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

Inspection report children's home: SC456539 1 SC456539 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

The home is privately run and is registered for up to one young person who may have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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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

Overall judgement at last inspection: Sustained effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 Staff use young people’s interests and hobbies to encourage them to engage with their peers and to develop their talents.  Staff use rewards and incentives effectively. Goals are linked to young people’s Inspection report children's home: SC456539 2 interests and are proving successful in supporting young people to make progress in many aspects of their development.  The home has good working relationships with other professionals, such as placing social workers and education professionals. This collaborative approach is reflected in the comments from partner agencies.  Staff regard their manager highly and say that they are well supported in their training and development.

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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 manager needs to establish a system to gain the views and opinions of young people, their parents, staff and placing authorities. A system will enable her to monitor and review the quality of care provided to young people more effectively.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

07/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/10/2016 Full Good 29/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 18/11/2015 Full Good Inspection report children's home: SC456539 3

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Statutory requirement

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

In order to complete a quality of care review, the registered person must establish and maintain a system for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating:

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Requirement Due date

(a) The quality of care provided for children (b) The feedback and opinions of children about the children’s home, its facilities and the quality of care they receive in it.

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Requirement Due date

The system referred to must provide for ascertaining and considering the opinions of children, their parents, placing authorities and staff. (Regulation 45 (2)(a)(b)(5)) 06/10/2017 Inspection report children's home: SC456539 4

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff members welcome young people into the home with great care. They are sensitive to their needs and understand that young people who have no previous experience of living in care may be anxious. The home’s ‘Children’s guide’ provides young people with key information about living in the home and what to expect, for example in relation to choosing their meals and weekly pocket money. Staff get to know the young people, finding out their likes and dislikes, hobbies and interests to ensure that the young people are involved in planning their daily care. Staff invest their time with the young people by taking an interest in their life experiences, listening to their views and supporting them with situations that may cause them anxiety, such as moving to a new placement. They gradually prepare and support the young people for forthcoming transitions. They share information about the young people with staff at the young person’s new placement to ensure

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

that they have all important information. This proactive approach gives the young people consistent care and helps the young people to settle into their new home. Staff provide young people with individualised care. They have a thorough knowledge of the young people’s diverse needs from effective consultation with placing authorities, previous placements and family members. Staff encourage and support young people to contribute to their own placement plans. This process is effective in helping staff gain an understanding of young people’s specific needs and how they can succeed in meeting their individual targets and goals. Regular key conversations provide opportunities to discuss areas of intervention and are supplemented by informal opportunities to talk about their hopes and progress. Staff create opportunities for the young person to develop hobbies and interests. This has resulted in the young person attending education and is designed to

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

reduce the risks of the young person going missing from the home. Staff support the young person to develop his talents, such as by joining a local football club. Attendance at the local youth club provides the opportunity for the young person to develop and establish positive relationships with other young people from the local community. As a consequence the young person has increased in self- confidence and self-esteem. Staff value and promote educational success by providing the right level of support the young person needs to achieve his academic potential. They work collaboratively with education staff, communicating regularly to promote consistency and structure. The communication between the two disciplines is effective. Strategies and approaches are regularly discussed to develop consistent responses to meeting the young person’s educational needs and managing his behaviour. Staff ensure that the young person’s health needs are met. Comprehensive health

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

plans are individualised and pertinent to the young person’s specific needs. They have strong links with health professionals to ensure that the young person is in Inspection report children's home: SC456539 5 good physical health and continues to make positive progress in his emotional well-being, self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff promote and facilitate contact between the young person, their family and people who are important to him, whenever appropriate. They ensure that contact is safe and in line with care plans. Staff provide advice and support to the family to ensure that contact is a positive experience for all concerned. This proactive approach means that the young person receives continuity of care and his identity is promoted.

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

Some young people come to the home with high levels of risk-taking behaviour, such as going missing from their placement. Staff make every effort to reduce this behaviour and regularly advise them about the importance of making safe choices. Young people are provided with good role models in the staff team, who help and guide them to manage free time safely and to develop appropriate friendships. A social worker said, ‘The home are doing their best to keep C safe.’ Staff demonstrate a commitment to overcoming difficult and challenging behaviour. Clear, consistent and age-appropriate boundaries provide stability and contribute to young people’s security and well-being. Staff have good insight into young people’s emotional needs and develop tailor-made behaviour management plans which are fully implemented in practice. Staff understand how a young person’s experiences and emotions can be communicated through their behaviour. They identify the

