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

p.1

Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

p.1

Information about this children’s home

This home has not had a registered manager since 25 July 2017 There were no children living in this home during the inspection. The home is owned and run by a large national organisation. The home’s statement of purpose states that this home is part of ‘the complex needs services and is registered to accommodate one young person up to the age of 18 (17 on admission). The young people who are considered for accommodation at this home often have needs ranging from emotional and mental health problems, self-harm, severe anger, aggression problems and attachment issues.’ Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious child protection allegations were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, inspectors considered the actions taken by the setting in response to the allegations alongside other evidence available at the time

p.1

Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

p.1

inadequate

How well children and young people are helped and protected inadequate

p.1

inadequate

The effectiveness of leaders and managers inadequate

p.1

inadequate

There are serious and/or widespread failures that mean children and young people are not protected or their welfare is not promoted or safeguarded, and the care and experiences of children and young people are poor and they are not making progress. Inspection report children’s home: SC456539 2 Date of last inspection: 12 July 2017

p.1

inadequate

Overall judgement at last inspection: good

p.2

inadequate

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

p.2

Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

12/07/2017 Full Good 07/03/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 19/10/2016 Full Good 29/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children’s home: SC456539 3

p.2

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.

p.3

Requirement Due date

8. The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure— that staff—

p.3

Requirement Due date

understand the barriers to learning that each child may face and take appropriate action to help the child to overcome any such barriers;

p.3

Requirement Due date

maintain regular contact with each child’s education and training provider, including engaging with the provider and the placing authority to support the child’s education and training and to maximise the child’s achievement;

p.3

Requirement Due date

help a child who is excluded from school, or who is of compulsory school age but not attending school, to access educational and training support throughout the period of exclusion or non-attendance and to return to school as soon as possible. (Regulation 8 (1)(2)(a)(iii)(vi)(viii)) 01/06/2018

p.3

Requirement Due date

12. The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

p.3

Requirement Due date

that staff— assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

p.3

Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from 01/06/2018 Inspection report children’s home: SC456539 4 harm. (Regulation 12 (1)(2)(a)(i)(b)) 13. The leadership and management standard is that the registered person must enable, inspire and lead a culture in relation to the children’s home that— helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

p.3

Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to— lead and manage the home in a way that is consistent with the approach and ethos, and delivers the outcomes set out in the home’s statement of purpose;

p.4

Requirement Due date

ensure that staff have the experience, qualifications and skills to meet the needs of each child. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b)(2)(a)(c))

p.4

Requirement Due date

In particular, ensure that when less experienced probationary staff members are on shift there is always an experienced, qualified and competent member of staff on each shift to support them. 01/06/2018

p.4

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; and the registered provider— is an organisation or a partnership; does not satisfy regulation 28; or is not, or does not intend to be, in day-to-day charge of the home. If the registered provider appoints a person to manage the home, the registered provider must, without delay, give HMCI notice of— the name of the person so appointed; and the date on which the appointment takes effect. (Regulation 27 (1)(a)(b)(i)(ii)(iii)(2)(a)(b)) 01/06/2018

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that all employees receive practice-related supervision by a person with appropriate experience. (Regulation 33 (4)(b)) 01/06/2018

p.4

Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that within 24 hours of the use of a measure of control, discipline or restraint in relation to a child in the home, a record is made which includes— Inspection report children’s home: SC456539 5 a description of the measure and its duration;

p.4

Requirement Due date

the effectiveness and any consequences of the use of the measure;

p.5

Requirement Due date

within 48 hours of the use of the measure, the registered person, or a person who is authorised by the registered person to do so (‘the authorised person’) has spoken to the user about the measure and has signed the record to confirm it is accurate; and within 5 days of the measure, the registered person or the authorised person adds to the record confirmation that they have spoken to the child about the measure. (Regulation 35(3)(a)(iv)(vii)(b)(i)(ii)(c))

p.5

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. (Regulation 36 (1)(a)) In particular, ensure that the local authority care plan, placement plan, personal education plan, healthcare plan, and statutory healthcare assessments are obtained at the start of each placement for each child that is placed in the home.

p.5

Requirement Due date

Schedule 4 sets out the other information that the registered person must keep in relation to a children’s home. The registered person must maintain in the home the records in Schedule 4 and ensure that the records are kept up to date. (Regulation 37 (1)(2)(a)(b)) In particular, a copy of the staff duty roster of persons working at the home, and a record of the actual rotas worked, and a record of any persons who work at any time at the home. 01/06/2018

p.5

Requirement Due date

The registered person must establish a procedure for considering complaints made by or on behalf of children. This procedure must ensure that a record of any complaint, the action taken in response, and the outcome of any investigation. (Regulation 39 (1)(2)(3)) 01/06/2018

p.5

Recommendations

 Staff should support children to be aware of and manage their own safety both inside and outside of the home to the extent that any good parent would. Staff should help children to understand how to protect themselves, feel protected, and be protected from significant harm. (‘Guide to the children’s home regulations including the quality standards’, page 43, paragraph 9.9) Inspection report children’s home: SC456539 6 In particular, ensure that the staff conduct meaningful direct work with children, which enables them to understand how to keep themselves safe from the known risks associated with their identified behaviour.  As set out in the regulations 31–33, the registered provider is responsible for maintaining good employment practice. They must ensure that performance management of staff safeguards children and minimises potential risks to them. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page

p.5

Recommendations

61, paragraph 13.1) In particular, ensure that new staff are supported throughout their probation period as identified within the home’s policy on the probation period.

