Children's home run by The Cambian Group in Hammersmith and Fulham

Inspection report children's home: SC471164 1 SC471164 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 is a privately owned and run children’s home registered for up to three children who have emotional and behavioural difficulties. The home is one of a number owned by this nationally operating provider.

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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: 31 January 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: SC471164 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children enjoy a stable home and receive individualised care from committed and nurturing staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Effective planning of new placements considers the needs of the group. Care is directed by good quality support plans which are developed in partnership with the children.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The home is held in high esteem by the children, parents and partner professionals.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children are positive about their experience of living at the home. They establish relationships with the staff which they value highly.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children enjoy a wide range of activities and have fun building positive memories for the future.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Positive partnership working with other professionals, in combination with the provision of consistent boundaries in a therapeutic ethos, enables the staff to effect behavioural changes in the children.

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Key findings from this inspection

The children’s home’s areas for development:

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Key findings from this inspection

 The safety and security of the building is not good, and unknown visitors’ identities are not consistently checked.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Records do not evidence that the children are consistently provided with the opportunity to discuss their feelings, post the application of any sanction.

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Key findings from this inspection

 All staff should receive suitable training and guidance in managing e-safety, and identifying and responding to child sexual exploitation, sexually harmful behaviour, and radicalisation.

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Key findings from this inspection

 Formalised guidance is required for staff, so they can help to develop children’s independence skills. Inspection report children's home: SC471164 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

31/01/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 13/07/2016 Full Requires improvement 15/03/2016 Interim Declined in effectiveness 16/12/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC471164 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 within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm; and that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12(1)(2)(b)(d))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure appropriate security of the building and that unknown visitors’ identities are checked. Furthermore, ensure that suitable safeguards are in place to prevent children climbing onto the roof and that all fire doors are kept closed in the absence of an appropriate closing mechanism which is linked to the fire alarm. 12/06/2017

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Recommendations

 Staff must help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. This includes supporting the child to develop emotional and mental resilience to cope without the home’s support and, where the child is moving to live independently, practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that all incidents of control, discipline and restraint are subject to systems of regular scrutiny to ensure that their use is fair and the above principles as set out in 9.35 are respected. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 46, paragraph 9.36) Inspection report children's home: SC471164 5 In particular, ensure that records evidence that the children are consistently provided with the opportunity to discuss their feelings post the application of any sanction.

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Recommendations

 The registered person should ensure that staff can access appropriate facilities and resources to support their training needs, and should understand the key role they play in the training and development of staff in the home. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.11)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that all staff receive suitable training and guidance in managing e-safety, and identifying and responding to child sexual exploitation, sexually harmful behaviour and radicalisation.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Placements are planned well, which means that no inappropriate placements are made. The manager’s focus is on the children’s needs, and the placements have been planned to facilitate smooth transitions. However, one child’s placement ended suddenly following escalating concerns regarding the child’s safety. As a result, the vast majority of the children now enjoy a stable, secure and happy environment in which they can grow and develop. Placing social workers say the service is very child-focused and is able to meet the needs of the children placed. One social worker said, ‘It’s a good setting and it’s been a positive placement, where staff have bent over backwards to support him.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff are guided on how to support the children through good care planning processes. The children are involved in the development of these plans and are able to express their goals and aspirations. The children enjoy constructive and positive relationships with the staff and express complimentary views about all aspects of their care and support. One professional said, ‘It’s a fantastic home, you get a real sense the young people are well supported and cared for. The kids really like it.’ Another said, ‘The staff are very knowledgeable about the young people and they have really good relationships with them.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children benefit from individualised child-focused care and make progress in most aspects of their lives. One member of staff said their key child ‘is turning it around massively’. The local police liaison officer said, ‘He [child] is making a big improvement and fantastic progress.’ However, some children, despite the good guidance provided by staff, continue to engage in some risky behaviours such as smoking cannabis or offending behaviour. The positive relationships that the children have with the staff help the children to develop improved emotional stability and resilience.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children are encouraged to live healthy lifestyles. They enjoy going to the gym, the local skate park, and army cadets, and one has joined a local boxing club. One-to-one Inspection report children's home: SC471164 6 discussions take place with the staff regarding making positive choices, relationships, smoking, substance and alcohol misuse and going missing from the home. Where possible, the staff bridge any gaps in support by accessing various community services. This support means that the children have the relevant information to help them understand the potential impact on their health and well-being of the choices that they make.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff understand the importance of family relationships. The children are supported effectively to maintain contact with their families and friends as they wish. Some of the children have improved relationships with their family, as a result of the support provided by staff. The children make new friends within the local community, and these relationships help them to settle and build roots. As a result, some of the children are planning to remain in the local area in their adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff believe in the children’s ability and speak warmly about the children. They have aspirations for the children and help them to make positive choices about their futures. Due to the effective support the children receive, most improve their school attendance and make educational progress. The majority of the children are currently on study leave and undertaking GCSE examinations. During this time the staff continue to provide a structured environment in which the children receive guided and supervised study time from both the staff and the personal tutors. The manager ensures that tutoring arrangements are in place from the point of admission for the children. This proactive approach results in appropriate educational arrangements for each child. The staff recognise that taking the child’s views into account about where they want to go to college or school is essential in positively engaging them back into education. The staff

