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

Inspection report children’s home: SC457139 1 SC457139 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 privately operated children’s home provides care and accommodation for two children or 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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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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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: improved effectiveness

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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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

 Not all eligible staff employed at the home have completed the required level 3 diploma. Inspection report children’s home: SC457139 2  The staffing ratios do not always reflect the level of risk management highlighted in risk assessments.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff team does not consistently involve young people in the formulation and reviewing of their care plans.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The leadership and management team does not analyse data fully relating to significant behaviours of young people and therefore does not develop strategies to address safe care.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff team does not routinely escalate issues to secure the input and services required to meet each young person’s individual needs.

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Key findings from this inspection

 The staff are good at reintegrating young people back into education and supporting them to attend.  The young people learn a range of household skills, which will help them to be independent in later life.  The management and the staff team develop positive relationships with young people and their families.  The home environment is warm and friendly and is conducive to family living.  The staff are supportive and nurturing towards the young people and focus on positive aspects of their behaviour.  The management and staff are good at capturing positive memories in each young person’s life in the form of photographs that support their life stories.  The management strongly advocates for specialist input from a clinical psychologist to meet young people’s mental health needs.

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

01/02/2017 Interim Improved effectiveness 24/10/2016 Full Good 30/03/2016 Interim Sustained effectiveness 04/08/2015 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: SC457139 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

In meeting the quality standards the registered person must, and must ensure that staff- seek to involve each child’s placing authority effectively in the child’s care, in accordance with the child’s relevant plans; seek to secure the input and services required to meet each child’s needs; if the registered person considers, or staff consider, a placing authority’s or a relevant person’s performance or response to be inadequate in relation to their role, challenge the placing authority or the relevant person to seek to ensure that each child’s needs are met in accordance with the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 5 (a)(b)(c)) In particular, ensure that services to meet the cultural needs of children, placed far away from home and relevant care plans are distributed in a timely manner. 22/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The children’s views, wishes and feelings standard is that children receive care from staff who- engage with them and take their views, wishes and feelings into account in relation to matters affecting the children’s care and welfare and their lives. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff ascertain and consider each child’s views, wishes and feelings, and balance these against what they judge to be in the child’s best interests when making decisions about the child’s care and welfare, and help each child to express their views, wishes and feelings. (Regulation 7 (1)(b)(c)(2)(i)(ii)) In particular, ensure that children are actively involved in understanding and contributing to their records and plans maintained within recording systems. 22/03/2018

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the 22/03/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC457139 4 children’s home that helps children aspire to fulfil their potential, and promotes their welfare. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child and ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child; and ensure that the home’s workforce provides continuity of care to each child and understand the impact that the quality of care provided in the home is having on the progress and experiences of each child and use this understanding to inform the development of the quality of care provided in the home. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to use monitoring and review systems to

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Requirement Due date

make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(c)(d)(e)(f)(h))

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Recommendations

 It is good practice for a note of the content and/or outcomes of supervision sessions to be kept. In particular, any actions from previous supervision should be detailed, and a standalone agenda item relating to safeguarding should be maintained. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 61, paragraph 13.4)

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improvement to be good

Both young people have benefited from attending their respective educational establishments. One young person is continuing to thrive in her learning and development, and is attending school full time. A social worker said, ‘[Name] is attending full-time school. There has been no missing behaviour. There is regular contact now with family. It has been a really good move for her. I know she has really good relationships with staff.’ Although recent behaviours in school have resulted in an exclusion for the other young person, the staff are engaging him positively in education in the home. This is structured and timed in accordance with the school timetable, and they are actively communicating with the social worker and virtual headteacher from the local authority to identify an alternative provision.

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improvement to be good

The staff actively promote positive activities for the young people covering a range of Inspection report children’s home: SC457139 5 experiences such as paintballing, go-karting, cinema trips and relaxing visits to the coast. The young people are encouraged to perform basic household tasks, such as choosing meals, organising laundry, cooking and keeping their bedrooms tidy. A member of staff said, ‘Oh it is the full thing, like hoovering and polishing. [Name] washes dishes and does her own ironing, which she likes.’ There is also an independence pack, and on a Sunday a task is taken from the pack. This can involve, for example, planning a meal from scratch: budgeting, purchasing ingredients and eventually cooking. Performing this whole task, with staff support, enables young people to develop confidence and competency, supporting their progress to independence.

