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

Inspection report children‟s home: SC456416 1 SC456416 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 one of a number of children‟s homes operated by a private company. The home is registered to provide care and accommodation for no more than one child or young person who has emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Information about this children’s home

If required, children and young people can access the organisation‟s school and therapy department.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager has been in post since February 2017, and has been registered with Ofsted since December 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: good

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none

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Recent inspection history

Inspection report children‟s home: SC456416 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

09/05/2017 Full Good 09/02/2017 Interim Sustained effectiveness 12/10/2016 Full Outstanding 07/03/2016 Interim Improved effectiveness Inspection report children‟s home: SC456416 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—

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Requirement Due date

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(c))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, escalate in a timely manner any challenge of the responsible authority when it fails to provide the home with key documents, and when it fails to meet its statutory duty to provide an independent return interview when a child returns from an episode of being missing from care. 20/06/2018

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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. (Regulation 16(1))

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Requirement Due date

Specifically, include the details of the experience and qualifications of staff, including any staff commissioned to provide education or healthcare. 20/06/2018

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Recommendations

 Children‟s home staff should take reasonable precautions and make informed professional judgements based on the individual child‟s needs and developmental stage about when to allow a child to take a particular risk or follow a particular course of action („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 42, paragraph 9.7). Specifically, provide safe opportunities for the child to have independence time within the community.  A record of supervision should be kept for staff, including the manager („Guide to the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 61, paragraph 13.3). Specifically, ensure supervision records are organised well and Inspection report children‟s home: SC456416 4 available when requested.  Ensure the locality risk assessment identifies any risks and opportunities presented by the home‟s location and strategies for managing these. („Guide to

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Recommendations

the children‟s homes regulations including the quality standards‟, page 64, paragraph 15.1)

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Three young people have lived at this home since the last inspection. Each of them has responded well to living in a solo home and they are much safer as a result. Their time spent in the home has made a positive difference to their lives and has enabled two of them to successfully transition back to multi-bedded homes.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff support the young people to come to terms with their past and find stability in their often chaotic lives. They treat the young people with unconditional positive regard at all times. The impact of this is that the young people become more resilient, begin to think more consequentially and plan more positively for their futures.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The young person currently living at this home is settled and making good progress in many aspects of her life. For example, she is making better choices about keeping herself safe, and is growing in confidence and self-esteem. The young person said, „This is probably the best placement I have been in and the first one that feels like home. It is so chilled and the staff really care about me. I can see a massive difference in me.‟

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Strong, reciprocal relationships exist between the young person and the staff, who act as positive role models. The young person confirmed that she feels valued and respected because staff listen and respond to her views and opinions. Her choices are integral to the day-to-day running of the home and she is well supported to influence and be fully involved in the decisions affecting her life.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The staff work hard to promote and support good participation in education. They work closely with teachers and have ensured that the young person has been given the support she needs to reinvest in her education after a significant period of non- participation. This has been effective in increasing her attendance and moving the young person closer to achieving her academic potential.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff make sure that the young people are healthy, and that they get the medical advice, treatment and psychological support they need. They have a good understanding of the current young person‟s emotional needs, and provide her with very good support in this respect.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Staff recognise the importance of maintaining family relationships. They do not let distance get in the way of family contact, and go to great lengths to ensure that the young person can visit the key people in her life. They also provide good emotional Inspection report children‟s home: SC456416 5 support, which helps her to manage the emotional complexities presented by some relationships with the people she cares about.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Managers and staff recognise the need to improve the opportunities for the current young person to become more independent and take appropriate risks. Currently she has no free time, a situation that does not reflect the reduction in her risk-taking behaviour. Discussions between the home and the responsible authority have started, but this process needs to be expedited if her social development and preparation for adulthood is not to be stifled.

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

Moving to this solo home, combined with the support provided by the staff, means that the young people are safer than they were previously. Staff encourage the young people to reflect on their past behaviours and learn from current experiences. This opportunity to reflect, combined with good advice from staff, has enabled the young people to make better choices about keeping themselves safe. Consequently, risk-taking behaviours such as substance misuse, going missing from home and self-harm reduce quickly. A young person proudly said, „My biggest achievement is learning how to cope. I know that I can talk to staff when I am feeling low, which means I don‟t need to hurt myself.‟

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

Staff understand their responsibilities with regard to keeping the young people safe, and know how to do this. Detailed risk assessments are followed in order to effectively manage any known or emerging behaviours, risks and vulnerabilities. Staff practice is reinforced by good links with external safeguarding agencies and professionals, who have been appropriately involved when the need has arisen.

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

Staff know what action to take when a young person goes missing from home. They make every effort to locate and contact them before reporting their absence to the police. A debrief between the manager and the young person takes place when they return, and a return interview by the responsible authority is requested. The manager has not been sufficiently robust in her challenge when the responsible authority has not fulfilled its statutory obligation to provide this interview.

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

The staff make good use of positive relationships to help the young people to manage their feelings safely and moderate their behaviour. They try to understand why the young person is upset and work with them to find a solution. This approach has been effective in avoiding the need for physical restraint and the use of sanctions is very rare.

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

The location risk assessment is of poor quality. It is a generic document that provides very limited information about the specific risks presented by the home‟s location and the strategies for managing these.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Inspection report children‟s home: SC456416 6 The manager has a good understanding of the young people‟s needs, and is fully involved in the implementation of their care. She is well supported by a very competent deputy manager who shares her motivation for achieving good outcomes for the young people.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Together, they lead a team of caring, well-trained and experienced staff, who have high aspirations for the young people and provide them with positive experiences that help them to achieve good outcomes. A professional said, „Moving to this placement has been a positive experience for [name]. The staff have worked hard at progressing [name] and I am happy with the progress she is making.‟

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Suitable action has been taken to address the two requirements from the previous inspection. There is good evidence that staff understand and implement behaviour management plans. The manager now informs Ofsted in the event that a serious incident occurs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff say that they are supported well by the manager, who they say is always available when needed. They have regular supervision, which the majority of those spoken to find beneficial to their professional development. The way in which records of supervision are kept needs to improve. The current system of placing supervision minutes in envelopes means that they are not well coordinated and easily accessible when required, for example during this inspection.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The manager makes good use of external scrutiny and internal quality assurance measures to identify and address shortfalls. She recognises that she needs to take a more strategic approach to the promotion of wholescale improvement if she is to progress this home beyond good.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Young people‟s case records are detailed and regularly updated, and provide a comprehensive picture of each young person‟s needs, progress and experiences. Some essential information, including the responsible authority‟s placement plan and the minutes of the last children looked after review, is not on file. The manager presented evidence of chasing these documents with the responsible authority, but has not sufficiently escalated her challenge to invoke a positive response.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The home‟s statement of purpose does not meet regulation. It does not include the details of the experience and qualifications of 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 Inspection report children‟s home: SC456416 7 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: SC456416 8

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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

Paul Scott: social care inspector Inspection report children‟s home: SC456416 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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