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

Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 1 SC456857 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 run children’s home that provides care and accommodation for one young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

Inspection dates: 25 to 26 September 2017

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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 good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

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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: 1 February 2017

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: None Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 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 home has been without a registered manager since 31 August 2016.  The management team and staff do not demonstrate a good understanding of the regulations and guidance related to children’s homes.  The management team’s aspirations for the staff team are not extensive enough. Staff performance management does not ensure continuous professional development.  Staff have not received all of the young person’s placing authority records. This means that staff do not have all the relevant information to provide the young person with daily routines agreed by his placing authority.  Staff at all levels have not completed records sufficiently. The records do not provide all the information required, nor do they contribute to the young person‘s history or progress made in the home.  Monitoring of the home by the management team is poor. Ofsted has not received a quality of care review report from the home since August 2016.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The management team has not updated the statement of purpose and provided Ofsted with a revised copy within the required timescales.  The staff encourage positive behaviour; boundaries are being implemented and staff provide the young person with continuity and consistency of care. However, this practice needs to be embedded further in order for the young person to develop his socially aware behaviour and positive responses to adults and friends in the community.  The home does not provide a homely environment for the young person and staff.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff have supported a young person well when they moved into the home, and provided good continuing support to a young person who moved on from the home.  The staff place the needs of the young person at the centre of their practice, and the management team ensures that the young person receives good-quality care and support.  The young person has developed positive relationships with the staff.  The staff take photographs of the trips and activities that the young person is involved in.  Partnership working with others is consistent and effective. Feedback from professionals about the home is positive. Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 3  The staff support the young person to keep in touch with his family.  The young person has made a good start in education considering his previous placement and unwillingness to engage at school. This is being achieved through home-based learning or at the organisation’s school.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The physical healthcare and medication needs of the young person are met well.  The young person says that he feels safe living at the home and staff know how to protect him and keep him safe.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 22/08/2016 Full Good 11/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 13/10/2015 Full Outstanding Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person 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 must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The quality and purpose of care standard is that children receive care from staff who understand the children’s home’s overall aims and the outcomes it seeks to achieve for children and use this understanding to deliver care that meets children’s needs and supports them to fulfil their potential. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed and furnished to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 6(1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(i)) 31/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

If the Secretary of State publishes a statement of standards in relation to children’s homes under section 23 of the Care Standards Act 2000, the registered person must have regard to the statement— In particular, the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, and the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015. (Regulation 15) 31/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must compile in relation to the children’s home a statement ("the statement of purpose") which covers the matters listed in Schedule 1. The registered person must— Keep the statement of purpose under review and, where appropriate, revise it; and notify HMCI of any revisions and send HMCI a copy of the revised statement within 28 days of the revision. (Regulation 16(1)(3)(a) (b)) 31/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered provider must appoint a person to manage the children’s home if there is no registered manager in respect of the home. (Regulation 27(1)(a)) 31/10/2017

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which include the information and documents listed in Schedule 3 in relation to each child; In particular, the date and result of any review of the placing authority’s plan of care for the child of the child’s placement plan. (Regulation 36(1)(a) Schedule 3.20) 31/10/2017 Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 5 The registered person must complete a review of the quality of care provided for children ("a quality of care review") at least once every 6 months. After completing a quality of care review, the registered person must produce a written report about the quality of care review and the actions which the registered person intends to take as a result of the quality of care review ("the quality of care review report"). The registered person must— Supply to HMCI a copy of the quality of care review report within 28 days of the date on which the quality of care review is

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Requirement Due date

completed. (Regulation 45(1)(4)(a)) 31/10/2017

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Recommendation

 Where children placed in a home are not participating in education because they have been excluded or are not on a school roll for some other reason, the registered person and staff should support the child to sustain or regain their confidence in education and engage them in suitable structured activities. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 28, paragraph 5.15)