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

help the children develop curricula vitae, apply to colleges and seek out work experience opportunities. The staff are creative in their approach to education and learning. For example, one staff member utilised personal contacts to support and enable a child to turn his thoughts and experiences into a ‘rap’ track which was produced and edited professionally.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children feel listened to and involved in day-to-day decisions about the running of the home. They benefit from regular key-work sessions which cover a wide range of relevant topics, providing further opportunity to express their views. One child spoke of how much he liked his key worker and how he is able to speak to him [staff] about anything. The children rated the home as 9/10 and said the only improvement they could think of was to utilise the outbuildings. Their comments included:  ‘It’s pretty great. I really like it here.’  ‘All the staff are nice.’  ‘All the staff are pretty good.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff help each child to informally prepare for living independently, encouraging practical skills such as cooking, housework, budgeting and personal self-care. However, there are no structured plans to guide staff on how this preparation for independence is to be progressed, and what other services are available to support the children. This means that the level of support may not be consistent, and the children may not develop Inspection report children's home: SC471164 7 the breadth of knowledge and skill they have the potential to reach.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home is a spacious, highly rural, detached house with large individually decorated bedrooms and generous living space. Responses to damages are swift, and the furnishings are both homely and functional. As a result, the building provides a high quality, homely, welcoming environment. The large, well-kept grounds include a football pitch, and the children enjoy watching the animals in the adjacent farm.

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

While there are some particular areas where practice can be improved, the children are effectively safeguarded. The children feel safe and secure. The staff provide consistently clear boundaries while maintaining a calm and relaxed atmosphere. Physical restraints are rare. The staff engage in positive reflective discussions with the children in an attempt to help them reflect and positively effect change. The good relationships with the staff enable the children to reflect on their risk-taking behaviour and, as a result, for most children these risks diminish significantly. For example, anti-social behaviour and offending levels reduce. There is no bullying in the home. The staff maintain a close eye on group dynamics to ensure that any conflicts are dealt with swiftly and appropriately.

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

Levels of absence from the home and missing-from-home incidents are relatively low, particularly given the identified high risks for many of the children at the time of placement. When significant incidents do occur the staff manage these appropriately and only call on emergency services when there are significant concerns. Good quality and regularly reviewed risk assessments and management plans guide the staff effectively with how to prevent and manage risk. The children are safer as a result of the help and support they receive.

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

Systems for promoting positive behaviour in the home are effective. Sanctions are used appropriately when necessary. The children are encouraged to make reparation when an incident occurs, and this helps the children to take personal responsibility for their actions. The individual records of restraints and sanctions contain appropriate information. However, the records do not always evidence that the children receive the opportunity to reflect on the situation. Therefore, opportunities to identify and effect change may be lost.