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improvement to be good

The home is well maintained and provides areas for group activities such as dining and watching television, or just playing games, of which there are many. Importantly, there is space for privacy and individual study, if needed. There is a relaxed atmosphere in the home, and young people are able to welcome family members for contact. The home is also able to accommodate professionals who require one-to-one time with young people. A professional said, ‘They are very welcoming.’ This mixture of areas within the home provides opportunities to respect young people’s privacy and supports positive relationships.

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improvement to be good

The staff encourage young people to express their views and to share their emotions. They have access to health services and they are consulted on aspects of their lives, which has resulted in positive attendance at their reviews. However, it is not always apparent that their wishes, feelings and views are included in their daily records and plans, which are well documented but are overwhelming in content and detail. They are not child-friendly, and therefore do not encourage young people to take ownership. This an area for development which would enhance young people’s confidence and raise their self-esteem.

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improvement to be good

The young people have comprehensive risk assessments, and the management team ensures that records are maintained as ‘live’ documents; they are regularly reviewed and updated in line with any significant changes or incidents. This ensures that records are organised, and are responsive to current need. However, they do not demonstrate practicable arrangements in respect of staffing ratios when supporting young people in crisis. This potentially leaves the young people without appropriate support and protection. Additionally, it can leave less experienced staff vulnerable.

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improvement to be good

Since the last inspection, there have been occasions when a young person has displayed unpredictable behaviours and the staff team has responded calmly. Recording of such incidents is sufficient, and sharing of information with relevant clinical professionals develops staff’s understanding, which supports safe care. There have been times, both at school and in the home, when support has been required from the police to ensure that staff and young people have been protected from immediate harm. Inspection report children’s home: SC457139 6 The staff team has been impacted by unexpected illness, and this has led to an inconsistent group of staff caring for the young people. The reliance on a core group of staff does not always provide a consistent and stable environment in which young people feel safe. The inconsistency in staff personnel could impact on young people’s emotional stability and safe care. The staff manage this to the best of their ability, and

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improvement to be good

positive relationships enable them to recognise changes in young people’s presentation and respond in accordance with their individual behaviour management plans. A social worker said, ‘[Name], has developed positive relationships with staff, and is able now to express himself when he feels sad.’

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improvement to be good

The staff team undertakes work with the young people to help them understand how to keep themselves safe. This includes providing education on acceptable behaviours in the community and online safety. Physical intervention is rarely used, and when required is used appropriately. Episodes of missing from care have not been an issue. There have only been two such incidents in the last 12 months, and they were not significant in terms of location or time absent. Procedures and protocols for safeguarding arrangements are understood and followed consistently by the staff team, and all staff are trained in the organisation’s physical intervention programme.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager is an experienced practitioner with knowledge and expertise gained through her various roles in children’s homes. She is supported by team leaders who have relevant life experiences, and have experience of other social care settings. They are not all qualified and are at various levels of development in their professional roles. However, there are plans in the weeks following this inspection to interview for the post of team leader.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager advocates strongly on behalf of the young people to ensure specialist input from clinical psychologists and other relevant health professionals that meets their needs. The information and services provided by the local authority are not always provided in a timely manner, and there is no clear policy for escalating these issues to the responsible individual. As a result, young people’s needs in respect of their ethnicity and heritage are not being met fully. Additionally, care plans are not distributed in a timely manner to support progress and positive outcomes. This is particularly important when young people are placed far away from their home community.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager’s monitoring reports have been submitted to Ofsted within timescales and demonstrate good evaluation and identification of areas for improvement. Independent scrutiny is well received, and any recommendations are completed in a timely manner. This supports effective scrutiny of the home’s operation.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The leadership and management team has not sufficiently supported the overall care of young people by ensuring that staffing ratios have been proportionate to meet their overall welfare on a daily basis. Monitoring and analysis of data, specifically around areas of behaviour demonstrated by young people, are not efficient and therefore not effective in developing strategies to support change. Inspection report children’s home: SC457139 7 The registered manager is actively involved in the care of the young people by working shifts and doing sleep-in duties. This strengthens her relationships with young people, and enables her to support staff development through modelling good practice. This also supports supervision for both experienced staff and those new to the service. A recommendation was made in this area to ensure that actions from previous supervision are routinely noted and addressed before each supervision. This supports development

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: requires improvement to be good

The registered manager has built good relationships with professionals and has a supportive staff team. An independent reviewing officer said, ‘She is amazing and I am always impressed by them [staff].’

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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: SC457139 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

Michael Dack, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC457139 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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