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improvement to be good

The overall inspection judgement has been influenced by the inadequate judgement of the leadership and management outcome area. Since the last inspection, one young person has moved from the home to semi- independent living accommodation. This was a planned move and the staff prepared the young person well for adult life and remain in touch with him. A young person has moved into the home and he benefited from a planned move from another home within the organisation. The staff made introductory visits to the young person and have adapted well to the needs of the young person, who is much younger than the previous young person who left the home. During the visits to the young person, staff worked with his previous staff, built up good relationships with the young person and ascertained his likes and dislikes. His bedroom was decorated with his favourite comic-strip heroes and he received a revised children’s

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improvement to be good

guide in an age-appropriate format. This provided the young person with good information about the home and details of the staff who will be looking after him. Although it is relatively early days [eight weeks] since the young person moved into the home, the staff know the young person well and spend time with him on a daily basis. Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 6 Moving from a multiple-bedded children’s home to this home has had a positive impact on the young person. The young person moved to the home during the summer holidays and this provided him and staff with lots of opportunities to get to know each other and enjoy numerous activities. As a result, the relationships between the young person and staff have developed well and it is evident that the staff place the young person’s needs at the centre of their practice. The young person is now enjoying good-quality care, positive experiences and

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improvement to be good

consistent support, without any pressure or negative influences being placed on him from other young people. The young person enjoyed a holiday with staff and he has a personal file that includes photographs dedicated to the activities and his participation in the home. However, it is not clear how these snapshots link to the young person’s outcomes and progress. The lack of information in some of the young person’s records means that the progress and outcomes achieved by him are difficult to track. The young person is provided with a range of opportunities to share his views, wishes and feelings, for example through weekly meetings with staff, discussions with the management team and key-worker sessions. However, some of these records are poor and generally they do not capture the staff’s responses to the young person’s views. The management team has a plan in place to address these issues in order to improve the

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improvement to be good

staff recordings in the records kept in the home. The staff have good knowledge in relation to the young person and demonstrate well how to manage his behaviours and to instil boundaries. There is support from the organisation’s clinician, and the young person’s behaviour support plan identifies triggers for behaviours and strategies on how staff can deal with these. Staff say that they understand the young person and are applying the boundaries the same way as any reasonable parent would do. For example, agreed timings are in place for when the young person can use his electronic devices, which he adheres with. This enables the staff to use the gaming console as an incentive to manage and reward the young person’s behaviour. Further practices are yet to be embedded for the young person to develop socially aware behaviour, engage in school, to join local clubs, and show positive responses to adults and friends within the community.

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improvement to be good

From the commencement of the September 2017 new school term, the young person has joined the organisation’s own local school. Progress by the young person is variable. He has re-engaged in education, whereas, in his previous placement, he was disruptive and unwilling to engage at school. The staff at the home assist teaching staff to complete initial education and learning assessments, and agree a part-time timetable, with timescales to increase the young person’s education to full time. Subsequently, the young person has a bespoke support package that reflects their learning and behavioural needs. On the one occasion when the young person was disruptive in school, the staff returned the young person to the home and provided him with home-based learning. The organisation is able to provide the young person with an in-house clinical support service, including therapy and emotional health assessments. Consequently, if the young

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improvement to be good

Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 7 person’s behaviour, social presentation or manner indicate that they need additional therapeutic support, they can access these specialist services without delay. Staff work with the local health centre to arrange for the young person’s medication needs to be transferred locally.The young person’s physical health needs are being well met. The young person is helped by staff to understand how to complain. Good information is available to him in his children’s guide booklet that includes details of how and who he can make a complaint to. Following the last inspection, no complaints have been made by the young person, neighbours or the local community about the home. Despite the long distance from the young person’s placing authority, regular contact arrangements are in place. This ensures that the young person has regular telephone contact and an agreed visit plan for him to see his family.