p.6

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Children’s welfare is not promoted in this home. Poor pre-placement planning results in a lack of progress and poor experiences for children living in the home. The failure to ensure that the home has had a registered manager since July 2017, and further weaknesses in the leadership and management arrangements for this home, have led to this inadequate judgement. Transition planning for children moving into the home is poor. The provider works in line within its statement of purpose and accepts children into the home in emergency situations. However, the provider has failed to ensure that the correct documents and information are obtained from the placing local authority prior to, or shortly after, children are placed in the home. The home’s statement of purpose states that ‘The home will carry out a review in line with the Regulations to ensure that all parties agree the placement is appropriate and meeting the young person’s needs’, and that ‘Detailed

p.6

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

placement plans, individual education plan and individual action plan will be produced for agreement.’ This was found not to be the case during the inspection, as these records were not available on the children’s files. Staff lack detailed knowledge and understanding of children’s needs because the provider has failed to secure the necessary information and statutory documentation from the local authority. The lack of information from the local authority means that senior staff are unable to develop individual care plans and placement plans for the children. Senior staff are unable to do this because they do not have access to children’s statutory care plans, placement plans, healthcare assessments, personal education plans and healthcare plans. This means that staff are not provided with the direction and support that they need to understand or meet the individual child’s known vulnerabilities, needs and routines.

p.6

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

Education outcomes for children in this home are poor. Four children have lived in this home since the last inspection. Of these four, only one child has re-engaged in an alternative education provision. Although staff do make some efforts to support children to engage in educational activities, professionals feel that more can be done. Inspection report children’s home: SC456539 7 Professionals’ confidence in the provider’s ability to support children’s progress in this home is limited. One education professional said they were unable to comment on a child’s progress because ‘there is no information on his past education’. They went on to add that they ‘would also like staff to encourage [name of young person] to attend school’. This view was echoed by a social worker, who felt that staff could be more proactive in helping children return to education. They said the home ‘needed to be more firm in this regard and ensure that this is not something which can be negotiated.

p.6

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: inadequate

In addition, the staff have not been firm with the young person in terms of going out on unsupervised time during school hours.’ Staff and managers recognise the importance of children staying in touch with their family and friends. Staff ensure that safe and suitable arrangements are in place for children to sustain contact and maintain these important relationships.

p.7

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

Children’s risk assessments are not sufficiently detailed and are not reviewed effectively to address and highlight how a child’s changing needs and vulnerabilities will be met. Therefore, staff do not always have the knowledge or necessary guidance to keep children safe. For example, the manager has failed to introduce a suitable plan to safeguard children and staff throughout the night-time hours. Furthermore, the manager failed to update a child’s risk assessment with important information that was shared during a staff team meeting which may have reduced the potential risks for the child and staff members. In addition, the manager failed to ensure that staff rosters were amended as previously agreed to make sure that two male members of staff were not on shift together. In this situation, the child and staff members on shift were left vulnerable. Children are not supported to understand the risks associated with their behaviour so

p.7

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

that they can become increasingly safe. Direct key-worker sessions do not take place systematically following significant incidents such as self-harm. As a result, children are not sufficiently supported to change their behaviour as staff do not educate, support and guide children on the risks that are associated with their known risk-taking behaviour. Staff promote positive behaviour through their use of restorative justice measures. However, the records lack clear timescales about how long the consequence is to last, how this is reviewed and if this has been discussed and shared with the child or young person. Furthermore, these records are not reviewed or monitored by leaders and managers. This practice compromises the safety of children and young people in this home and loses the intended impact of enabling a child to learn from their behaviour. The manager listens to the complaints that children make against staff in the home.

p.7

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

These issues and concerns are highlighted and discussed with those individuals who are involved. However, poor record-keeping of the outcomes of the complaint means that it is unclear how an incident has been followed up with the member of staff concerned, if the child was informed and is satisfied with the outcome, and what learning has been taken from this.

p.7

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

Inspection report children’s home: SC456539 8 This management and leadership arrangements for the home are inadequate as the home has been without a registered manager since 25 July 2017. Arrangements to support staff are insufficient. The lack of a registered manager, and the movement of staff between this and the other homes in the organisation, mean that the manager cannot be fully assured that staff are supervised in line with the home’s policy. Furthermore, the lack of probation records completed for new staff hinders the manager’s ability to routinely monitor and help improve staff’s performance, competency and conduct as required by their policies. This is not good practice as it affects the manager’s ability to assess performance during the early stages of employment. Staffing arrangements are poor. The manager has failed to ensure that children are cared for by an experienced, qualified and competent staff team. On occasions, new

p.8

The effectiveness of leaders and managers: inadequate

members of staff, who have not been signed off as competent, have supported each other in caring for a child. This does not ensure that the staff on shift have the necessary skills and experience to work with the child that they are caring for. Along with poor records of the shifts that staff have actually worked, this compromises the safety and well-being of children in this home. The manager does not have a robust system to assess and evaluate the progress made by children from the start of their placement. Children’s records do not contain the required statutory documentation, and key information in the home’s placement plan is missing. There is not a coherent flow of information within children’s files to provide a detailed picture of each child’s life throughout their placement. This is a missed opportunity to clearly evidence and monitor the progress made by the children in this home.

p.8

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.

p.8

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 9

p.8

Children’s home details

Registered provider: Cambian Childcare Ltd

p.9

Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Cambian Group, 4th Floor Waterfront Building, Chancellors Road, Hammersmith Embankment, London W6 9RU

p.9

Inspector(s)

Janine Shortman-Thomas, social care inspector Sarah Billett, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: SC456539 10 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.9

Inspector(s)

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.10

Inspector(s)

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.10

Inspector(s)

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.10