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

Inspection report children’s home: SC457180 1 SC457180 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 three young people who 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

Date of last inspection: 14 February 2017

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: Good

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Enforcement action since last inspection

None Inspection report children’s home: SC457180 2

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Key findings from this inspection

 Young people live in a warm and caring home, which young people, staff and professionals consistently describe as like a ‘little family’.  Staff are skilled at developing positive relationships with young people. As a result, young people like living in the home, are settled and make good progress from their individual starting points.  The manager makes child-centred decisions about young people coming to live in the home. She undertakes rigorous matching, which means that the group of young people is a good mix, and the young people are settled and like living together.  The home has a stable and experienced staff team. The staff team likes working in the home and is committed to achieving the best outcomes for young people.  Staff worked collaboratively with professionals to ensure that young people are kept safe from harm.  Staff ensure that young people are consulted on all aspects of their care, which

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Key findings from this inspection

ensures that young people are listened to and feel empowered to make choices in their lives.

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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

 Risk assessments do not include written actions for staff to follow if a young person presents as being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.  Electronic monitoring in the home is not used in line with the home’s statement of purpose. There is no record of why this is used and whether it is for safeguarding purposes. Consequently, young people have a noisy door alarm on their bedroom doors, and there is no clear assessment or reason for this.  The home’s recruitment processes are not rigorous.  The home’s kitchen is in a poor state of repair and needs updating to ensure that young people live in a well-maintained environment. Inspection report children’s home: SC457180 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

14/02/2017 Full Good 21/09/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 17/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness 21/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC457180 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 quality and purpose of care standard is that the registered provider must ensure that staff ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(2)(c)) 22/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if it is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children and it is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24(1)(a) and (d)) 22/09/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person may only allow an individual to work at the home if the individual has the appropriate experience, qualification and skills for the work that the individual is to perform and has full and satisfactory information available in relation to the individual in respect of each of the matters in Schedule 2. (Regulation 32(3)(b)and(d)) 22/09/2017

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Recommendation

 When there are safeguarding concerns for a child, their placement plan, agreed between the home and 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) In particular, ensure that risk assessments include how staff should support, supervise and monitor young people who return to the home under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Inspection report children’s home: SC457180 5

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Young people live in warm and homely environment where they receive well-planned individualised care from a stable and consistent staff team. This has resulted in young people making progress from their starting points. Young people like living in the home and feel that staff support them well. One young person stated, ‘I love it. It’s like another home. It’s just because of the staff. They do stuff with us. Even if they are off, they will get stuff for us from the shops. I can talk to them all about different things and they have helped me with my relationship with my mum.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

A strength of the home is the positive relationships that young people form with staff. Staff have the skills to form positive relationships with young people quickly to ensure that they settle well in the home. This was evident during the inspection and from feedback from young people and professionals. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘I was impressed with the relationships the staff team established with [Name of young person] within the time she had been there.’ As a result, young people feel settled and valued in the home.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff place high priority on young people’s education. All young people attend school and are making good progress in their education provisions. One young person is awaiting GSCE results and has obtained a place at college. Staff have ensured that one young person who recently moved into the home has a school place for the start of the next term. Consequently, young people have the opportunity to meet their educational potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff spend time with young people, getting to know them and their individual interests. Young people spoke about sharing positive experiences with staff, such as going shopping and preparing meals together. Staff involve young people in a range of activities specific to their individual interests, ranging from attending cadets to swimming lessons. This helps young people to learn new skills and develop confidence and self- esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The manager makes child-centred decisions about young people coming to live in the home. Impact assessments are rigorous, with good consideration of peer matching. Staff manage transitions well. They ensure that young people’s admission to the home is a positive experience by spending time getting to know them and ensuring that they have everything that they need, for example providing a basket, which contains toiletries. Staff prepare the existing group of young people for new young people arriving into the home. As a result, the home is settled and the young people living there get on well.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff undertake work with young people to help them develop the skills that they will need to help them live independently. For example, young people go with staff on shopping trips to help them understand budgeting. Individual work sessions range from banking to safe relationships. Staff support young people to develop age-appropriate independence skills, such as going to shops on their own, and this is underpinned by Inspection report children’s home: SC457180 6 work with young people on road safety and a clear contract of expectations. Consequently, young people start to develop the independence skills that will equip them for adulthood.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff work well to ensure that the needs of young people who live outside their home area are met. Staff transport young people to contact with family often at a distance and maintain good communication with professionals and parents. Staff are proactive in supporting young people’s contact in line with their care plans. This ensures that young people maintain contact with family members in a safe way.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Electronic monitoring is used in the home. All young people have electronic monitoring devices on their bedroom doors, but the manager has not recorded in the young people’s case files the reasons for which they are being used. As a result, the reason for this practice is unclear. The manager was unable to provide the electronic monitoring policy referred to in the statement of purpose. Young people live with noisy alarms every time they open their bedroom door, which is institutionalised and intrusive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The home’s kitchen requires updating; it is in need of repair and new cupboard doors are needed. The manager has made an application to have this work carried out, but there has been a long delay in this being completed. This improvement will ensure that young people enjoy living in a well-maintained environment.