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

The young person is safe and protected in the home. The management team acts immediately in response to allegations or suspicion of harm, and shares information about these concerns with the appropriate agencies. Although there are no safeguarding issues with the current young person, there is a detailed account in the records kept of the actions taken previously when dealing with allegations. The staff demonstrate a good awareness of safeguarding procedures and protocols, and have received safeguarding training. There are no concerns in relation to child sexual exploitation, self- harm, bullying, radicalisation or extremism. The management team and staff make sure that risk assessments are detailed and up to date. Managers and staff liaise with other professionals to share information and strategies to respond to any emerging risks. Staff work together to manage the young person’s behaviour and reinforce boundaries. The young person’s social worker said,

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

‘From the commencement of his placement, he is more settled, has no negative influences from other young people and has significantly reduced his violent outbursts. Staff have a tolerant approach with him, which has helped him to settle. There have been far fewer incidents in this home.’ The young person does not have any history of being missing or absent from placements. During his previous placement, occasionally he would walk off from the staff; however, this has not happened in this home from the start of the young person’s placement. Were this to happen, the staff are fully aware of the actions that they need to take and their reporting responsibilities. The young person is supervised at all times when out in the community or at school, and has sufficient staff in the home at all times. There have been no significant incidents, restraints or disclosures since the last inspection. When staff sanction the young person following incidents of unacceptable

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

behaviour, these sanctions are restorative. This provides an opportunity for the young person to reflect on his actions and recognise the impact of his behaviour on other people. Rewards, which the young person responds well to, feature far more than sanctions in the records kept by the home. The management team follows safer recruitment principles. This prevents unsuitable people from working with the young person. All visitors to the home are required to Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 8 show their identity, sign in and are advised of the fire procedure and evacuation assemble point. These arrangements keep the young person, staff and visitors safe. There is a risk assessment of the location of the premises in place and this report is updated regularly, as many surrounding flats have been demolished and new houses are being built. Regular health and safety checks are carried out and recorded and there

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

were no identified hazards identified during the inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

There are a number of weaknesses in the leadership and management which are preventing improvements. The home has been without a registered manager since 31 August 2016. The organisation appointed a new manager, who commenced work on 19 January 2017. However, this manager has failed to make application to be registered with Ofsted. In line with Ofsted guidance, the absence of a registered manager for more than 26 weeks and the impact this is having on the home results in a judgement of inadequate for the leadership and management outcome area. The manager is also responsible for another two homes in the organisation. She is supported in this home by a first line manager [deputy]. Together, they are currently unable to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in relation to current guidance and regulations and Ofsted’s social care common inspection framework relating to children’s homes. This lack of knowledge has prevented staff from receiving appropriate

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

performance management, through supervision, and does not ensure their continuous development. Some filing systems for paperwork are outdated, poorly recorded, lack content and do not demonstrate the young person’s history or the progress he is making at the home. For example, the young person’s case file does not follow the sections as explained in the index. His placement plan and day-to-day essential information does not evidence the outcomes or progress he has made. Also, not all of the ‘children looked after’ documentation, including outcomes of reviews from his placing authority, have been received by the home. Team meeting records and young people’s meeting records lack information and do not show actions taken as a result of discussions taking place. There is no evidence of any internal monitoring since the last quality of care review report was received by Ofsted on 22 August 2016. Record-keeping is not systematic and

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

prevents effective oversight. The independent person who visits the home each month has consistently reported on how satisfied she is that the young person accommodated at this children’s home is effectively safeguarded and that their well-being is promoted. However, she also raises actions which are not routinely met, such as to ensure that the ‘children looked after’ documentation from the placing authority is requested and put in place, and that there are plans for the home to be renovated and decorated throughout, but this is a slow process. The home is in need of new furniture and decorating to bring it up to acceptable standards. A team of maintenance workers turned up on the second day of the inspection and began to paint the kitchen area. Although the management team has raised these issues, the organisation has been slow to act and make the necessary Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 9

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

improvements to the home. The revised statement of purpose document has not been sent to Ofsted in the timescales required by regulation. This means that the regulator is not kept informed of staffing and management changes in the home. The home does have a full-staff team with most staff having completed their level 3 qualification. The manager is currently undertaking her level 5 qualification and intends to submit her application to Ofsted for registration of this home. The three requirements made at the last inspection in relation to education, staffing and the safe area report are now met.

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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: SC456857 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

Mark Kersh, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456857 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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