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

Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 1 SC458028 Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home is one of a group of homes run by a large independent provider. The home provides care for up to three children who have emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 12 to 13 September 2017

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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: Improved effectiveness

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Key findings from this inspection

 The children have positive relationships with a staff team which knows and understands their individual needs. Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 2  Staff support the children to develop their independence in line with their age and ability.  Staff are skilful at challenging unwanted behaviours.  The children say that they feel safe and listened to.  Children’s views are fully included in their placement plans.  The home works closely with professionals to achieve good transitions for 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

 Although the manager reported a safeguarding incident to the designated officer, she did not notify Ofsted, as required by regulation.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

27/03/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 09/11/2016 Full Good 10/02/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 28/07/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 3

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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 registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious. (Regulation 40 (4)(e)) 20/10/2017

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children experience consistent care and make good progress at this home. Experienced staff devise good-quality placement plans which fully include the children’s views. The staff encourage the children to take an active role in shaping their plans to ensure that their individual needs and future ambitions are considered. This results in the children recognising that staff are committed to supporting them to achieve their full potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The children receive regular key-work sessions that cover a wide variety of topics. The sessions help and support the children to look at behaviours and anything that may be worrying them. Staff are skilful at offering guidance and helping the children to explore their emotions. A child said, ‘I barely recognise when they [key-work sessions] are happening. Staff are very good at getting me to talk.’ A social worker commented, ‘Good progress has been made. [Child’s name] is much more settled in this placement. Negative behaviour has reduced. Staff have built good relationships and work with him well.’ The consistent care enables the children to settle quickly and has significantly increased their self-esteem.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Prior to admission, most of the children were not attending school regularly. When problems occur in education, the manager and staff are quick to respond in a proactive manner. The manager shows tenacity, and works with education professionals well to seek an alternative provision. A child who was recently excluded from education now benefits from a home tutor to ensure that they do not fall behind in their GCSE English literature and language. The manager is in the process of supporting the child to gain access to full-time education. The home tutor said, ‘Staff are supportive to my role. They are enthusiastic and approachable. They want the children to do well.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 4 Professionals and parents are very complimentary about staff members’ interactions with both them and the children. Social workers report that the communication is excellent, that they receive weekly detailed reports and that there is no delay in the reporting of

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

any incidents. A parent said, ‘The progress has been tremendous. Staff communicate with him well and also keep me up to date. I have no concerns. He has formed good relationships with the staff and settled well.’ All of the professionals and parents who were spoken with said that the staff work in complete partnership.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the children to develop their independence in line with their age and ability. The home’s incentive reward scheme encourages the children to become involved to increase their skills. For example, one of the older children has a part-time job and wanted to learn how to drive. Through combining careful budgeting and participating in the scheme, the child is now able to have driving lessons. A child who has recently moved on to independent accommodation said, ‘Staff taught me everything; how to cook, how to budget. They are amazing. If I hadn’t have lived there I wouldn’t be able to cope with my independence now.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff facilitate contact in line with the children’s care plans. They understand the importance of the children maintaining relationships with their families and the other important people in their lives. If difficulties occur which may prevent or hinder family contact taking place, the manager works closely with social workers to resolve them. Some of the children have made friends in the local community and like to spend their free time socialising with them. Staff ensure that they know where the child will be and equip the child with the skills to seek support from them if required. A child commented, ‘I’m very independent as I have friends in the community. Staff transport me and I would call to be collected if I had a problem.’

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

One child has arrived at the home and one child has left since the last inspection. The new admission was an emergency situation and has been very successful. The child has had a significant number of placement breakdowns previously. They commented, ‘This home is okay really. I have had seven placements and this is the longest I have ever stayed in one place.’ The social worker said, ‘I’m happy with the placement. [Child] has settled reasonably well and this is progress in itself.’ The child who has moved on had a well-planned transition to independent living. Staff ensured that the ending was positive by arranging a leaving meal with presents and photo albums depicting the child’s time spent at the home. The child’s social worker said, ‘I am personally and professionally really impressed with this home. The staff helped her to transition. They walked the extra mile, and supported her throughout the whole process.’