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

triggers to changes in behaviour and are skilled at recognising when developments in a young person’s life may cause them to react in a negative way. Staff work sensitively with the young person and ensure that he has ample opportunities to discuss any issues which may worry him. They support the young person to communicate his feelings in a safe and nurturing environment. The young person is gaining clarity about acceptable behaviour, which will assist him in adulthood. Staff communicate effectively with the young person, helping him to manage his emotions and frustrations, and provide him with a calm supportive environment. Staff support the young person with redirection and de-escalation techniques, as outlined in behaviour management plans. The young person is aware that sometimes staff will use physical restraint to keep him safe, because this is explained to him. Since the last inspection, there has been only one incident

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

involving the young person that necessitated the use of physical intervention. The techniques used are designed to ensure that the young person does not harm himself, staff and members of the community. The methods are low level and used for the shortest possible time. The manager reviews the method of control used to Inspection report children's home: SC456539 6 ensure that it was necessary and proportionate. This enables her to respond swiftly if she identifies any issues trends or concerns elating to staff practice. Staff are proactive in their efforts to locate young people when they go missing from the home. They immediately search for them, driving to their last known location and places they are likely to be. Staff make every effort to avoid these situations and encourage young people to keep themselves occupied and make positive choices about keeping themselves safe. They escalate their concerns with

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

placing authorities and police, following clear strategies to reduce the risk of young people going missing. This has resulted in a reduction in the distance and duration of these incidents. Arrangements are in place for young people to speak to an independent person on their return to the home. This means that young people are able to share any anxieties or concerns with someone independent of the home. The home’s area risk assessment is fully compiled, including information from a range of agencies, such as local police and representatives of the local healthcare services. This has proven to be a good opportunity to give the young person and staff first-hand knowledge of their local community. Staff are better informed to help the young person manage his risks and vulnerabilities and he can make informed choices about keeping himself safe. Staff employed at the home are subject to organisational vetting procedures and do

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

not start work in the home until all appropriate checks are complete. All fire, gas and electrical equipment is routinely serviced to ensure that it is in good working order. This ensures that the environment is safe and that young people are protected from persons who may present a risk to them.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home’s manager was registered in March 2015. She is child focused and prioritises young people’s needs effectively. She is suitably qualified to work with young people who are looked after and is currently undertaking the level 5 diploma in leadership and management. She maintains a good level of management oversight, ensuring that the home is consistently run in the best interests of young people. She has good relationships with them and demonstrates a strong commitment to their individual development, safety and care. The manager is highly organised and dedicated to ensuring that young people’s needs are fully met. She has high expectations of her staff and strongly expects them to provide young people with a high level of care. One requirement has been made following this inspection. The review of the quality of care report lacks the views of young people, parents and other people who are involved in the young people’s care. The manager is keen to improve these

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

monitoring systems to ensure that she has a good understanding of whether the services provided to young people are effective. Care planning is of a high standard and is individually tailored to meet the specific needs of young people. The manager regularly monitors young people’s progress and development, enabling her to identify any developing patterns or trends. This Inspection report children's home: SC456539 7 proactive approach allows her to take swift action to address any areas of concern identified. A social worker said, ‘I am kept fully informed of [name’s] progress, and the manager and staff know [name] well and understand his risks. Multi-agency work is very good.’ Staff are highly valued and supported by their manager and receive regular supervision and support from her. The manager encourages staff to reflect on their practice, and this is demonstrated in staff supervision records. All staff have

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

completed mandatory safeguarding training and have additional guidance, such as on sexual exploitation and radicalisation. Staff are either appropriately qualified or are working towards the required qualifications within timescales. They are highly committed to supporting and assisting young people to achieve good outcomes in preparation for adulthood. A member of staff said: I feel well supported and have appropriate training. The manager supervises me and we also have informal chats and discuss any issues in relation to the young person, training and development or issues with the staff team. The manager is very organised and on the ball. Care and placement plans are individualised and developed to meet young people’s complex needs. Identified areas of concern are dealt with swiftly and successfully. Significant events concerning the welfare of young people are reported to the appropriate agencies promptly, to ensure that the right action is taken to protect

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

young people whenever necessary. The manager is a strong advocate for young people and escalates issues with placing authorities to ensure that individual plans are effective and achievable. A parent said, ‘Staff are very helpful and have everything in hand. My son is happy and staff are friendly and welcoming.’

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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. Whenever 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 and 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: SC456539 8

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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 Group, 4th Floor Waterfront Building, Chancellors Road, Hammersmith Embankment, London W6 9RU

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Inspector

Jo Hornby, social care inspector Inspection report children's home: SC456539 9 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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