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

The relationships between the staff and children enable the children to talk to the staff and confide in them. One professional said, ‘He [child] definitely feels safe there and seems to have a really good relationship with the staff.’ The staff are aware of their safeguarding duties and act appropriately on any concerning information, sharing this information with partner agencies to protect the child. The children receive supportive, caring responses from individual staff about any safeguarding disclosures. Partner professionals, such as the police and youth offending teams, refer to ‘tight’ partnerships which serve to support the children’s safety. They are very positive about the levels of support the children receive. One professional said, ‘They’re doing an excellent job. The staff are very supportive, they are doing everything they can do to keep him engaged.’ Another said, ‘The home have been brilliant. They’re so transparent and responsive.’

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

Inspection report children's home: SC471164 8 Not all staff have completed training in identifying, preventing and responding to child sexual exploitation, radicalisation, and sexually harmful behaviour, or managing e-safety. It is imperative that staff receive suitable training in these wider safeguarding matters to meet the evolving needs of the children in their care effectively. However, this has had no actual impact on staff practice.

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

Staff recruitment practices are robust, preventing unsuitable people gaining employment in the home. One child has been involved in the interviewing of potential staff, giving the process added value and clear child focus.

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

Health and safety arrangements are generally sound, although some improvements to the building and the day-to-day practice are required to provide a consistently safe environment. For example, the organisation has not eradicated the ease with which some children can climb the building and gain access to the roof. In addition, a fire door leading from the laundry area into the main hallway of the home was propped open, which means that fire may spread more easily. These issues are particularly concerning as the building is very old. The front door was propped open, allowing the inspector to enter the building unchallenged, and the staff did not verify the inspector’s identity before allowing them further access to the home. Failure to ensure appropriate security arrangements may allow unsuitable people to enter the building unknown to staff.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The leadership and management arrangements are strong and effective. This is the manager’s first registered manager role, and he is currently studying for his level 5 in leadership and management for children’s residential care. The manager and responsible individual have worked effectively together during the past 10 months to secure the significant improvements in the home. The staffing and management arrangements in the home are now embedded, and this is having a positive impact on the home as a whole. Strong leadership has enabled the staff team to develop its skills and be clearer as to the ethos of the home. All of the requirements and the majority of recommendations set at the previous inspection have been met.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager leads by example and ensures that the children are consulted about their care and aspirations. The children say they feel valued and listened to. For example, one child participated in a campaign group for the provision of the internet in the organisation’s homes. The manager helps the children raise issues with their placing authority, or advocates on their behalf when he feels that needed support has not been readily available. The manager and the staff are committed to ensuring that the children have the best life outcomes possible; as a result, the children are making good progress.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staffing levels are flexibly arranged to meet the children’s needs. For example, staff share a waking night shift when there are any safeguarding concerns. This provides the children with additional supervision and support during the night should they need it. Inspection report children's home: SC471164 9 Staff are well supported through effective induction and supervision arrangements. A wide range of useful training for the staff is provided which helps to develop their confidence and competence. However, training in the wider aspects of safeguarding has not been consistently provided. Staff professional awareness and development has the potential to be undermined when key training has not been undertaken.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff maintain positive and effective relationships with the local community and other agencies such as placing authorities, police and youth offending teams. These relationships help to promote positive outcomes and aid effective boundary setting for the children. The children, parents and placing authorities rate the home as good to excellent. The children know how to complain and have confidence in the manager to respond to any issues of concern which they may raise.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is suitably resourced to ensure that the service meets the aims and objectives as set out in the statement of purpose. Quality monitoring processes are robust, and as a result the manager has a clear vision for the home and plans for further development. The staff have developed a mission statement for the home, which is to ‘Provide stability, safety and enabling young people to create a better future.’ The manager is confident that the staff achieve this, which is supported by feedback from professionals. One professional said, ‘It’s a fantastic place for him. They really seem to care.’ And a child said, ‘I wouldn’t change anything’. While one requirement and some recommendations have been made, the children benefit from good care and support which meets their individual needs.

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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 differences 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: SC471164 10

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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)

Joanna Heller, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC471164 11 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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