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

The home provides a nurturing environment for the children. Children say that they have good, positive relationships with staff and feel safe living at the home. One child said, ‘I like staff. I feel safe and listened to. I reckon this is the best placement I could have in a children’s home.’ Another said, ‘The staff support me, and I am safe in this home.’ Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 5 The staff undertake detailed risk assessments. All of the children have individual behaviour risk-management and individual crisis-management plans. These plans are comprehensive and updated accordingly. The manager ensures that all staff have read and signed the plans to show that they are aware of any updates. This means that staff are aware of any new guidance to follow to reduce risks further.

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

None of the children has made a complaint. The children are given a child-friendly guide to the home when they are admitted. This guide contains details on how to access an independent advocate, alongside information about how any actions taken will include the child’s views. Children spoken with reported that they know how to complain, and they were able to explain the procedure. All of the children said that they have no complaints to make and they feel listened to. An example was given that during a recent monthly meeting they requested a trampoline; this request was agreed and the trampoline is due to arrive shortly.

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

Children rarely go missing; there has only been one incident since the last inspection. Staff followed the correct procedures, and are working with the child’s placing authority to reduce the likelihood of a recurrence. Each child has a detailed missing-from-home information record, and the home has an updated missing person policy. This ensures that all of the staff are aware of the procedures to follow in such an event.

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

The children receive rewards for positive behaviour and sanctions for negative behaviour. Records show that the manager ensures that sanctions and rewards are effective. The staff consistently undertake one-to-one work with the children to enable them to recognise unacceptable behaviours. As a result, the children learn how to regulate impulsive behaviour and are receiving far more rewards than sanctions.

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

Staff continue to manage challenging behaviour well. Since the last inspection, there has been one incident requiring physical intervention, which involved a child. The record of the intervention provides an account of the presenting behaviour and the steps taken to de-escalate, and includes a discussion with the child that took place after the event to gain their views. This approach enables the manager and staff to reflect fully on the incident, and aids them to identify alternative approaches to reduce the likelihood of a further incident occurring.

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

There has been one safeguarding incident since the last inspection. This relates to the practice of a member of staff who is no longer working at the home. A review of the investigation demonstrates that the manager has been proactive in addressing the matter and sought appropriate advice from the designated officer. However, the manager did not notify Ofsted, as required by regulation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The dedicated manager has been in post since December 2014. She is on track to complete the required level 5 diploma within the timescale. She is ambitious for the children and has a clear development programme for the home. The manager recognises the strengths and the areas that she would like to develop. The team leaders work well with the manager to ensure that the children’s progress is continual. A staff member Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 6 said, ‘The manager is very clear about her focus. She is supportive and knows how to get the best out of each of the staff.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff spoken with have a good understanding of each child’s individual history. They show good insight into the children’s needs and behaviours and treat them with dignity and respect. During the inspection, staff interacted in a firm but fair manner when confronted with challenging behaviour. It was evident that the staff have built good relationships and are skilled in de-escalating potentially difficult situations.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager’s monitoring is strong. She undertakes weekly checks to ensure that all records are updated promptly. The staff write detailed daily logs on each child, which are collated into weekly reports for the social workers. These reports detail all appointments, incidents and progress made. The manager oversees and reviews the reports in order to monitor effectiveness. The independent visitor provides good-quality monitoring reports that further help the manager to identify any areas for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

All of the staff have completed their mandatory training and either hold or are in the process of undertaking the required level 3 diploma. The staff receive monthly good- quality supervision, and yearly appraisals help to identify any further professional development needs. This ensures that staff are up to date with their training and well equipped to care for the children safely.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager and staff have built good, honest relationships with professionals. Staff work in partnership with social workers and practise in a transparent manner. The staff are confident to challenge any actions not felt to be in the best interest of the child. A social worker said, ‘Staff are protective of [child’s name]. They are not afraid to advocate on his behalf.’

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager regularly reviews the home’s statement and purpose and updates it accordingly. Staff are knowledgeable about the ethos of the home, which is to provide a child-centred approach while encouraging the children to thrive and progress. The staff work together as a stable team and are achieving this goal effectively.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home is in a quiet village and provides a safe physical environment for the children. It is well maintained and feels homely. The children are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms. A child said, ‘I like my room. I have chosen the colour I want and picked out a glittery wallpaper. The staff encourage us to get involved with making decisions for the home.’ This helps the children to develop a sense of belonging and take pride in their environment.

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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 Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 7 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: SC458028 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Limited

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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:

Lynne Drage, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC458028 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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