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

Safeguarding arrangements are effective and young people are kept safe due to actions that staff take to keep them safe from harm. Young people feel safe in the home and can identify a trusted adult to talk to about any concerns.

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

Staff have a good understanding of each young person’s risks and vulnerabilities. However, although there are individual risk assessments in place, these do not include clear actions for staff to follow when young people return to the home under the influence of alcohol. Therefore, the manager cannot be assured that all staff take appropriate action. This could potentially leave young people at risk of harm. The registered manager acknowledged this during the inspection and updated all risk assessments to include actions that staff should take in this situation. She also planned to review risk assessments so they would include clear actions for all staff to take to reduce any known risk.

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

Staff spend time with young people and complete direct work with them on how to keep themselves safe. Staff work well with specialist agencies when young people are missing from the home or when there are concerns about child sexual exploitation. A worker from the local missing and child sexual exploitation service commented, ‘ Staff are great at communicating; there is lots of trust and rapport like a little family. I go to some care homes and it’s not like this. They really do care about the kids and the kids like being there.’

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

Staff are proactive when young people go missing. They extensively search for young people to locate them as quickly as possible and follow missing from home protocols. Inspection report children’s home: SC457180 7 Staff complete direct work with young people when they return, to try to help them understand the risks inherent in going missing from home. A social worker reported, ‘Staff looked for her when she was missing. They have good relationships with her and know her really well. That is the good thing.’

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

There is a low-level of restraint used in the home. When it is used, this in line with the legislative framework and as a last resort, to ensure the safety of the young person and/or others. Details of restraints are recorded and reviewed effectively by the registered manager. Staff and young people are routinely debriefed afterwards. All staff are trained in behaviour management, including the use of restraint. Staff promote positive behaviour with rewards charts, which young people understand. For example, one young person is working towards getting a hamster and was clear about what she needed to do to achieve this.

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

Staff are all trained in safeguarding and know what to do when a safeguarding issue arises. There have been two allegations since the last inspection, and the manager has followed the correct procedures, by informing the local authority designated officer, police and social workers. This ensures that young people are protected from harm.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

An experienced registered manager, who is currently completing her level 5 qualification, effectively and efficiently manages the home. The manager has responsibility for two homes and ensures that she spends sufficient time each week in each home. She is always available to staff at other times. She has a very good understanding of young people’s progress and presents as committed to achieving the best possible outcomes for young people in her care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home has a stable and experienced staff team. Staff are skilled in their roles and excel at building positive relationships with young people in their care. Staff like working in the home and feel well supported in their roles by the management team and by each other. One staff member reported, ´All the staff are like a little family. We all get along and are supportive of each other.’ Staff reported a culture of openness between them where they can safely challenge each other’s practice if necessary. This culture ensures that young people are safeguarded and receive the best possible care.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is committed to the development of her staff and ensures that staff have access to training to promote their professional development. All staff receive regular supervision and are up to date in their mandatory training. Staff have access to specialist advice on child sexual exploitation and episodes of missing from care in the team meetings. Team meetings are well attended and provide a good opportunity for staff to reflect on their practice. The manager ensures that these are well recorded and demonstrate the wide range of discussions in relation to children and young people and other subjects, such as staff development.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Managers and staff work proactively with other agencies and professionals. They work effectively with education staff, independent reviewing officers and specialist agencies. Professionals are consistently positive about how well the home communicates with Inspection report children’s home: SC457180 8 them to ensure the best possible outcomes for young people. This collaborative approach supports young people to develop in all aspects of their care. An independent reviewing officer commented, ‘There was also evidence of good lines of communication between the home and the social worker, other key professionals and the young person’s family members. There was a proactive approach to resolving issues and improving outcomes.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager places high priority on obtaining young people’s views. There is very good evidence of consultation with young people during young people’s meetings, key work sessions and for staff appraisals. Young people’s case files reflect their views on their plans and their day-to-day care. Young people are involved in making choices for the home and went out to choose conservatory furniture during the inspection, which had been agreed in the last young person’s meeting. As a result, young people are empowered to make choices and they feel listened too.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager is realistic about the strengths and areas of development of the home. This is because she utilises internal and external monitoring systems to improve the quality of the service. The manager has a good system in place for seeking feedback from professionals, and this is recorded in a compliments book. She uses this as part of her monitoring of practice and to improve the quality of the care in the home.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff actively promote tolerance, equality and diversity through discussion at young people’s meetings on matters such as bullying. Staff undertake direct work with young people on areas such as disability and sexual orientation to promote their understanding of diversity.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager ensures that the home is meeting its objectives set out in the statement of purpose. Staff provide individualised care packages to each young person in a homely atmosphere where staff genuinely care for the young people. The manager has recently updated this document to include new staff members.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Recruitment processes are not consistently robust. Gaps in employment records for candidates are not always followed up sufficiently, and new staff files do not all contain all of the information set out in schedule 2. Some staff without the appropriate skills and qualifications for the post have been recruited, resulting in a short period of employment for some staff and, consequently, instability for the young people. Inspection report children’s home: SC457180 9

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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: SC457180 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 Group, 4th Floor Waterfront Building, Chancellors Road, Hammersmith Embankment, London W6 9RU

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Inspector

Sarah Billett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457180 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 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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