poor planning of staffing arrangements by the management team has compromised the safely and wellbeing of staff and young people. This is because young people have quickly identified the weaknesses in the staffing arrangements and have increase their risk- taking behaviours during these times.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has now strengthened his staff team with an additional member of staff. A sufficient induction and probation process, along with adequate training opportunities support new staff to deliver sufficient care and support to young people. Although the provider ensures that their permanent staff are provided with appropriate training opportunities so that they can deliver a good standard of care to young people. The provider does not ensure that bank staff, who continue to be used, receive both regular mandatory training, or achieve the required child care qualifications within the necessary timeframes. This lack of training for bank staff hinders their ability to deliver a good standard of care and support to young people as they are not kept up-to-date with current and effective ways of working.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The consistent message given from professionals, such as social workers, independent reviewing officers and the police, is that young people have made little or no progress; and that the management of complex young people is ineffective in supporting positive change. Professionals share that young people’s difficult behaviours are not systematically challenged and significant incidents are not always shared with them and others in a transparent, clear and timely way. A professional acknowledged the staffs efforts and ongoing dedication to manage the extreme behaviours of young people. However, they did question why the manager and provider had continued to maintain young people’s placement with such high levels of violence and aggression, and without the support from the police. They said, ‘It was clear that they could not manage him but they were happy to keep the placement open’. They went on to add, ‘They didn’t report

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

all incidents appropriately such as the assaults on adults. I requested a police marker on the address and requested that all incidents were reported to the police.’ This lack of open and transparent multi-agency working hinders young people from experiencing positive placements and compromises the safety and wellbeing of young people and the staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Following the ending of one young person’s placement and the refusal of another to return back to the home, the manager and staff are confident that they can move forward. The manager and staff acknowledge that this has been a very difficult time for themselves and young people. Staff spoken with during the inspection expressed dedication to their role and acknowledged the challenges of recent months. Records viewed demonstrate that the newer staff have shown extreme resilience and strength and remain dedicated and committed to their work in supporting young people. In discussions with the manager and staff it was apparent that staff understood the complexities of the young people that were placed with them and are committed to learning and moving on positively from these recent events.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

Although the senior management team acknowledged the concerns highlighted in the Inspection report children's home: SC446325 10 last inspection and identified a suitable action plan to address these. The actions from this plan have not been addressed in full. Though the manager has maintained some oversight of this plan, the staff team have been responsible for carrying the actions out. This has resulted in some points being misinterpreted, and some action points not being carried through. As identified within the action plan, the manager has made some attempts to request strategy and planning meetings to share the ongoing concerns and risks regarding young people’s increasing risks and behaviours being managed by the staff team. That said, the manager has not escalated his request for these meetings to take place urgently when the placing authorities have been slow to respond. Furthermore, the manager has been ambivalent about their abilities to manage young

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

people’s placements safely and effectively during these meetings.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The manager has taken suitable action to address three of the five requirements and the three good practise recommendations raised at the interim inspection. The requirement in regards to ensuring that all staff consistently implement young people’s behaviour and risk management plans, particularly their missing-from-care risk management plans and protocols has been re-issued, alongside the requirement to ensure that the bank staff have the required training and qualifications to undertake their task sufficiently.

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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 who 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: SC446325 11

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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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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Sureeta Nayyar-Abbassi

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Inspector(s)

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC446325 12 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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